Life in Big Canoe, Real Estate in the Mountains

I recently wrote a blog article regarding our water supply in the Big Canoe community of North Georgia.  The article goes into more detail, but the gist of the story is that good and proactive management of natural resources is a big part of the equation involved in ensuring that demand does not exceed supply to the point of upending the whole apple cart.  A short drive North of metro Atlanta will lead you past one of the main water supplies for the state of Georgia, Alabama, and North Florida – Lake Lanier.  Right now, Lake Lanier is more dirt than water.  Too many people dipping into the lake combined with a shortage of rain have drained it to record lows.  In contrast, our water supply in Big Canoe, Lake Petit, is healthy.  If Lake Petit is not at full pool, it is darned close.  This has an obvious tie-in with management of resources other than water.

The management of wildlife resources is another area where I believe the community of Big Canoe has really succeeded.  One of the big reasons people decide to move into Big Canoe is because of the abundant wildlife.  It is not at all uncommon to see wild turkey, deer, and even the occasional bear.  Part of the design philosophy of Big Canoe was for man made structures to “fit in” with the natural surroundings and not to over-run the natural beauty.  In some ways, our community has almost done too much in this regard. 

A perfect example is the white-tailed deer.  Most of Big Canoe is a wildife sanctuary.  Our sanctuary has provided a predator free environment for the deer herd, and the population has really exploded.  For the past past two years, it was not uncommon for us to see herds of 10-15 deer at a time.  Explosive population growth in a limited area is not a healthy situation for any animal group.  In these situations, deer are more susceptible to viral blue tongue disease, worms, or Chronic Wasting Disease. Our solution in Big Canoe was to contract with the US Department of Agriculture to safely harvest some of the deer herd.  This culling of the herd was performed in only certain areas with public safety and humane handling of the deer as the two primary concerns.   This has resulted in a deer population that our sanctuary can safely support which results in a healthier deer herd.

We have had prospective Big Canoe residents ask us how we manage our deer population.  Some of these clients were initially alarmed that we manage our deer population, but once we explained how and why we do it, most understand the neccessity.  Without good wildlife managment, the entire deer herd here in Big Canoe is at risk for starvation and disease.  By taking the initiative to manage the deer herd, we are helping keep the deer herd healthy and stable.  We are also helping to ensure that future generations of Big Canoe families will be able to enjoy and appreciate these beautiful animals.

*The picture of the handsome buck photographed above was taken near McElroy Mountain in Big Canoe and was graciously provided by Big Canoe resident Dave Spinda.