Descriptive Summary | |
Title: Charles H. Wharton papers | |
Creator: Wharton, Charles H. | |
Inclusive Dates: 1935-1982 | |
Bulk Dates: 1970-1980 | |
Language(s): English | |
Extent: 6 Linear Feet (6 boxes) | |
Collection Number: UA97-053 | |
Repository: University of Georgia Archives |
Charles H. Wharton was an ecologist who served as a research associate at the University of Georgia's Institute of Ecology from 1981 until his death in 2003. Prior to his UGA career, he spent 20 years researching and teaching at Georgia State University. His best known work is The Natural Environments of Georgia, published in 1978. In the 1960s and '70s, Wharton successfully led the fight against channelization of the Alcovy River. His efforts not only saved the Alcovy but also led to changes in federal policies concerning channelization nationwide.
In 1966, Wharton developed the Georgia Natural Areas Council, which conducted the most comprehensive survey of Georgia's natural areas and identified places worthy of preservation such as Ossabaw Island, Panola Mountain, Sprewell Bluff, Pumpkinvine Creek, and Talking Rock Creek — all of which were eventually preserved. Later in his life, as chair of the Preservation 2000 Council, Wharton helped protect more than 103,000 acres of natural habitats. In 1992, the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF) named Wharton Conservationist of the Year.
For more than 40 years, Dr. Wharton made his home in the Georgia mountains on a 129-acre unique tract of land at the headwaters of the Tallulah River. There, he studied and wrote about the flora and fauna of the Southern Appalachians. Upon his death, Wharton left his land to the GWF to manage. In doing so, the GWF established the Wharton Conservation Center to protect the land and make it available for education and research projects.
The Charles H. Wharton collection is comprised primarily of Dr. Wharton's investigations of bottomland forests and wetlands and the effects of stream channelization. He studied many river systems in the Southeastern United States including the Alcovy, a tributary of the Ocmulgee, the Altamaha, the Chattahoochee, the Flint, the Nantahala, the Savannah, and the Tallulah. Swamps which benefitted from his research and advocacy include the Atchafalaya in Louisiana and the Congaree in South Carolina. He is best known for his pioneering work The Natural Environments of Georgia.
Charles H. Wharton papers, UA97-053, University of Georgia Archives, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.
Related collections in the repository include the Institute of Ecology records, UA97-066, the Eugene Odum papers--Institute of Ecology, UA97-045, and the Ecological Society of America papers, UA97-061.