Altamaha Riverkeeper James Holland swore he was looking at something prehistoric the first time he ventured into a 7,180-acre tract of land that straddles Long and McIntosh counties. Though it was under floodwaters at the time, Holland found a giant cypress tree specimen measuring more than 43 feet in circumference. But it wasn't until the fall that Holland came back in drier conditions and found the tree's big brother -- an old-growth cypress measuring 44.5 feet in circumference and standing more than 100 feet tall.

"Some of the tops have been blown out by high winds, but they're still growing," Holland said. "They're not dead or dying by any means." A unique feature Holland and state officials found during their examination of the trees -- and one that might lead people to mistake them for dying trees -- is that several of the largest ones are hollow in the center. "I've been inside one. It's larger than most people's kitchens," he said. "You could fit a table and chairs, and probably a couch in there." Holland guessed that the trees became hollow because of watery growing conditions, though many times older living trees will lose their cores, or heartwood, to decay, but continue to grow without it.

This cavernous characteristic is what likely saved many of the older cypress trees from being cut down during a logging period more than 100 years ago. Evidence of the logging remains in what is now a conservation area within the Townsend Wildlife Management, which was purchased by the state from The Nature Conservancy. "It looks like they built a road and used hollowed-out trees as culverts," Holland said. The trees also serve as shelter for local wildlife. "Being hollow, they're important to bats, which roost in these hollows," the riverkeeper said. "The state [surveyors] found one inside the 40-foot tree."

Holland and state representatives have discussed opening up the preserve to hiking and biking, "but those are just ideas. It would take money." Holland said because the land is state property, the trees and other wildlife in it belong to the people. He said the more people who know about it, the easier it will be to protect the old-growth trees. "You can't put a dollar value on protecting something that's been here since I figure Columbus was here," he said. "This does belong to the public."

Construction on Sterling facility could begin in 2010 or 2011.

Live Oak Power Facility, an electric power generating plant proposed for a 90-acre site in Sterling, is applying for what could be the final permit needed before construction can begin. Burt Wallace, an engineer with Burt Wallace and Associates in Marietta, the company that will build the plant, said if all goes well and that includes the economy construction could begin next year.

We anticipate construction will start in 2010 or 2011," he said. The date will depend on finding a buyer for the electricty that would be produced, he said. "We're still in the development phase, still in discussion with potential buyers," he said. "The energy markets are subject to the economy as much as anything else." The permit request is for the discharge daily of 1.1 million gallons of water used in the cooling tower of the natural gas fired turbine facility into a tributary of the Turle Creek into the Satilla River Basin.

The deadline for commenting on the permit, now before the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, is Jan. 18. Wallace said the plan outlined almost nine years ago remains the same: The facility would cost about $400 million to build 25 jobs would be created, with an average salary of $50,000. Construction of the plant would involve about 200 jobs. Blueprints call for the plant to be built on a site zoned for industry, near U.S. 341 and Ga. 99, and fed by a natural gas line from Savannah. The actual facility would take up about 25 acres between Green Swamp and Country roads. It will generate about 600 megawatts of power annually. A single megawatt can power around 1,000 homes.

Residents whose homes are in the area of the construction site protested the power plant when it was first proposed in 2002 Wallace said it's been quiet since those earlier days. "We haven't heard from anybody," he said. The Altamaha Riverkeeper, an environmental group that monitors the Altamaha and Satilla rivers, is telling it's membership that it will keep up with the progress on the permit and the project.

We all heard the bubble burst. The rise in interest rates caused the over-heated housing market to cool, and for sky-high real estate prices to stagnate or drop. But now it appears that the worst is behind us. It looks like the Federal Reserve is holding off on any more rate hikes, which is good news for people waiting to buy a dream home, or refinance their mortgage rates.

Even though the mortgage market is becoming friendlier, you should be careful not to wait too long to take advantage of the current competitive rates. Here's why:

What goes down must come up

When it comes to a cooling market, you can't predict when the bottom will hit. Waiting for mortgage rates and home prices to go lower and lower is a gambler's gambit. This can really hurt you if you get greedy and hold out for an extra 1/8 of an interest point. People who follow this tactic can easily wind up getting burned if rates suddenly spike.

Wake up to your dream home

If the weak market had you renting or staying put in your current home, you may want to take action soon. With home prices still high, an influx of renters has bumped up the cost of leasing an apartment. As a renter, you may soon be losing money on payments that could otherwise be building up home equity. As a homeowner, it might be time to act now. As the market starts to heat up, you can beat the rush and avoid the excessive inventory that comes with favorable markets.

When it comes to making the jump to a dream home, you need to determine when the time is right for your particular financial situation. Do the current rates and prices of today's homes fit within your overall budget? If so, then this might be the moment to make a move and make that dream a reality.

Gorgeous large wooded homesites with Oaks and other hardwoods, affords privacy with the Nature Preserve as a backdrop.  

Nov. 5--The Glynn County Board of Education will begin spending the one percent sales tax voters approved Tuesday even before it starts to collect it. Al Boudreau, executive director of operations for the school system, said bonds for construction a new Risley Middle School, backed by the taxwill be sold in July. The school, expected to break ground shortly after the issuing of bonds, will be built at Southport Parkway, near the existing Satilla Marsh Elementary School.

The education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax voters approved as a renewal of an existing tax will go into effect Jan. 1, 2011, and last through Dec. 31, 2016. After a new Risley Middle School moves to the drawing board, the construction of a replacement for Brunswick High School will get under way. Brunswick High School will remain at its existing location on Habersham Street, but a new entrance will face Altama Avenue and the College of Coastal Georgia. Bonds will be issued for the project in January 2011 with construction to start soon after.

Time lines for other projects, such as renovations and additions to Glynn Academy, and a new community arts center on the campus of College of Coastal Georgia will depend on how much revenue the tax actually generates. School officials estimate they will receive $160 million during the five years the tax will be collected.

"A new Risley Middle School and Brunswick High School are the only bonded projects (that will be financed through the sale of bonds to investors)," Superintendent of Schools Howard Mann said. "The other projects will be pay-as-you-go and depend upon collections received."