The Nickajack Naturalist

Paddling Battle Creek

 
  Kim and I did a tranquil canoe trip on Battle Creek this weekend, paddling about three and a half miles upstream from the mouth of the creek, adjacent to the South Pittsburg Riverpark, and back.  Largely regulated by Lake Guntersville Dam, the creek is navigable by canoe or kayak probably at least twice that far in.  Motor boats occasionally make their way upstream, but fallen trees in the creek can make that a bit tricky.

 
  A section of the creek alonside I-24 where the channel was straightened when the interstate was constructed. 

 
An island in the creek upstream from the Hwy 72 bridge.

 
  It's a great place to see wildlife, such as this female wood duck.  On this trip, we also saw an osprey, a couple of muskrats, blue herons, and kingfishers.

 
  Not the Pillars of Hercules, but the Pillars of Battle Creek guard the entrance where the creek meets the Tennessee River. 

 
  Battle Creek makes a nice canoe outing close to the Chattanooga area.  From the boat ramp at the South Pittsburg Riverpark, paddle north along the shore for a very short distance, past the big barge tie-ups, part of an abandoned loading platform, then turn left through the big concrete pillars that were once part of a railroad bridge and into the mouth of the creek.  Because the water level is regulated by Lake Guntersville Dam, there's usually not much current unless it's rained a lot.   

Bob Butters  

Nature at Stevenson City Park

 
  A couple of weeks ago I checked out Stevenson City Park in Jackson County, Alabama for the first time since it suffered tornado damage back in April.  A large section of the park is still closed off as a Federal Disaster Area, but much of the park is open. 
 
  The park is a designated stop on the North Alabama Birding Trail.

 
  It's one of the best birding sites I know of in the local area, a good place to see egrets (pictured), osprey, bald eagles, red headed woodpeckers, great blue herons, and various duck species. 

 
  Besides being a good dog watering hole, the park's boat ramp is a good launch site for canoe trips exploring Crow Creek Wildlife Management Area.  Click here for an earlier blog post about paddling and wildlife watching on Crow Creek.

 
  Lotus plants cover many acres of Crow Creek, here an embayment of Lake Guntersville, but there are a number of open channels which allow paddling access. 

 
 To reach the park, coming from Tennessee via U.S. Hwy 72, take the exit for AL Hwy 117, turn right, then immediately watch for the Stevenson City Park entrance sign on the left.

 

 
      

Historic Haletown Bridge Being Replaced

 
  If you've driven around Marion County much, you've probably at some point crossed Nickajack Lake on the narrow green bridge at Haletown.  Perhaps you've found its width, or lack thereof, a bit unnerving. 

 A few years ago, when it was learned that plans were in store to replace the ageing bridge with a new structure, there was some discussion about the possibility of preserving the old one as a pedestrian bridge.  While this would fit in nicely with a proposed Tennessee River Gorge trail system, no group or agency could be found who felt they could afford to maintain the bridge long term.

  Construction has begun on the new bridge and the existing one is set for demolition upon completion of the new one.  I'm told the new one will have ten foot shoulders for bike and pedestrian access.  Read a July article about it in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.      

Grundy County's Beersheba Springs Hotel

 The historic Beersheba Springs Hotel in Grundy Country will be the location of the Alliance for the Cumberlands' Fall meeting on November 2nd.  Watch a video where the Alliance's Randy Williams talks about the history of the site.

 If you're interested in attending the meeting and would like more information about the meeting or the Alliance for the Cumberlands, contact me at bobbutters@hotmail.com or visit the Alliance's website.

Bob Butters