The Nickajack Naturalist

Tennessee Aquarium Launches a "Facebook for Fish"

Scientists and the Public to Benefit from Freshwater Information Network’s Interactive Database of Native Species

Tennessee Aquarium news release

Cherry Darters, like the one pictured at the Tennessee Aquarium, are native to Middle Tennessee. (Photo: TN Aquarium)

Despite the unparalleled diversity of aquatic life in the Southeast, the millions of people who make use of the region’s rivers, lakes and streams may have no idea how many species they share the water with.

With the launch of the Freshwater Information Network (FIN), the Aquarium aims to help Southeasterners get to know the aquatic animals in their own neighborhood a little better.

FIN is a searchable database of scientific records, based on museum specimens as well as fish photos taken by citizens and scientists for more than 400 native fish species. Partners at the iCube at Tennessee Technological University helped create a website where users can search by specific address, watershed or species. With a few clicks, anyone can discover which fish have been found in more than 75 watersheds spanning eight states.

Read more.

Walls of Jericho: Wild Treasure of the South Cumberlands

Outdoor Adventures Revisited 

This initiates a new weekly feature at the Nickajack Naturalist, where I hope to republish older posts which link to some of my articles which are still available in the archive at Nooga Today. This week's inaugural post was originally published in December, 2014.     

By Bob Butters                                                                                   at Nooga.com

"The Hole", at a time when the falls were running.                                  Photo: Bob Butters

 In late November, I joined a group organized by Daniel Carter, chair of the Thrive 2055 Natural Treasures Initiative, for a somewhat strenuous day hike to the unique natural feature astride the Tennessee-Alabama line known as the Walls of Jericho.  The place is a narrow canyon, about a half-mile long, with 200-foot-high vertical limestone bluffs on each side.   Read more.  

Note: Most of the links embedded in the article no longer work. Below is a list of the ones I could find an updated link for.

Thrive 2055

Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Walls of Jericho State Natural Area

Skyline Wildlife Management Area

Tennessee Wildlife Viewing Trail

Alabama Forever Wild interactive map

A section of the Walls.  They're hard to get a good photo of.                 Photo: Bob Butters

Part of the limestone creek bed at the area known as the amphitheater.  Photo: Bob Butters 

Trout Unlimited Gives Record Donation to Support Tennessee Aquarium’s Brook Trout Restoration Work

Tennessee Aquarium news release

Steve Fry, president of the Appalachian Chapter of Trout Unlimited, presents Meredith Harris, Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute reintroduction biologist, with a check to support the Aquarium’s Brook Trout restoration efforts. (Photo: Casey Phillips/Tennessee Aquarium)

With its white-edged fins, ruby belly and golden speckles, the Southern Appalachian brook trout is one of the Southeast’s most strikingly beautiful game fish. However, the impact of deforestation and competition with introduced species like the rainbow and brown trout has reduced Southern Appalachia’s only native trout to just 15 percent of its historic range.
Thanks to ongoing support from the Appalachian Chapter of the Trout Unlimited, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute and its partners are making headway toward returning the brook trout to regional mountain streams from which it had all but disappeared.

Read more.

The genetically distinct Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout is the only native trout species in Appalachia. Its range has been drastically reduced due to deforestation and competition with introduced trout species.  (Photo: Casey Phillips/Tennessee Aquarium)

Click here to watch a video of the Southern Appalachian brook trout release at Stony Creek in June 2018.

Ring in the New Year With a State Park Hike

                                                                                   (Image: Tennessee State Parks)

Begin the New Year right. Make a #resolutiontohike and connect with the outdoors with Tennessee State Parks.
From Reelfoot Lake to Fall Creek Falls to Warriors’ Path and every state park in between, First Day Hikes are designed for all ages and abilities and are offered at all times of day. Start a New Year tradition with your family today.
Tennessee State Parks’ First Hikes are part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes initiative in all 50 states.

Find a hike at a Tennessee State Park.

Find a First Day Hike in Alabama at DeSoto State Park and Lake Guntersville State Park.

Find a First Day Hike in Georgia at GaStateParks.org.

Head Outdoors This Winter at a Tennessee State Park

From Tennessee State Parks

                                                                      (Photo: Tennessee Photographs)

With holiday travel and gift purchasing, time can start to slip away around the holidays. That’s why it’s even more important to make time for yourself. Your health and well-being depend on it. We know that even a little time in the outdoors has positive impacts on physical and mental health. So don’t let the winter months or the holidays keep you inside.

