House Natural Resources & Environment Committee, February 5, 2026

Transcript

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1. 0:00:00

   Good morning, everyone. We're getting ready.

2. 0:00:20

   I can't catch my breath.

3. 0:00:23

   Take a deep breath.

4. 0:00:24

   Yeah.

5. 0:00:28

   So Representative Vance Smith will open with a prayer.

6. 0:00:32

   Thank you, Madam Chair. If y'all would, let's pray. Lord, we do thank you for another great day, and, uh, each day, each morning is a blessing that you give each of us. Uh, we do have family and friends at home that need your healing hand. You're the great physician. Um, a lot of them have been mentioned at different prayer, prayer groups here. Please take care of them and their families. Take care of our families and our children and our grandchildren. Keep them safe while we're here, and help us do your will as we work for the people of Georgia. In Jesus' name, we pray.

7. 0:01:02

   Amen.

8. 0:01:03

   Amen. Good morning, everyone. Um, we have a couple of bills in front of us today s- and then also a presentation. So we will start with Representative Corbett. If you can just present from, from your ... You can go on down there. Yes, okay.

9. 0:01:23

   Whatever you say.

10. 0:01:23

    Well, since you're wearing a cabbage tie today, um, you can sit ... He honestly is wearing a cabbage tie today. Just present from your seat. We've seen enough.

11. 0:01:41

    I, I, I resemble that remark, okay? All right. Well, thank you, Madam Chair, members of the committee. Uh, I bring before you House Bill 956, LC443273. That's, that's what we have in everybody's packet.

12. 0:01:58

    Mm-hmm.

13. 0:01:59

    Uh, what I, what we're doing here, we, we're giving the director of the EPD the authorization to take such actions as may be necessary to implement provisions of the Solid Waste Trust Fund. And I wanna do a little background, a little history on, on the S- S- Solid Waste Trust Fund and how we got to where we are, and, uh, but the Solid Waste Trust Fund was established in 1990 as part of the Georgia Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act. In 1992, an amendment to the act established a primary source of funding for the Solid Waste Trust Fund in the form of $1 fee for every new tire sold in the, in the state.

14. 0:02:34

    And what's been done with that historically in the past, that we'll, that money will come to the state, and we'll apportion a part of that funding back to the EPD to, uh, uh, administer the Solid Waste Trust Fund. And then in, uh, House Bill 511, which passed in May of 2021, uh, a proposed constitutional amendment that did dedicate, to dedicate all those funds, uh, to the EPD, and then now it's referred to as the Tire Management Fee, uh, to the Solid Waste Trust Fund. The amendment went into effect July 1st, 2022, and fully dedicated the fee amount and was available to the EPD beginning, uh, in fiscal year 2023.

15. 0:03:13

    Then in 2023, uh, the legislature adopted legislation that shifted the collection, that $1 collection fee, from the retail level to the distributor level. That, that change there resulted in a extra $2 million annually, uh, coming into that, that fund. You know, this increase in the fund has been critical in the success of this addressing the scrap tires in the state. You know, there was a time when there were millions of tires and, and, and thousands of, of piles all over the state, and through its inspection enforcement efforts, the EPD is now v- able to say that all known tire dumps, about 75 total in, in the state, are in active enforcement where EPD is pursuing the r- the responsible party or active abatement and being assigned to contractors for cleanup.

16. 0:04:02

    So it's been a very successful program. The EPD has also been able to fund all, uh, r- the requests by local governments for cleanup and amnesty day reimbursements it received through the STAR program. And this, this is where local governments can get up to a $75,000 grant per year to address tires in, in their counties. All of those are being, uh, funded. In addition, the EPD is, uh, fully funding the eligible recycling and tire grant application that it receives. Now, some, uh, municipalities and counties cannot receive this because they're out of compliance with the EPD or, or the, uh, DCA, uh, w- they have not audits or whatever out of compliance.

17. 0:04:41

    But, but in doing that, EP- in those cases, the EPD works with them to be, to make them eligible for the next round, uh, for the next year. So they are working with them to try to get them in compliance where they can receive those grants. You know, House Bill 956, as, as this fund continues to grow, all program needs are met. It's critical that EPD, uh, has the flexibility to use these funds to expand its work associated with the trust fund activities. You know, House Bill 956, and, you know, that's, that's what we're doing here.

18. 0:05:12

    Uh, it allows the director of the EPD the flexibility, uh, to utilize state appropriated funds to build capacity while ensuring that the critical solid waste functions are met. Uh, for example, you know, a couple months ago, you know, talking with Director Cowan and, and, and his team, uh, they, their emergency response team responded to a tire fire. But however, due to the way that the law is currently written, uh, the EPD's emergency response team cannot get paid from the Solid Waste Trust Fund. You know, this bill would allow the EPD to pay for that response if needed, uh, out, out of this fund.

