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Mark Armstrong - TRV Stewardship Council
(Photo: Pexels)
Whether you are looking for a leisurely paddle or a white-water adventure, the Tennessee River Valley is full of fantastic kayaking spots. Mark has shared his top 9 spots for paddlers who are looking for a new adventure. No matter what your experience level, there’s a spot that you can take to the water and spend some time exploring.
A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.
(Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
With a little help from TVA scientists, a noted National Geographic explorer swings by the Tennessee Valley to photograph endangered aquatic life as part of a worldwide collection of rare species.
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(Photo: TN Aquarium)
Because of their ubiquity, these white and orange filters can seem to almost fade into the background, but many eventually find their way from streets, gutters and parking lots into nearby streams and rivers. Within months, they begin to break down, polluting the surrounding water with tiny plastic fibers and a devil’s cocktail of chemical compounds.
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White-nose syndrome continues to creep across North America, the latest advances including a dead bat with signs of the disease in Montana and two New Mexico caves testing positive for the bacteria that causes WNS. A research project contributed to by DNR’s bat biologists and survey crew determined that WNS has killed more than 90 percent of three hibernating bat species in the U.S.
If you have a bat house in your yard, now is a great time to do a bat count! Join wildlife biologist Trina Morris in her backyard as she shares how to watch for bats and submit the info to Georgia DNR.
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A New Civilian Climate Corps offers a win-win-win opportunity to provide good jobs, develop climate resilience, and rebuild outdoor infrastructure from trails to bridges.
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(Image: USFWS)
The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced more than $27 million in grants to benefit migratory birds under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Nearly $5 million in federal dollars will be matched by more than $22 million in partner funds. Together they’ll pay for 30 collaborative conservation projects in 23 countries across the Americas.
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Compiled by Bob Butters
Emily Crisman - Chattanooga Times Free Press
(Photo: C.B. Schmelter - Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Wildlife rehabilitator Kate Kinnear believes squirrels are the keepers of all the world's secrets. If she's right, her 11-acre property on Signal Mountain — where she estimates she's released about 300-400 squirrels back into the wild over the past year — is a treasure trove of wisdom.
The Chattanoogan
Emerald ash borer. (Photo: TN Dept. of Agriculture)
Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is May 23-29, 2021 and it’s a great time for citizens to familiarize themselves with the signs of infestation and learn how to protect ash trees.
“This invasive pest has been in Tennessee for more than a decade and, unfortunately, it’s here to stay,” State Forester David Arnold said. “Awareness of the beetle, the symptoms, and the destruction it causes can help homeowners and woodland owners make informed decisions."
Tennessee Wildlife Federation news release
(Image: TWF)
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation, one of the largest and oldest nonprofits dedicated to the conservation of Tennessee’s wildlife and natural resources, recognized 15 individuals and companies from all corners of the state, including three from the Chattanooga area, for its 56th Annual Conservation Achievement Awards. To ensure the health and safety of this year’s winners, the Federation celebrated the awards virtually on May 19.
The Chattanooga area award winners are:
Chairman’s Award - Libby and Frank Duff, with conservation work statewide.
Wildlife Conservationist of the Year - Greg Vital, with work spanning southeast Tennessee.
Youth Conservationist of the Year - Cash Daniels.
“This is the Federation’s 56th year hosting the awards and our 75th anniversary as an organization,” said Kendall McCarter, chief development officer for the Federation. “Being our 75th anniversary and after a year when the great outdoors were more important to our daily lives than usual, we are eager to recognize and celebrate those who have gone above and beyond for Tennessee’s natural places.”
Learn more about all 15 honorees.
Tennessee Wildlife Federation
Savage Gulf fire team starting fire. (Photo: TWF)
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation—in partnership with Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Forest Stewards Guild, and the Tennessee Division of Forestry—conducted prescribed burns on more than 1,400 acres at Savage Gulf Natural Area.
Tennessee State Parks
(Image: TN State Parks)
Memorial Day is a time to honor the heroic men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedom. It also marks the start of summer adventures at Tennessee State Parks. Check out our list of ideas for making lasting memories outdoors this Memorial Day Weekend.
A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.
(Photo: TRCP)
Administration Releases the America the Beautiful Plan.
The Biden-Harris administration recently outlined a vision for how the United States can work collaboratively to conserve and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife that support and sustain the nation. The recommendations are contained in a report outlining a locally led and voluntary nationwide conservation goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
Learn more in reports from the following sources:
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The Hike United initiative is aimed at healing traumas of the pandemic and kickstarting in-person conversations about how to improve the outdoor industry.
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Not everything you learned about nature is true. Go ahead and forget these eight misconceptions.
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The Department of the Interior has announced that the National Park Service will distribute $150 million to local communities through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program. The program, established in 2014, enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved communities.
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How bird conservationists and bird watchers might start navigating a novel, impactful way forward in the updraft of an emerging “new normal.” Wisdom and lessons learned from a tumultuous year when a “global pandemic, severe economic distress, calls for social justice, and deepening political divisions” galvanized changes in social behavior and in how and when people interact with birds.
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Compiled by Bob Butters
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
Red Wolf. (Photo: B. Bartel/USFWS)
History was just made with the release of eight red wolves into the wild in North Carolina! On April 30th and May 1st, four American red wolves (Canis rufus) from the Endangered Wolf Center, Wolf Conservation Center and Wolf Haven International were released in a protected refuge of North Carolina, and four American red wolf pups from the Akron Zoo were fostered to a red wolf female in the recovery area within its historic range. Reflection Riding is a part of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan and we couldn’t be more excited about this news!
TennGreen Land Conservancy
Foster Falls on the Fiery Gizzard Trail (Photo: Bob Butters)
TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) and The Conservation Fund just announced a critical expansion along the popular Fiery Gizzard Trail in South Cumberland State Park.
By purchasing this land and adding it to the park, the partners helped secure the viewshed of the popular trail that will connect Denny Cove, Foster Falls, and most of the park system.
Fiery Gizzard Hiking Trail may be one of the most well-known and well-loved places in southeastern Tennessee. Featuring rushing creeks, waterfalls, rock gardens, ferns, and hemlocks, this 13-mile hike has natural treasures at every turn. The park is estimated to have over a million visitors each year, bolstering the local economies, and Backpacker Magazine readers voted the trail as one of the ten best hiking trails in the nation.
“Securing this land and a portion of the Fiery Gizzard Trail for conservation will have lasting environmental and economic benefits for the community,” said Ralph Knoll, The Conservation Fund’s Tennessee state director. “We’re honored to have helped make this property permanently a part of South Cumberland State Park, one of Tennessee’s many iconic recreation destinations.”
"OSI is proud to have helped to secure this resounding conservation win for the state of Tennessee,” said Joel Houser, OSI’s Southeast field coordinator. “The Fiery Gizzard is a remarkable place that not only is a home for wildlife but also a tremendous boost to the local recreational economy. We congratulate TennGreen Land Conservancy and The Conservation Fund on their dogged efforts to see this land protected.”
“This is an excellent addition to South Cumberland State Park,” Jim Byson, deputy commissioner of TDEC, said. “The acquisition presents the potential for both forest preservation and recreation. We are grateful for the leadership TennGreen and The Conservation Fund have shown with this step.”