Read more. 

Progress Made With Tornado Damage Clean-up at Savage Gulf

Friends of South Cumberland news release

Some of the tornado damage in the Savage Gulf area.    (Photo: Contributed)

South Cumberland State Park managers designated Monday, November 19 and Tuesday, November 20 as the first of several work days needed to clean up damage to the eastern half of the Savage Gulf area of the Park, resulting from the Nov 6th EF-1 tornado that crossed Grundy County in the early morning hours of November 6th. Rangers from several area parks, along with personnel from the TN Division of Forestry joined Friends volunteers in untangling and clearing toppled trees and debris from trails.

Thanks to everyone who helped with trail clearing and clean-up! As of November 28th, only the Collins Rim Trail and Savage Falls Campground remained closed. All other affected trails are open again and clear to hike.

Many large trees were down, and many more were partially down — hanging from, or leaning on other trees. A number of trails were impassable immediately after the storm. Affected trails and campgrounds included the Savage Day Loop, North Rim Trail, North Plateau Trail, South Rim Trail, Savage Falls Campground, Dinky Line Campground, and Hobbs Cabin Campground.

An EF-1 tornado blew through portions of Grundy County on November 6th, damaging portions of the Park.
Tornado track map courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Nashville (click here to enlarge).

View more photos of the damage and clean-up at www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org.

A Fall Paddle on Mud Creek

Text and photos by Bob Butters

In early November, taking advantage of mild weather and a break in waterfowl hunting seasons, Kim and I went for a paddling excursion on Jackson County, Alabama's Mud Creek. 

Mud Creek is a large but shallow tributary of the Tennessee River's Lake Guntersville, and is located just a few miles south of one of my top favorite canoeing locations, Crow Creek.

Along with the 8,000 acre Mud Creek Wildlife Management Area, the nearby Crow Creek Wildlife Refuge and WMA, Raccoon Creek WMA across the river, and the North Sauty Refuge just south of Scottsboro are known collectively as the Jackson County Wildlife Management Areas. Altogether, they provide nearly 27,000 acres of paddling and wildlife viewing opportunities.

While we didn't see the amount and variety of waterfowl usually present in the area later in the season, we did see a significant amount, including this flock of coots and several flocks of ducks, which were challenging to identify. But we were able to ID some as ruddy ducks.

At the far end of a large bay, we spotted a sizeable flock of great egrets. They love to hang out in large areas of really shallow water and thus aren't usually seen along river banks and such, like the great blue heron, who tends to be quite versatile. I was a bit surprised to find so many still around, as I would have expected them to have headed south by this time. I suspect they were preparing to shortly.

Speaking of the great blue heron, here's one we spotted along the shore. We also saw a large group of them hanging out together in one area, which was surprising, as they tend to be more solitary birds.

While I had hoped to explore some of the narrow channels far upstream, we soon realized we weren't going to have enough time to do so, and turned back after paddling around the large area just past the railroad bridge. We looked for a potential launch site in that area shown on our map, but it doesn't seem to still be in use. It appears the boat ramp just east of Highway 72 is the only easy place to access Mud Creek.

Looking east from Mud Creek, you get a view of Sand Mountain, the sprawling plateau which parallels the east side of the Tennessee River.  

The Mud Creek Boat Ramp is quite popular with fishermen, though we didn't encounter very many upstream, likely due to the shallowness of the water. It's located on a side road just east of U.S. Hwy. 72 and next to the popular Mud Creek BBQ Restaurant. About a 52-mile drive from downtown Chattanooga, you can locate it on Google Maps simply by searching for "Mud Creek Public Boat Ramp, Hollywood, AL."

Note that waterfowl hunting may currently be taking place on Mud Creek through January 27. As a possible alternative, the nearby Crow Creek Refuge (downstream from the railroad bridge) doesn't have waterfowl hunting.

Check on the hunting situation and view a map of Mud Creek and the other Jackson County WMAs here.
  

 
 

North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy Reports on Two Projects

From the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy

The North Chickamauga Creek Gorge.                             (Photo: Contributed)

We have much to be thankful for as we close out 2018. With your support, we have continued to expand our reach and impact.