19. 0:05:46

    It gives them the flexibility to do that. You know, and it, it also, uh, could help ensure solid waste permits are issued in a timely manner.

20. 0:05:55

    Uh, then it gets to the challenge you have with federal funding that comes down f- to- for these programs also. And historically, you know, we've, we've experienced, uh, several challenges with federal funding, uh, from unpredictable and delayed grant funds, like we've seen, like we talked about the other day with the, you know, federal government shutting, shutting down. This seems to be more often. Uh, then also we've, we've, we've seen, uh, delayed or either reduced funding levels, you know, coming from federal. So this, this will allow the EPD some flexibility to continue to have the tools necessary to protect human health and environment and implement federally, uh, delegated programs as well.

21. 0:06:31

    So it's important to note that House Bill 956 has no anticipated impact on EPD's current, uh, appropriate budget, the apportionated budget. Additionally, the growth in the fund means there is no impact to the grant programs or the support to keep Georgia beautiful. These efforts will continue to be funded through the Solid Waste Trust Fund dollars. And, and for these previous reasons I've discussed, I think this, this bill is needed and, uh, to help give the director the tools they need to, uh, administer the Solid Waste Trust Fund, uh, Program.

22. 0:07:04

    And with that, I'll yield for any questions and ask for your favorable consideration.

23. 0:07:10

    Thank you for that presentation. We will take a couple of questions now. So I'm gonna call your numbers, state your name, and then ask your question. Number seven.

24. 0:07:19

    Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I can see-

25. 0:07:23

    I actually-

26. 0:07:24

    I-

27. 0:07:24

    It's only time

28. 0:07:25

    ... I am representing DeKalb County that has had a major problem with the solid waste and problems with permitting, and I think we updated the laws so that when they get permits from the state, they also have to check with the local government. Would this in any way affect that?

29. 0:07:47

    Uh, I, I think we're talking about-

30. 0:07:48

    The changes that we-

31. 0:07:48

    ... permitting, permitting a new landfill, and I'm, I'm getting answer from a friend that it will not affect that at all.

32. 0:07:53

    Okay. So, and-

33. 0:07:54

    Yeah

34. 0:07:54

    ... also there would be no... I mean, I'm sorry. Can I follow up?

35. 0:07:58

    Yeah. Yes, follow up.

36. 0:07:59

    There would be no decrease in the amount of money that the local governments receive. Is that what you said?

37. 0:08:07

    No, that, that right. They'll continue to fund those grant programs, uh, uh, as they get them in. And like I said, they're fully funding them now and anticipate doing that in the future. This won't affect that at all.

38. 0:08:15

    Okay. Thank you.

39. 0:08:18

    Thank you. Number 10.

40. 0:08:20

    Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, Representative Cannon. I just want to say, just for the benefit of the committee, we as a local government receive those tire amnesty grants and compete for them whenever we can, and they're critical to getting these tires that people throw out on the roads, uh, removed from the side of the road. They're critical. And at the appropriate time, I'll make a motion, Madam Chair.

41. 0:08:40

    Let's see. We have one more question, number 26.

42. 0:08:43

    I was gonna make the same motion as-

43. 0:08:45

    All right. So, uh, to our bill presenter, seems like you're on a roll here. Um-

44. 0:08:51

    Like butter.

45. 0:08:52

    All right. So then now's probably time for a motion, Representative Cannon. And a second. All right. Any further discussion on the issue? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

46. 0:09:05

    Aye.

47. 0:09:05

    Any opposed, nay. Thank you.

48. 0:09:08

    Thank you, Madam Chair.

49. 0:09:09

    It, it, the bill was presented great and everything, but what it doesn't show is all the work that goes into it. Yeah, way of making cabbage. But, um, it, um, for our state, uh, Georgia has pride. We're a large state. And, um, efforts such as this and, and the long haul to make things work and, and the relationship is, is great here with EPD and, and our citizens around the state. So thank you for bringing us that bill.

50. 0:09:40

    So now we're gonna move on to Representative Hagan, House Bill 983. If you'll hit your number. Okay. All right. Got it.

51. 0:09:52

    It-

52. 0:09:52

    Gotcha

53. 0:09:52

    ... is it okay if I present from here?

54. 0:09:54

    Yes.

55. 0:09:54

    Yeah? Okay. Thank you.

56. 0:09:55

    Yeah. Do you have a cabbage tie?

57. 0:09:57

    I do not.

