The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division recently selected George “Rip” Masters as the 2009 Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor of the Year. This award is presented annually in recognition of an instructor who displays outstanding volunteer efforts in educating sportsmen and women on wildlife conservation and the importance of safety while hunting.

 Fitzgerald has reason to crow over its Wild Chicken Festival. The annual celebration set for March 19-20 is going strong 10 years after organizers converted the former rattlesnake roundup to focus on the town’s wild Burmese chicken population.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division law enforcement officers have recovered the body of Ira Braitsch (age 64), of Lawrenceville from the Chattahoochee River in an area just south of McGinnis Ferry Road in Suwanee. Braitsch had been missing since Sunday, March 7, 2010 when the aluminum jon boat capsized while he was boating with a friend, Michael Boyle. Boyle, (age 67) also of Lawrenceville, was rescued on Sunday and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. He is currently still in the hospital.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (GAWRD) and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will hold two public meetings in March to discuss the Lake Chatuge sport fishery. Fisheries biologists from both agencies will provide management updates and will also give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed hybrid striped bass stocking in Lake Chatuge. Those interested are encouraged to bring these meetings to the attention of others that also may be interested in participating.