It's all about the music, man.

For most people that grew up in Floyd County, a trip to the Pocket brings back childhood memories of playing in the spring and camping wiith your parents or church group. When I was growing up in the 70s, the area was very family and fishing friendly. With abundant hiking trails, the spring, creek, and wildlife, the Pocket was a great place to go for the weekend.

That was then, this is now. The term, "The Pocket" for most people in recent history has become synonymous with hard partying. The area had become well known for all night throw-downs, bonfires, creekside camping, heavy drug activity, and trash. Most people didn't want to go out there, especially not run the chance of setting up camp, and having to listen to somebody blasting music from their car stereo all night.

It seems those days are gone and the family frienly atmosphere has returned. The Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, Floyd County Public Works, and the Coosa Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited have partnered together to clean the area up. Alcohol is prohibited now so the huge parties have ceased. The trash has been cleaned up, and the heavy drug use has subsided. There is no streamside camping allowed, so the creek has begun to flourish and become healthy again.

This past Saturday, members of TU, along with the DNR and Forest Service, met up to clean the area once again, and install new signs outlining the rules that have been established for use of the Pocket. The new rules are, camping is only allowed on the tent pads that have been built over the past two years, fires must be in the fire rings for each campsite, parking in designated areas, and no alcohol.

Along Everett Springs Road, designated parking areas have been established to help with runoff and keep sediment out of the stream. You may have to walk further to get to your favorite fishing hole now, but in the long run, this will be better for the stream. With the no alcohol rule, the DNR has issued many tickets to people violating the rule. The fine is $185 and seems to be a very good deterent to those who want just to come and party and don't have much interest in the natural beauty of the area.

We have also installed an informational kiosk next to the handicap fishing deck, which brings up a future project. Since the deck was built, the stream has changed course, and is no longer fishable from the deck. The Forest Service would like to see a handicap fishing area along the creek on the opposite side of the road, but the easier solution may be to re-route the creek back to its original course next to the deck.

Over the course of the week, the DNR will be working on another stocking tube, and as the water comes down, we will be going back to bust up the dams, and hopefully have them down in time for the opening of trout season, March 26. We hope that people will come out and enjoy the area after all of the hard work that has been put into it over the last two years.