The Nickajack Naturalist: November 2017

Watershed Path Traces Chattanooga's Ecological, Historical Roots

From Nooga.com

The Tennessee Aquarium's vice president of conservation science and education, Dr. Anna George, speaks to attendees at the dedication of the Watershed Path. (Photo: Contributed)

A new interpretive trail, the Watershed Path, was recently dedicated on the grounds of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, 175 Baylor School Road. The short walking trail offers visitors an opportunity to appreciate the region's history while gaining a better understanding of its ecological and historical roots. Read more.

Also from Nooga.com/Outdoors

Senate Agriculture Committee Moves Tennessee Wilderness Act Forward

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River Gorge Explorer Discontinuing Cruises in January - Sandhill Crane Cruises Cap 9-Year Run

Tennessee Aquarium news release

The River Gorge Explorer. (Photo: Betsy Bowden)

After operating on the Tennessee River for more than nine years, Aquarium president and CEO Keith Sanford informed staff and volunteers that cruise operations aboard the River Gorge Explorer will be ending in January. "After developing a new strategic plan and carefully evaluating the Aquarium's resources, we have decided to stop operating the boat," said Sanford.

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Tennessee Wildlife Federation Partners to Restore Cumberland Plateau Forest Habitats

Tennessee Wildlife Federation News

(Photo: Bob Butters)

The Tennessee Wildlife Federation has announced a collaborative project: Restoring Pine-Oak Forests in the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Wildlife Federation, in partnership with the Forest Stewards Guild, Sewanee, and Berea College in Kentucky, is restoring pine-oak forest habitats on the Cumberland Plateau. Both Tennessee and Kentucky have experienced a 70-80% reduction in shortleaf pine since 1980. Read more.

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Take a Colorful Autumn Hike on a TVA Trail

From Nooga.com

An autumn scene along the East Lakeshore Trail on Tellico Lake. (Photo: Contributed)

When fall brings spectacular colors to the trees of the Tennessee Valley, it's prime time for hiking. Here are four suggested fall hikes on Tennessee Valley Authority trails, all located within a one-and-a-half-hour drive or so of downtown Chattanooga. Read more.

More from Nooga.com/Outdoors:

Vanity License Plate Sales Help Trout Unlimited Support Aquarium's Brook Trout Restoration Program

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The Tennessee River Gorge is Good for Your Soul

From the Tennessee River Gorge Trust

The Tennessee River Gorge is located just a few minutes from downtown Chattanooga. It runs 27 river miles from Williams Island in Hamilton County to Hales Bar Marina in Marion County. Access points to the Gorge are just minutes from town. You can venture out to paddle, hike, camp, mountain bike, rock climb, trail run, or just enjoy a sunny spot with a picnic. Local open space is good for the planet and it's good for us, too. This 90 second video will give a snapshot of what you can experience through recreation in the Gorge. It's so close to us, but can feel a world away!

It's not by chance that this space exists for you to enjoy. It takes the generosity of our community and the work of the Trust to keep these special places protected. Won't you consider making a gift today?

Click to support the protection of your local Gorge.

Special thanks to the Riverview Foundation for supporting the Tennessee River Gorge Trust's recent video series.

Posted at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

South Cumberland State Park Officially Opens Sherwood Forest Addition

By Bob Butters

The natural bridge at Sherwood Forest. (Photo: Bob Butters)

On Oct. 20, an official dedication ceremony was held in Sewanee celebrating the addition of 3,075 acres of the recently protected Sherwood Forest tract to South Cumberland State Park.

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Goldenrod Gala a Big Success for Friends of South Cumberland; More South Cumberland State Park News

The Friends' October 21 Goldenrod Gala was a sell-out, raising over $22,000 to help fund Friends programs and initiatives to support Tennessee's largest State Park!

Trail Friends Program extended into mid-November.

The new Trail Friends program has been extremely well received by Park visitors, and as a result, park management is extending this program into mid-November, so more Trail Friends volunteers are needed!

Volunteers needed to finish two new trails in the park.

Ranger Jason Reynolds is leading a volunteer team building the new Sherwood Day Loop Trail in the recently-acquired Sherwood Forest area of the park.

The trail out to Denny Falls is still a work in progress, but it's getting close to completion and help is still needed.

New gift shop at the South Cumberland State Park Visitor Center is now open.

Read about these topics and more at www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org.

Posted at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TennGreen Awarded Grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to Enhance Coal and Whites Creek Headwaters

From Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation

(Photo: Coal Creek Farm)

On September 25, 2017, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation funding to oversee habitat enhancement on the 5,200 acre Coal Creek Farms in Cumberland County. (Located between Grassy Cove and Watts Bar Lake.) The funding will allow the landowner to expand the current conservation activities on his property, including prescribed burning to enhance and create early successional habitat, planting of shortleaf pine, the treatment of hemlocks for hemlock woolly adelgid, and the construction of riparian fencing to exclude cattle from the streams. Read more.

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Tennessee River Gorge Trust Conducts Louisiana Waterthrush Migration Study

From Nooga.com

A Louisiana waterthrush. (Photo: Eliot Berz)

The Tennessee River Gorge is one of many areas in the eastern U.S. used as summer breeding grounds for the Louisiana waterthrush (also known as LOWA) after migrating north from their wintering grounds in Central America. In 2016, the Tennessee River Gorge Trust began a pilot project to attach light-level geolocator devices to the backs of male LOWAs to observe the physical effects of carrying the device and discover a functional way to track the species. Read more.

More from Nooga.com/Outdoors

You Can Help TVA Catalog the Tennessee Valley's Biodiversity with the iNaturalist App

TN Aquarium Conservation Institute Plans River Teachers Workshop; Aquarium Named Tennessee Organization of the Year

Changes in Store for 2017 Pangorge Adventure Race

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