58. 0:09:57

    Okay. Still can.

59. 0:09:59

    I do have a lovely scarf, but I'm not wearing it today.

60. 0:10:02

    Oh, oh. Next time.

61. 0:10:04

    Um, Madam Chair, members of the committee, I have House Bill 983, LC600230. And, um, w- this is pertaining to our forest and their, and their care. We all know how important our forests are to our economy in the state, but also to our quality of life in, in supporting the wildlife that lives here. And, uh, so proper management of them is, is very important. Um, we've had a lot of wildfires in the news, especially down in Southeast Georgia lately, and, uh, I think it's never inappropriate to thank the Georgia Forestry Commissioner, Commission, DNR, and our other firefighters and first responders who do react very quickly when a fire, a wildfire is reported to, um, mitigate that.

62. 0:10:57

    But also to, to protect, uh, the forest itself, but also the surrounding community and, and life. So I wanted to make sure I mention them whenever I talk about wildfires. But, uh, prescribed burns are a very important way that, that we can prevent wildfires first of all, but also to, um, uh, make sure that they don't do any more damage than, than necessary when they do occur. And prescribed fires are also very important to the health of the forest, both to, um...

63. 0:11:30

    And, and also I, I was really, um, kind of surprised when we learned at one of our, um, excursions, Madam Chair, a few years ago, how important prescribed burns are also to some of our native, native wildlife species. So, um, it's important to, um, to make sure that that prescribed burn policy is intact and, and protected. So the commission requested this, uh, language change in the code to reduce confusion for our counties, cities, and property owners regarding what prescribed burning actually is.

64. 0:12:08

    So- Uh, what the bill does is it ... Well, first of all, currently a municipality, a city or a county, they may set burn requirements as they see fit, but with two exceptions, and the first is that they can't restrict burning the understory for the health of the forest and wildlife. And the second, uh, exception is they cannot restrict the landowner's ability to reduce fuel on the forest floor for safety of the community. And we learned last, at, at our last meeting from Director Sabo's presentation that, um, fuel mitigation is an active initiative and a priority of theirs.

65. 0:12:49

    And so, um, this'll only help us make sure that they're, they're able to, able to do that job. Um, what's added is, um, some additional reasons why prescribed burning needs to be allowed and may not be restricted, uh, in a county or a city. So, um, this would, this would include site prep of land for timber cultivation, fuel mitigation, wildlife habitat improvement, longleaf pine ecosystem management, and, and if I may give an example without saying the name of the place where, where there was an issue, there was confusion about whether, um, a landowner was allowed to burn the understory, which in code they are allowed to do, but when the land had already been cleared for replanting, there was no overstory.

66. 0:13:46

    So the confusion was, well, how do you have understory if there's no overstory left? So this just clears up the, the purpose and the intent of the prescribed burn. And, um, I don't know that I have explained this as well as I, uh, Director Sabo would, and I don't know if he's signed up to speak or if that would be necessary, but Madam Chair, that's the bill. And, um, that the intent is simply to make sure that everyone involved understands what prescribed burning is and that it would not be restricted, um, by a city or a county.

67. 0:14:24

    So thank you for your presentation. Um, I don't see any questions, so that means you did a great presentation there.

68. 0:14:31

    Thank you.

69. 0:14:31

    And, um, before I call for a vote, prescribed burn is not a practice throughout the United States. And, um, in the states where p- our growth is important with trees, and we are a state with our t- trees, we love our trees, and, um, we have had a practice of prescribed burn, I'm not sure for how many years, but you only have to look at the national news to see what happens when there is not prescribed burn. So it is a preventative measure, and I'm glad it's been a practice in our state for a long time.

70. 0:15:04

    Well, I talked long enough to get you a question. So number 24.

71. 0:15:08

    Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. Not at all, just a motion to approve at the appropriate time.

72. 0:15:12

    Um, now's the time.

73. 0:15:14

    Um, uh, that, recommend, uh, motion to do pass.

74. 0:15:17

    Is there a second?

75. 0:15:19

    Second.

76. 0:15:20

    All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. You have your bill. So thank you. And that completes the, um, legislative, the bill hearing part of our committee. And for those who are listening and heard these presentations for the first time, all bills that come to the committee are put in subcommittee. The bills where there is a need for action, support for it, then they're, they're are called bill hearings, and the public's welcome to speak then.

77. 0:15:51

    And, um, that's where you vet the bills. In other words, spend a lot of time making sure the language is correct and we're tackling the problem in the correct way. So from that, we're gonna move on to the presentation part of our program. And, um, this is going to be a presentation by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It kind of follows up in a way with, with these bills that are here. And so Dir- or Raymond, uh, Commissioner Raymond, if you will begin your presentation.

