Q: I was at Lake Lanier [recently] and saw a pair of bald eagles soaring over the lake. Have they been introduced into this area, or was it a fluke and they were just passing through?
—Larry Sluss, Roswell
A: Keep your hopes high on spotting them again, but there are no confirmed bald eagle nests at Lake Lanier, said Jim Ozier, the program manager for the Nongame Conservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division. "Bald eagles were not introduced to Lake Lanier, but have shown up there on their own, as they have at many other large reservoirs in Georgia," he wrote in an email. Bald eagle nests and numbers are rising in Georgia after being at dangerously low levels when Ozier began searching for them more than 20 years ago. Most of Georgia's bald eagle nests are in the coastal counties of Chatham, Liberty and McIntosh, but there also are several along Lake Seminole in the southwestern corner of the state. Ozier confirmed 143 nests statewide in 2010, and conservatively estimated that 800 bald eagles call Georgia their home. If anyone finds a nest or regularly sees a pair of adults during the nesting season (fall and winter), let Ozier know by going to www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1322.
Q: How did Brasstown Bald get its name?
A: Like other places, Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia at 4,784 feet, comes from a Cherokee word, only this time, it was the wrong one. The word, "Itse'yi," meaning "new green place" or "place of fresh green" was confused with "Untsaiyi," which means "brass," according to a historical marker on the mountain. An early nearby settlement was promptly named Brasstown. Nobody took the name Bald, though. This time of year, folks drive to Brasstown Bald, in north Georgia's Towns and Union counties, in search of stunning fall foliage.
Q: How many World Series have the Braves won?
A: Much to the chagrin of many Georgians and folks around the country who became fans when the Braves were "America's Team," they have tomahawked their way to only one World Series championship since moving from Milwaukee in 1966. The Atlanta Braves defeated Cleveland in 1995 and lost the World Series in 1991, '92, '96 and '99. The Milwaukee Braves won the World Series in 1957 and the Boston Braves, known as the "Miracle Braves," won it in 1914.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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