Dennis Chase's

life could be used as an example to support the theory that you are solely

a product of your environment. Of course, with the genes of hunters and

outdoorsmen from past generations to shape him, there are those who might

argue that his avocation and choices in life were already programmed before

he was born. In either case, the environment and outdoors have been a

part of his life since birth.

Even the name

of the town Dennis Chase was born in may have played a part in shaping

his future - Waterville, Minnesota. "It was only natural that I would

grow up to be a biologist," he said. "I knew from the time I

was 7 or 8 that I would do something like that."

The great outdoors

has shaped the lives of members of the Chase family for at least 100 years.

Chase tells of his three "greats" who hunted ginseng, or "sang,"

as they called it. When his great-great-great grandfather began hunting

sang, it sold for under 50 cents a pound. Today it sells for roughly $350

per pound.

Ginseng helped

to get his family through the Depression. He tells of how the family made

$5 to $10 a week digging ginseng, a significant amount back then.

Chase didn't

join his father in hunting ginseng until he was five when the family moved

to Rochester. In addition to searching for the ginseng, he also hunted

wild berries, asparagus, wild mushrooms - and a few things not in the

plant family, squirrels, deer, grouse and other creatures.

At the same

time Chase joined the family in hunting, he started school. He graduated

from Rochester High School, and then went to a junior college for a few

years. He transferred to the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1968.

Prior to graduation,

Chase began working for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Management where he stayed

until Uncle Sam sent him an invitation to join many other young persons

fighting the Vietnam war. "It was right after the Tet Offensive,"

he said. "Everyone was scared to death."

Knowing he

had a better chance of getting his choice of positions, Chase enlisted.

He chose to be a code-breaker, believing that he would probably spend

his tour of duty stateside. He spent his tour in Can Tho, 75 miles south

of Saigon (now Ho Chi Ming City) right in the thick of things.

After completing

his obligation to his country, Chase came home with a different outlook

on life. His job with U.S. Fish & Wildlife was waiting for him, so

he easily slid back into his old slot. However, after seeing "some

of the worst things in the world, especially in such poor country,"

some problems he faced at work just didn't seem quite as meaningful to

him as they did to others. His perspective in life was different.

"I was

almost immediately in trouble," he said.

The government

reacted to Dennis' new ability to speak his mind when he saw a problem

call the 'we don't like what you're doing' plan," he said. "They

find you a job somewhere else."

Chase was given

the option of the Plains of the Dakotas or Atlanta. The flat, cold Dakota

plains didn't rate a second look, so in 1976 Chase moved to Atlanta. He

arrived in February, having to shovel snow the day he left Minnesota.

It was 80 degrees in Atlanta.

He queried

his real estate agent regarding snow, asking if it ever snowed in Atlanta.

"Yeah," said the agent, as though it were a horrible occurrence.

"Sometimes it stays on the ground until about ten o'clock, too."

He started

his Atlanta life in Stone Mountain, fairly close to his Norcross job with

U.S. Fish & Wildlife. In the early 1980s local and state government

leaders thought it would be a good idea to move federal agencies to downtown

Atlanta to help invigorate the city. Chase's commute got longer and he

started looking for a new home and a shorter commute. In 1986 he and his

wife, Nell, moved to Fayette County.

The couple

had decided they were going south of I-20. They started looking in a sweeping

arch that got progressively further out. Dennis said they stopped in the

Fayette County courthouse for information and met "some of the friendliest

people" they had encountered on their search. They decided "if

we can find a place here, that's where we were going to be." The

found a place with almost nine acres of land in the southern part of the

county and put their names on the deed.

Dennis Chase

has become fairly well known locally to many for his stands on issues

regarding wetlands, waterways and the environment. "Most folks never

heard of me before 1994," he said. Referring to his earlier "career

development" move, he continued, "I didn't want to get thrown

out of Atlanta."

In 1994 he

retired with over 26 years experience. His duties had included a wide

range of activities under the umbrella of Habitat Conversation or Ecological

Services. His primary responsibility had been handling National Environmental

Policy Act activities for the Service for the ten Southeastern states.

Since his retirement,

his voice has become prominent in issues involving the environment. He

has been involved with a number of projects on a volunteer basis. He served

as vice-chairman of the Southern Conservation Trust and was appointed

to serve on the Flint River Advisory Council, the Storm Water Advisory

Committee for Peachtree City and is beginning his appointed position on

the Storm Water Advisory Committee for Fayetteville. He also volunteers

with Adopt a Stream program in Georgia, monitoring two locations on Line

Creek.

He says he

will be happy if he can help keep some of our environment intact. He hopes

to make sure "some of the pieces of the environment will still be

there for our children." He notes he really doesn't get anything

out of his involvement except the satisfaction of saving some part of

what we have today. He encourages others to do what he has done: "Find

something you know and believe in and go to bat for it."

Chase is also

a collector. He says he collects almost everything from stamps and coins

to antique pens and pencils. He doesn't hunt much anymore, although he

still fishes. "I'm not anti-anything," he said. "It's just

that other things have come up to occupy my time."

Dennis has

recently ventured into a new field, that of a published author. His first

book, "White Gold," is a work of fiction revolving around something

he is very familiar with: ginseng.

Chase isn't

planning to slow down anytime in the future. "I hope to accomplish

a lot," he said.

He's looking

at new approaches to greenspace and is considering writing another book.

And, of course, he plans to continue his involvement in the issues affecting

the local environment.

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