78. 0:16:23

    Good morning.

79. 0:16:23

    Good morning. Let's, let's see. Which mic? Trying to get your mic table. Yeah. All right.

80. 0:16:33

    Try this one.

81. 0:16:33

    Ray, we're gonna try-

82. 0:16:34

    Is it working?

83. 0:16:34

    Okay, there we go. Okay. Uh, little mechanics there.

84. 0:16:39

    Well, good morning.

85. 0:16:39

    Good morning. Good morning.

86. 0:16:41

    It is great to be in front of one of my favorite committees. The, my favorite in the house. Chair, Chair- Chairman Rhodes may not be listening, so. Um, anyway, I, I know that, uh, y'all have a lot of work to do today, so I'm gonna be very brief. I do have a lot of information that I want to provide to you in a short amount of time. I'm looking, and all of you have the PowerPoint in front of you, so feel free, uh, if I don't get to something this morning, to reach back out with any questions that you may have.

87. 0:17:14

    I wanted to give you a quick overview. Well, we may be having a few technical difficulties. Um, and let's just let the PowerPoint go. Um, I had impressed Director Sabo with the fact that I had a PowerPoint, and now I have disappointed him in that it doesn't work. But, um-

88. 0:17:34

    So does everybody have the, have, have this at their desk?

89. 0:17:38

    On that first slide-

90. 0:17:39

    Okay. We're, we're good

91. 0:17:40

    ... that's, that's titled Divisions, if you'll look at that, I just wanted to let you know that the, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' overall budget is $355 million. Uh, only 181 million of those dollars are state funds. We, we operate off of about $70 million of federal funds and then $101 million in other funds. We have about 2,700 employees total, and we run the operations of the department through five divisions.

92. 0:18:13

    Um, I'm gonna speak to you about four of those divisions this morning. I think all of you are very familiar with the, the division that operates under, according to the radio, Director Crown. Um, but anyway, uh, I know that he has provided you an overview and can answer any EPD questions. Uh, if you'll go to the, the next page, I'm gonna talk about our Coastal Resources Division. Um, an- another high level good stat for you to have is the, the department manages about 1.2 million acres of public land in our state.

93. 0:18:52

    We manage about 16,000 miles of rivers and streams, and we also assist with the management of over 500,000 acres of impounded waters in our state. Our Coastal Resources Division, you know, that little 105 miles of shoreline that we have along our coast, uh, that's pretty much where our Coastal Resources Division supports or runs all of their operations. That division's broke down into two sections, a Marine Fisheries section and our Coastal Management section.

94. 0:19:27

    Uh, the Marine Fisheries section is exactly what you would imagine it to be. Um, they operate and regulate all of the saltwater species and populations throughout the state, and as well as all of the commercial fisheries that take place across our state, and I'll get a little deeper into some of our newer commercial fisheries a little later. And then, uh, uh, we, we don't lose sight in the Marine Fisheries section of our recreational anglers as well. So, uh, I, I'm making something that's very complicated sound very simple this morning when I speak of m- operating those fisheries.

95. 0:20:05

    Um, a great staff that we have there that does an incredible job with those fish populations. And then our Coastal Management section, uh, is charged with balancing the economic growth that we are all enjoying in our state while also protecting our coastal natural, historic, and cultural resources that we're blessed with along the coast, as well as those recreational resources. And again, that, they are, um, a, a regulatory section that manages the growth that's taking place.

96. 0:20:37

    So if you wanna build a dock, a, a crosswalk, or do anything to our beaches, that's what that section focuses on. On the next page, tell you a little bit about our Law Enforcement Division. As we sit here today, we're about 200 strong. Uh, we do like to brag that we were the first state law enforcement, uh, agency in Georgia, uh, beginning in t- in 1911. Um, most of you are very familiar with what game wardens do.

97. 0:21:09

    I do wanna bring attention that they are POST-certified officers, just like any other peace officer in our state. Uh, we do brag on them routinely because we say they're the most versatile or the Swiss Army knife of law enforcement in our state. We have a, a lot of great peace officers and partners that help us patrol those areas in our met- our, our cities and our counties, but when it gets to the, the end of the dirt road, that's where we are, are at our best.

98. 0:21:41

    We like to say that we're law enforcement off of the pavement, and, um, again, do a great job not only with enforcing hunting, fishing, boating laws, uh, also in, heavily involved in the crime suppression details that take place here in Atlanta, uh, natural disaster response as well. So just a, a great group of men and women that are ready for any call at any time. We do currently have 23 cadets in our training class down at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, and that graduation is scheduled for April 17th.

