The river is the best place to be on a hot July day! The Georgia Conservancy enjoyed a wonderful day on the water during our Lower Chestatee River Day Paddle in Lumpkin County. This stretch of the Chestatee River water trail is packed with many diverse features. It features a nice mix of mild floating, rapid navigation, wildlife spotting, and opportunities to explore natural history. We hope the day gave participants the chance to slow down, enjoy the river, meet a few new people, and leave with a deeper connection to the Chestatee and the larger watershed around it.
One of the highlights of the day was the number of turtles we encountered along the river. We observed several turtles basking on logs and along the banks, including what appeared to be sliders, softshell turtles, mud turtles, and box turtles.
Sliders are commonly seen basking above the water, where they use sunlight to regulate their body temperature. Softshell turtles are especially distinctive because of their wide, flattened bodies and flexible, leathery shells. They are well adapted to rivers and streams and will often bury themselves in sand or mud. Mud turtles are generally much smaller and tend to spend time around quieter, shallow, and muddy aquatic habitats. And then of course box turtles, with their distinctive dome shell shape and ability to close their head inside their shell.
We also discussed the history behind the name Chestatee. The name comes from the Indigenous history of the region and is commonly interpreted as meaning something similar to “place of lights” or “pine torch place.” One traditional explanation connects the name to fires or torches used along the river. While historical translations of Indigenous place names can vary, the name reminds us that this landscape was known, traveled, and used by Native communities long before the establishment of Georgia’s present-day towns and counties.
