| Survey:
Georgians want to preserve farms
Georgia citizens like to see fertile farmland and crops near urban
areas and are willing to pay to preserve them, according to a UGA
survey.
“The loss of farmland to urban and related development is
an issue of considerable interest in Georgia, especially in rapidly
urbanizing counties,” says John Bergstrom, an economist with
the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Bergstrom is collecting and analyzing Georgia data from a survey
that asked citizens what farmland they value and how much they’d
pay to help preserve it through the purchase of agricultural conservation
(or PACE) programs. The survey was funded by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Similar surveys were conducted in Ohio and Maine.
PACE programs are used to secure farm conservation easements. These
easements are agreements between landowners and government agencies
or private land trusts to place legal restrictions on the development
of agricultural land in return for money to the landowner.
Most Georgians in the survey believe the protection of farmland
is consistent and compatible with environmental protection and that
the family farm should be preserved in Georgia. But they prefer
to protect farmland near urban areas. And they want that farmland
to look fertile and be used to grow livestock and crops for human
consumption.
And they’d be willing to pay a one-time tax—possibly
as a checkoff on state tax returns—
to protect this land. According to the survey, Georgians would be
willing to contribute $62
per household to preserve 100,000 acres or $81to preserve as much
as 2 million acres.
WUGA wins two journalism awards
The Society of Professional Journalists honored WUGA 91.7/97.9 FM
Athens with two Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards.
WUGA reporter Cari Gervin received first place for Best Feature
for “Zoom Bait,” which “captured the atmosphere
and the sounds of the production facility for the Zoom Bait Company.”
The feature profiled the family-owned business which has been located
in Athens for more than two decades.
WUGA news director Mary Kay Mitchell and former reporter Robin Tricoles
won a second place award for sports reporting for “UGA Athletic
Scandal.” Mitchell contributed reporting from the news conference
at which it was announced that the men’s basketball team would
not compete in post-season play as a result of allegations of misconduct.
Tricoles contributed reporting from a student protest against the
action.
The Excellence in Journalism Competition is open to journalists
in print, television, and radio in 11 southeastern states.
Law teams end season on winning note
The School of Law’s advocacy program recently completed its
2003-04 season on a winning note.
At the 2004 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition—the
world’s largest international moot court competition—second-year
student Sonali Garg was named best oralist out of more 360 international
competitors.
In addition, students from the law school finished strong in the
2004 Intrastate Moot Court Competition, capturing all three first
place awards. Two teams represented each of the state’s four
accredited law schools. Other universities participating in the
tournament were Emory, Georgia State and Mercer.
The law school’s winning team was composed of second-year
students Melissa Cook, Beth Morris and Brian P. Watt. Third-year
students Trinity Hundredmark and Jeff Shiver served as the team’s
coaches. The team captured the best brief award, and Watt was chosen
as the best oralist.
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