99. 0:22:17

    I say that for you to make a note. We would love for any of you or all of you to attend that graduation in mid-April with us. On the next page, you'll see our State Parks and Historic Sites Division. You'll see that we're over 60 properties, uh, and they're all very diverse properties. Um, we run, you know, eight golf courses through that division, um, a number of lodges, but I think everyone in here, particularly if you have a state park in your district, would, would also brag with me in saying that we have the best state parks, uh, system of anyone, particularly in the Southeast, but I would argue in the nation if you visit those state parks in other states.

100. 0:23:05

     Just, uh, some cool numbers to me that stick out is last year we hosted 13 million visitors to those 60-plus sites that you see represented on that map in the upper l- right-hand corner of the slide, and those 13 million visitors helped us to generate $1.7 billion of economic impact in our state. So it's a huge industry. People love visiting our state parks, and they don't mind supporting their state parks, and I'll talk a little bit more about that a little later.

101. 0:23:41

     The next page is our Wildlife Resources Division. Um, it's comprised of four sections. We have the Game Management section, our Fisheries Management section, a Wildlife Conservation section, and our community, uh, Communication, Education, and Outreach sections within th- within that division. Our Game Management section manages about 130 wildlife management areas. When I spoke earlier that we manage 1.2 million acres, most of those acres are comprised within that Wildlife Management Area system.

102. 0:24:16

     While that's mainly hunting and fishing, I think everyone in here is aware of the, the economy that's generated with not, not just the consumptive users, but the, the birdwatchers, the hikers, and the campers that all enjoy getting out on those WMAs. Our fisheries management section, while managing those 16,000 miles of streams I spoke of and 500,000 acres of impoundments, they do also run 10 hatcheries and produce about 11 million fish annually that are stocked in our state's waters.

103. 0:24:51

     So a lot of work that's done on the fisheries management side, and again, this is a very, very brief overview. Our wildlife conservation section, the easiest way to define what they do day in and day out is they conserve all of the species that we don't hunt and fish for, and the habitats that those species use. So again, a, a tremendous amount of work that goes into there. Those species that I'm speaking of comprise about 95% of the species, wildlife species, in our state, and that's not just animal species.

104. 0:25:24

     That also includes the, the rare and threatened plants that we have in our state as well. And then lastly, the communication, education, and outreach section is exactly what it says. We- They, they support the other sections within that division. They get the message out. They do run our education centers that we have throughout the state, but they do a great job of promoting our public hunting and fishing opportunities and conservation opportunities around the state.

105. 0:25:55

     So with that, that is, uh, again, that is a very, very brief overview of the four divisions that we get to manage day in and day out. But I know that I get a lot of phone calls from many of you throughout the year, so I've got a, a few other bullets that I just wanted to touch on and give you an update on. First and foremost, the winter storms, uh, hopefully are in our rear view mirror. Um, I think that we've had enough fun in the snow and the ice for 2026, um, and I'm probably cursing us.

106. 0:26:26

     We'll probably get some more- ... next weekend. Anyway, winter storms Fern and Gianna, um, were back-to-back for us, and I will say I'd like to brag on some of my partner agencies. Uh, this was the first time that DNR partnered with the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Department of Agriculture in a unified command for our response. So we, we melded our resources together in order to provide a more efficient, better response for the citizens of Georgia, and couldn't be more proud of the unified command and the command staff that ran that operation for us.

107. 0:27:05

     Uh, we had over 200 personnel that were deployed under that unified command. Again, you can imagine the number of calls that came in on those storms. One, uh, bullet that I would like to share with you is when those storms hit, it affects that revenue stream to our state parks. So we had a number of cancellations, and just those two weekends, we lost over $250,000 in revenue. Now, our team is set. They're poised.

108. 0:27:36

     They're moving forward with marketing and trying to get those people to come back to our state parks, and they did the best that they could to get those people that were, had reservations in north Georgia to head south. So we, we are f- hopeful that we'll be able to make that up, but I just wanted to give that to you as an example of how these storms impact our system and our budget. Um, most of you have heard me speak numerous times on one of our newest initiatives, the Outdoors Beyond Barriers initiative, and, you know, all this initiative does is we want to make the outdoors, the environment in Georgia, accessible to all Georgians.

109. 0:28:17

     And we looked, looked in our rear view mirror and found out we could have done a better job over the years. So this initiative is a, uh, we're, we are promoting and putting the tools out there to get those with mobility impairments out in the woods to enjoy the things like hiking, hunting, fishing, all of the, the outdoor pursuits that all of you enjoy, and it's been hugely successful. I'm very, very, very proud of the team at DNR and the way that they have all joined arms around, across all of our divisions to make this, uh, initiative a success.