Mountain Creek Park Project

Since 2016, the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy has been working to create a unique 200+ acre park that spans from Mountain Creek Road and Reads Lake Road all the way up the W-Road. In June of 2018, we acquired a key 100 acre parcel that completed the property acquisition required for the park. Through our partnerships with the Land Trust for Tennessee, SORBA, the Access Fund, and the Southeastern Climbing Coalition, we enlisted renowned trail builders to develop a trail plan that will offer unique climbing, mountain biking, and hiking opportunities just a short distance from downtown Chattanooga. We received several grants, including a Recreational Trails Program grant, so the project is fully funded, and we look forward to getting to work in early 2019 on this ambitious project.

Old Hixson Pike Property

On November 8, we purchased a 3.5-acre creekside property on Old Hixson Pike. For years, this has been a prime fishing and canoe launching site, but being private property, these recreational forays involved trespassing. We were excited to see the property come up for sale and quickly made the purchase. This property, like several other properties NCCC owns in Hixson, will serve as key access points for the North Chickamauga Creek Blueway, and we have dedicated all of our Hixson properties toward the creation of the North Chickamauga Creek Greenway; we hope this purchase will renew the efforts toward this important goal. Stay tuned for updates on how we plan to provide access to the community for another great way to enjoy the creek.

As you consider your holiday and year-end giving, please consider supporting the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, and we will keep working hard to protect the wonderful spaces where you hike, fish, swim, paddle in Chattanooga's most beautiful watershed.

Donate

Become a Member

Tennessee Aquarium Welcomes 25-Millionth Guest, Reflects on Impact

Tennessee Aquarium news release

Amanda Roe, along with her family, from Bristol, TN was the Tennessee Aquarium’s 25-Millionth guest on Saturday afternoon. They came to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium for the very first time.                      (Photo: Contributed)

On Saturday, November 24, the Tennessee Aquarium celebrated the passage of a major milestone with the arrival of its 25-millionth guest since opening in 1992.

Amanda, Michael, Michael, Jacob, and Taylor Roe from Bristol, TN came to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium for the very first time. Amanda was surprised to learn she was the Aquarium’s 25-millionth guest. “We wanted to come down to Chattanooga to spend the weekend with our family,” said Amanda Roe. “We had never been here before, so we were so surprised to win.”

In recognition of their important place in the 26-year history of the Aquarium, the lucky group was surprised in the River Journey building with a collection of prizes valued at more than $1,000 and guaranteed to inspire a return visit. The reward package included complimentary tickets to the Aquarium and IMAX 3D Theater, $250 toward purchases in the Aquarium gift shops, a special behind-the-scenes tour, a VIP pass to more than 20 Chattanooga-area attractions and a voucher to return to Chattanooga to stay in the new Edwin boutique hotel.

The Roe’s trip began with an unlucky delay that ended up working out quite well. “We got in the car to come here, but the battery was dead,” said Michael Roe. “We would have been here a lot earlier today and would have missed out if we didn’t have to replace the car’s battery.”

The Tennessee Aquarium opened its doors on May 1, 1992. In the years since, the non-profit organization has achieved remarkable success without drawing on city or county tax money. The Aquarium consistently receives top ratings in customer satisfaction on TripAdvisor and was listed as one of the world's top aquariums in 2018.

Since opening, the Aquarium has contributed more than $3.3 billion to the local economy through non-local visitor spending.

Families like the Roe's, who come to Chattanooga to enjoy the Aquarium, create cherished memories together while generating a $115 million dollar annual impact on the city and county.

Celebrating the Aquarium’s 25 millionth guests also honors the generations of visitors who preceded them and who experienced countless unforgettable moments of their own, says Aquarium President and CEO Keith Sanford.

“The Aquarium and Chattanooga have come to hold a special place in the hearts of millions of people,” Sanford says. “As we always have, we strive every day to earn their support, to inspire others and to show how connected we all are to the natural world.”

Rock Island Conservation Success

TennGreen news release

Great Falls at Rock Island State Park.                              (Photo: Bob Butters)

Thanks to the help of concerned individuals, Rock Island State Park will remain a place where people and nature can thrive for generations to come! In August 2017, two TennGreen board members and life-long conservationists, Mary Lynn Dobson and Ann Tidwell, alerted RennGreen's conservation staff that 45 acres of land were for sale adjacent to Rock Island State Park along the Caney Fork of the Cumberland River. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation expressed interest in acquiring the property to expand the park. TennGreen is in the process of purchasing and transferring the land to TDEC, allowing the expansion of the historic park by an additional 45 acres.

Read more.