State continually buying up land....

whtlhntr

Senior Member
jackflash
OK, you're talking about behind where the old Altamaha club was? From the bridge on down to Middleton Lake?

robk
i'll try and get there next week, only thing is, my wallet always ends up much lighter when i leave there
 

Robk

Senior Member
I'll be easy on you next trip. I don't think you are do to buy any fencing for a while so you should be good. ;) I'm chasing turkeys all this week anyway.

R
 

whtlhntr

Senior Member
I'd guess that you are right
 

hawgrider1200

Senior Member
While ya'll are crying about the state buying up the land, here in Houston Co. we are wishing the state woud buy some land. Oaky Woods WMA was for sale. A timber company owned it and put it on the market. Group of Perdue's buds got together and bought it for dirt cheap. Perdue bought some on the border of it. Now the conglomerate, including the fellow that owns Sports Center in Perry, (think his name is Ayers) and a local developer (McGlamery Properties) are threatening to build 30,000 houses on the land. (keep in mind some of this is "protected" wetlands) The state could have bought the land dirt cheap but now if they buy the land these developers will charge a large amount and make a huge profit from ur tax dollars. Google "Save Oaky Woods" for more information.

Not to make light of the construction industry's proplems but it's this kinda greed that makes me glad the prices of houses and the demand for them is deminished.
 

markland

Senior Member
Yep, that is exactly what I was talking about, would much rather the state buy it and have it protected somewhat then turn into another development/subdivision. The animals are running out of places to go in some areas! Just wish the Natures Conservency was more active in the south, they have bought alot of land up in northern and mid west areas and turned them over to the state. Mark
 

JBowers

Senior Member
The land that Jackflash is talking about won't be a WMA. This land was bought to extend the bird watching lands that border Townsend WMA.

Incorrect. It will be a WMA and significant portions of the money are from conservation organizations and grants.
 

JBowers

Senior Member
I will complain that they can buy land but don't have enough money left in budget to keep the Lodges open in the State Parks therefore people are laid off and buildings waste away, they need to get their priorities in order.:yeah:

The state money that is being used to facilitate this purchase was budgeted in a previous year and specifically for land conservation. As such, it can only be used for land acquisition; it can't be used for operations. That is, whether DNR used this money to buy land or not, it would not change the outcome for lodges and state parks. So either DNR could use it to buy hunting land or some other agency could use it buy the land for other recreational purposes.
 

Tulip

Senior Member
jackflash and robk I take it that Middleton Lake Hunt club no longer exits. Is Middleton lake ohell lake etc sold to the state? That was all Rayoiner land. Man there was some good fishing in there. Use to be in that club just to fish those lakes. My mom went to high school with the fellow who ran Middleton Lake Hunt Club.
On a side note I do agree with the state buying all the land along the Altamaha to create a buffer zone.
 

Robk

Senior Member
John,
I posted that I got the info second hand and stand corrected. Lot's of hogs on that property. be glad to get some access to that peice of property but it sure could have been handled differently for the guys who have hunted that club for years.
 

dusty80

Senior Member
I don't know what the state is doing but they are buying up everything on both sides of the Altamaha River. I think the only two clubs left are Buck Island and Bolles(Balls) Island. I know a man who owns 1200 acres of virgin timber that joins all the tracts the state has bought. I asked him what the deal was and he said he didn't know but the state had approached him and over twice the fair market value. He said he wasn't selling but is worried the state may run him off, and give him whatever they want. I work for Rayonier and we are kept in the dark about these type of things. Our mill runs off of 65% hardwood, so why would Rayonier sell all their river swamp land, then have to buy timber that was theirs to begin with???
 
Our mill runs off of 65% hardwood, so why would Rayonier sell all their river swamp land, then have to buy timber that was theirs to begin with???

I know what the historic basis that Rayonier is carrying that land at -- a lot of it is less than $200.00 per acre.

It is more profitable for them to sell the land, book the profit, and buy the timber at market prices on an as needed basis.
 

shaggybill

Senior Member
Just wish the Natures Conservency was more active in the south, they have bought alot of land up in northern and mid west areas and turned them over to the state. Mark

That's what they've done here in NC. The Nature Conservancy bought about 77,000 acres from International Paper and plans to turn all or most of it over to the state for gamelands. :banana:
 

whtlhntr

Senior Member
Nature Conservacy is the ones running this also. From what I understand, they plan on getting the rest of that riverfront land-i.e. Piney Island, DOT, Joyner Island and Buck Island-probably 1st quarter of next year. That means that Townsend WMA would extend from Griffin Ridge WMA to Miller Lake Rd and beyond. And just one DNR Ranger for all of it.
 

Timberman

Senior Member
Now the conglomerate, including the fellow that owns Sports Center in Perry, (think his name is Ayers) and a local developer (McGlamery Properties) are threatening to build 30,000 houses on the land.
My south Ga geography is a bit rusty but isnt Oaky Woods in or somewhere near Montgomery, Jeff Davis or Ben Hill counties?

Just what are the owners trying to gain by threatening this action?

I'll bet the family jewels NOBODY at this time or any time soon is thinking about building 30,000 houses on land that was formerly the Oaky Woods WMA...:smillies commiting suicide::flag:

One consequence of the economic turmoil we are in is that all of a sudden states are able to get some affordable deals on land...which provide us the public with some excellent outdoor recreation opportunities...:clap:
 

Danny Leigh

GONetwork Member
Oaky Woods is in Houston County with sprawling Warner Robins knocking on the door and Macon not too far to the north. Now is certainly not the time to build a huge community, but they are also charging the DNR the highest rate than any other leased WMA. The DNR is having to cut their budget pretty much each year and they may be having to close WMAs this year. Ayers and Company will keep on asking their high buying price and will keep asking their high leasing price. The state values the land, but at what price do they decide to get out. If the state does stop leasing the land then the company also knows that they can probably get the same money (or more) leasing to private clubs.
 

Coastie

Senior Member
as of just a week or so ago, the state bought land from Rayonier in Long County that housed 3 hunting clubs totaling in the neighborhood of 13-15,000 acres......with Rayonier maintaining the timber rights...

Markland, I totally understand what you are saying...and don't disagree with it....just airing the frustrations of many hunters and citizens that these things are all done without knowledge of the taxpayers until the deals are done......

the clubs that were bought are/were actually bordering ours....and it's just a view of what is bound to happen with ours soon.....

fishingtiger.....i would have thought the SAME thing, but apparently they have the money for it...

Recent acquisitions are 1,700 acres added to state owned Silver Lake WMA in Seminole County.

7,000 acres was added to Townsend WMA in Long and McIntosh counties.

Rayonier WMA in Brantley and Wayne counties is/was a WMA that is being dropped from the system and the property owner has, in fact, indicated an interest in leasing 12, 524 acres to private clubs.

The King Tract 8885 acres in Ware county is also being dropped from the system with no intentions of the property owner having been stated.

So would you rather that the land have been sold to a developer?
 

whitworth

Senior Member
hawgrider

Do they have a source of water for those 30,000 proposed homes? Any big dams down that way, I never heard of?
 

whitworth

Senior Member
Wish the state

had bought up a lot of Gwinnett land thirty years ago. Went up to the Lake Lanier dam over the weekend. A lot of hunting land is now subdivision and the tree with the treestand is now a second floor bedroom.
 
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