110. 0:28:54

     Just some examples, we had 20 adaptive hunting events last year, and that's not just deer hunting. That was dove hunting, turkey hunting events as well. We had 14 adaptive fishing events, and in our parks division, we had, uh, a number of, uh, OBB hikes, as we call it. We have 17 of the track chairs in, in our state parks across the system. We have four GRIT freedom chairs. We have glasses that help those with color blindness to see the colors of fall.

111. 0:29:28

     So just a, a, a great, uh, initiative that's taking place. It's fun to watch it develop throughout the year. Uh, we have ADA kayak launches that are going in on our s- uh, parks all across our system, as well as our public fishing areas that we also manage. And then we are working on an, a ADA adaptive golf program. So it's, it's pretty cool to see-

112. 0:29:53

     I don't know that anything will help a handicapped golfer

113. 0:29:56

     No. Well, I, yes.

114. 0:29:57

     Had a perfect score.

115. 0:29:59

     Exactly.

116. 0:30:00

     And I mean the ones who are healthy and are not-

117. 0:30:02

     That, that-

118. 0:30:02

     ... physically disabled.

119. 0:30:03

     You're talking to me.

120. 0:30:04

     Yes.

121. 0:30:05

     Yes. Um, no, it, it's, it's great to see the reaction that we get from these people that have challenges. They have many, many abilities, but they also have challenges, and when they get to access the outdoors, it is heart-touching, um, beyond belief. So very proud of the department and what they've done in that realm. Our Georgia state parks on the next page, uh, January 1st, we increased the fee to our state parks.

122. 0:30:36

     Since 2009, uh, the fee had been $5. Bless you. Just this year, we increased it to $10 for a park pass fee. But if you think back to 2009, all of you deal with our budget, and you know how much inflation has gone up. The cost to run our state parks had gone up tremendously. So we, we took a step back. We had some public interaction. We reached out to our partner groups, and everyone has supported this. And I can tell you that since, since, uh, January 1st, w- to my knowledge, we have not received any complaints.

123. 0:31:14

     The people that use our state parks don't mind paying to use their properties, and they appreciate what our staff does on those parks to make them clean, to make them fresh, and to make them accessible to them. So just wanted you to be aware. You may have received some phone calls on that. On the next page, our Georgia Oyster Mariculture Program, House Bill 501 in 2019 established a, a Georgia mariculture industry in our state.

124. 0:31:47

     Wanted to give you a brief update on that. In 2020, DNR, the board, adopted the rules that cover, um, this program. We have three mariculture zones that we have created since the bill passed, uh, in Chatham, Chatham County, McIntosh County, and then most recently in Glynn County. W- we currently have nine contractors or lessees of this industry. Four are actively producing product today.

125. 0:32:19

     I was able to enjoy some of those this past weekend on the coast, um, and they taste great. I highly recommend these farmed oysters that we now have. But of the, the ones that are not currently producing a product, we have two that are currently staging, meaning getting their gear in the water, or are waiting for their oysters to grow. And then we have three additional pending permits that are in Glynn County.

126. 0:32:46

     Tangier presentation, our committee did do a post-session trip to see the oyster acculturation. It's, it's amazing.

127. 0:32:53

     I- it's really cool to see how they, they grow those oysters in singles, makes them easy-

128. 0:33:00

     Mm-hmm

129. 0:33:00

     ... makes it a great product to sell and to eat. Um-

130. 0:33:05

     People here are

131. 0:33:05

     ... and then the other thing that I've heard from some of you on is the, the expanded summer harvest that we did last year. And most recently, like very recently, we just expanded those hours. So now a harvester before had a two-hour window in those summer months to get the oyster out of, out of their cages and get them to a refrigerated area. We've expanded that now, so they can start 30 minutes before sunrise, and they have until 10:00 AM.

132. 0:33:38

     So it pretty much doubled the time that they had based off the length of the days and that kind of thing throughout the summer. But we should be enjoying Georgia-harvested oysters year-round now. So that, that's a huge deal to the mariculture industry. And then outside of these farmed oysters, our wild oysters are doing great, and the clam, uh, business is great as well. On the next page, I have also heard from many of you about our red snapper, uh, season and offshore species.

133. 0:34:12

     I know we have a couple of bills that are circulating during this general assembly. Um, I will say that we partnered with Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We have asked to, asked NOAA Fisheries, the, the federal government, we've asked them for a red snapper exempted fishing permit. Basically, what this permit would allow us to do is to manage those offshore species in federal waters from our state. Um, we are hopeful that we will get the exemption.

