"Check out" your state parks

Kevin Hall

June 07, 2008 09:59 pm

— MOULTRIE — Visiting the state’s parks and historic sites just got easier … as easy as borrowing a book from the library.
The State of Georgia has made park passes available through libraries, including the Moultrie-Colquitt County Public Library, as of Monday, June 2.
Moultrie Library Director Melody Jenkins said patrons can check out a folder that includes a parking pass good at any of the state’s parks, a ticket for one person good at any of the state’s historic sites, plus a map and information about what each of those facilities offers.
Jenkins said the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System has four such packets. While two were intended for the Doerun library, all will probably be housed at the Moultrie facility because the Doerun library is open only 16 hours a week, she said.
The packet can be checked out for free just like a book or other item. Overdue fees are $3 per day, and if you lose it, it’ll cost $30 to replace.
Jenkins said this is the first time anything like this has been available through the library.
The program is a joint initiative of the Georgia Public Library Service and Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division (PRHSD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and it’s part of the state’s Get Outdoors Georgia campaign, which urges residents to visit the state’s 45 parks, three state historic parks and 15 historic sites.
The nearest of those, of course, is Reed Bingham State Park on the Colquitt-Cook county line, but also within easy driving distance are the Lapham-Patterson House Historic Site in Thomasville (28 miles), Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site in Fitzgerald (45 miles), Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele (76 miles), General Coffee State Park near Douglas (81 miles), Laura S. Walker State Park in Waycross (109 miles) and Stephen C. Foster State Park along the Suwannee River (113 miles).
“We are pleased to offer the opportunity for people across the state to have increased access to all the natural beauty, culture and history available in Georgia,” explained Sally Winchester, marketing and communications manager for PRHSD. “It’s a great way to bring people into the parks and have them experience how much fun being outdoors can be. We hope that once people visit the parks, they will want to visit more often or even join the Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites.”
GO Georgia, a multi-year campaign, challenges Georgians especially families and children, to participate in family-friendly, nature-based, healthy outdoor recreation in the beautiful, secure surroundings of Georgia’s state parks. A new Web site, www.GetOutdoorsGeorgia.org, launches this month to provide information, activities and more for families and individuals.
“We want families and individuals to discover the great treasures that are so close to home and quite often, right in their own backyard,” said Becky Kelly, director of PRHSD. “Partnering with our local libraries is such a natural fit because they, too, are also assets to our state, our communities, and are accessible to every Georgian.”
To see a list of parks and historic sites covered by the passes, visit www.GeorgiaStateParks.org. For more information about GO Georgia visit www.GetOutdoorsGeorgia.org.