134. 0:34:45

     Governor Kemp himself wrote a letter, uh, to the Secretary of the Inter- or Commerce requesting this exemption as well. Uh, we should know something by May 1st, we're told. Um, if we were to get the exemption, our proposal would be to have a 62-day red snapper season, which would be incredible for the anglers in Georgia. It would be great for the economic impact for those charter captains, for the people staying in those motels when they charter those boats.

135. 0:35:18

     It would be a big deal. This past year, we had a one-day red snapper season. I believe it rained that day. So again, just not a draw. It's not worth spending the, the time or the fuel to go out for one day. So we're very hopeful that we can receive that permit. Along that, uh, that exemption, uh, along that line, the bills that you are seeing, uh, in your chambers now, uh, we did, you were, you were kind enough to give us the appropriations last year.

136. 0:35:50

     So we have hired two full-time staff and two part-time staff to help us do creel samples and to do, uh, on-the-dock interviews from people coming back so that we can start gathering that data that would allow us to manage those offshore populations. Uh, 1,000 angler interviews were conducted since the appro- the, uh, bill was appropriated last July 1st. So stay tuned, very encouraged, and very hopeful.

137. 0:36:23

     Um, next page, Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program. It's a partnership with the Georgia Wildlife Federation. You were generous enough to allow us to have $500,000 for this program last year We have expanded that program to 52 counties with 56 processors in those counties helping us to process deer to get to our food banks. To date, 108 food banks across the State of Georgia have received these donated deer venison, um, which equates to about 120,000 pounds of venison that have been given to these food banks.

138. 0:37:03

     Our goal was 140,000 pounds, and we do feel like that we can still reach that goal throughout this year. We haven't got the numbers in from the extended bow season in our metro counties, and then we are also working with a number of people with their cr- uh, crop depredation permits and getting those deer also donated to this program to feed the hungry. So very successful. The money that you appropriate has been very useful and helpful in us expanding that program.

139. 0:37:35

     Uh, another program, uh, if you'll look at the next page under the Feral Hog Control, uh, slide, we started ... You gave us a, $100,000 last year, and we started a Hog Down Awards program. And basically what that is, and hunters can enter, uh, 10 hogs, and they get their name in the hat for a drawing for a, uh, about a $3,500 trap. And we're awarding five traps each quarter to those, uh, random drawings of people that have killed at least 10 hogs to get their name in there.

140. 0:38:14

     So with that, we, to date, and this is just the people that have, were successful on 10 hogs, we don't have a way to know, you know, who got to eight and who got to nine and that, that kind of thing. But of those people, 3,000 hogs have been taken. So in conjunction with our fer- feral hog task force that we're members with, with the Department of Ag, U- USDA, UGA, and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts, we've had over 300,000 hogs that have been taken off Georgia's landscape.

141. 0:38:49

     That's a good start. It's not where we need to be. I know your phones still ring because of hogs, but at least this state's taking some proactive measures to try to reduce that population, that invasive species. Uh, the next slide is chronic wasting disease. Uh, I think you'll remember that I came to you last year with a update with our first confirmed case in our state. That first confirmed s- case was in Berrien County. Uh, wanted to provide you an update.

142. 0:39:20

     You did give us $250,000 to help manage that. We hit the ground running. Uh, we've put out a number of freezer sites to help us collect samples. We have 78 sampling sites in what we consider our CWD zones. Since that first case came back positive, I think we're up to 14, 14 cases as of today. A couple of more came in this week. We still have the initial three sub- CWD zones.

143. 0:39:52

     The, the counties affected by that are, uh, Berrien, Lanier, Lowndes, and now Atkinson County have confirmed cases in them. That sounds like a huge landscape. Lowndes County doesn't have, at this time ... That's plastic, but I'm knocking on wood. Um, Lowndes County has not had a case within its borders. But when we draw a CWD zone, it's a five-mile circle, so any county that touches that s- five-mile radius is included in that.

144. 0:40:22

     So Northeast Lowndes County is, is drawn into that as well. It's a slow progressing disease. Um, we're managing it. You know, as the crow flies from the northernmost case, and this, they do tend, it looks like this is running kind of north and south right now. But from the northernmost case to the southernmost case is probably around 20 miles as the crow flies. So n- not completely unexpected when it hit our state.

145. 0:40:53

     Um, and, and again, the, the spread of disea- the disease is not alarming at this time. Um, deer season went very well in all of those counties and in all those zones. A lot of deer have been tested this past deer season, and you know the number of deer that are killed in our state. To have, um, you know, 14 cases in a, in a state where we're killing over 350,000 deer a year is not, not terrible.

146. 0:41:24

     So I will tell you that we have a great team in place. They're doing a good job of, of getting out and educating the public on the disease and what to expect. Um, we've conducted a number of public hearings. We've done a lot of training for the processors and taxidermists on how to help us, uh, collect those samples. And again, I, I, I'm here happy to report that we are managing the spread of this disease. And with that, Madam Chair, I'm happy to answer any questions.

147. 0:41:58

     Thank you for your presentation. We have a few minutes here for questions. Uh, what's impressive to me is that you're not a large state agency, so to speak. But yet, with your efficiencies and, and, um, I think the passion that your employees show, um, State of Georgia's a great place. And appreciate, appreciate everything all of y'all do.

148. 0:42:21

     Well, I love to brag on our team because, and it, it's, you know, many of them behind us, I, I would introduce them. I think all of you know all of them. But I- I would encourage you to meet your local DNR staff because they, too, have the, the same passions that we carry

149. 0:42:38

     when it comes to all of our, our species and the mission that they do. And, um, the one thing that I think you also manag- manage is the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act, and that, um, list is now gonna go before a general budget committee for approval. But, um, that's an amazing tool. If you'll just briefly say that, and then I will get quickly to the questions we have. Yes. No, we are so proud of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship program. To date, just a high-level overview, over $300 million.

150. 0:43:11

     That's state funds and matching funds that have gone to conservation projects across this state. Um, incredible, incredible program. Thank you, sir. All right, so let me get to my questions really quickly. Number 24, state your name. Uh, thanks, Madam Chair, Representative Townsend. Good seeing you again. Yes, sir. I just wanna say thanks because, um, y- your whole entire team, whether it's been the Coastal Resources Division, answering questions about red snapper, redfish, and I mean, I got inducted my first year before I was even, uh, take office about redfish.

151. 0:43:46

     And so, um, it's pretty volatile down there at times and, but, uh, they're very responsive, and, uh, uh, they help other... You know, they answer a lot of questions, and your entire team does, whether it's EPD or state parks. I enjoyed meeting your rangers. And one of the things I've noticed about your team is they enjoy their jobs. They enjoy their careers. They've got a passion for it. Thank you. That's, uh, that's a, that's a compliment because, uh, it takes a lot for... When you see an entire department like that, it's pretty impressive.

152. 0:44:16

     Well, and to, to your first point, the customer service, that is one of our m- major, major directives. And I say directive like we have to tell them that. They love to talk, not only to you, but to any constituent in Georgia because they are passionate about what they do. But I'm very proud of the customer service that all of our people provide. Def- it's evident. Thank you. Thank you. Um, number 20, let's see. I got you number 10.

153. 0:44:49

     Thank you, Madam Chair. Just wanna let the committee know that the commissioner here is getting an award tonight at the, uh, Dallas Safari Club banquet. Um, I wanna read what it is with your permission, just one sentence. Yes, please. Uh, "Commissioner Walter Rayburn has been named the 2026 Conservation Trail- Trailblazer Award recipient. The award recognizes wildlife professionals whose work has significantly advanced game and non-game conservation, applied research, habitat stewardship, and forward-looking policy." Just wanna make the committee aware of that. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations.

154. 0:45:21

     Thank you. If I wasn't red before, now I know I'm red. That just means more responsibility. Thank you. And then we have a- Thank you, sir ... one last question. Rep- If you'll state your name. Uh, Representative Corbett. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you for the job that, that you and your team, uh, do. You do a great job. The feral hog program is, has been very successful. But my question, on, on, we also have issues with, with beavers, uh, on, on, on farms and, and, uh, the state as well. You know, stopping up pipes and, and the road gets washed out. It's a huge problem.

155. 0:45:51

     Any talk or conversation being had around that? Maybe something to maybe mirror what we're doing with this, this feral hog program to do something for the, the beaver issue as well. I, I haven't heard anything directly. I know that we provide a lot of technical assistance to landowners on how to trap beavers. Um, as you know very well, it would be very time-intensive, so it would be a, a huge undertaking for us to actually go out and physically do that. But certainly, we can ramp up our educational efforts on that.

156. 0:46:23

     Um, again, we work with a lot of cities and counties, training their employees on how to best mitigate beavers 'cause you kill one and four more show up. Oh, yeah, two more come to the funeral for sure. That's, that's right. Oh, anyway. Appreciate it. Yes, sir. That completes our program for today. It's phenomenal, and they're always available to us. I see a lot of y'all at our meetings every, every day, every time we meet. Yes. So again, thank you, and we stand adjourned. Thank you.

157. 0:46:54

     Hey, John, I used to build lakes.

158. 0:47:03

     I know-