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By Darlene Carlson - The Pulse
Maclellan Island. (Photo: Bob Butters)
The Chattanooga Audubon Society has received funding from the Maclellan Foundation for enhancements to Maclellan Island (one of its nature preserves) located in the Tennessee River in Downtown Chattanooga.
Tennessee Aquarium new release
Tennessee Aquarium Director of Hospitality and Marketing Meredith Harris helps Aquarist II Kimberly Hurt to cinch tight a backpack used to tote buckets filled with juvenile Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. To reach the release site in the Cherokee National Forest, the Aquarium and its partners had to trek through a half mile of thick vegetation. (Photo: TN Aquarium/Casey Phillips)
Recently, a team of scientists from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute drove to one of the lush, high-elevation streams in the southern reaches of the Cherokee National Forest. During a brief lull between summer rainstorms, they were joined by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency representatives and the U.S. Forest Service to celebrate a homecoming for 250 long-lost residents of this gorgeous landscape: juvenile Southern Appalachian Brook Trout.
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
(Image: Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center)
You may have seen the exciting news (on the front page of the paper!) about Reflection Riding's new Framework for the Future, a new, forward-thinking vision that situates us as a national leader in environmental education, conservation, and land stewardship.
Developed from fall 2020 to spring 2021, the Framework draws together detailed input and aspirations from over 800 participants, creating a guide for the future while preserving and expanding current programs.
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A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.
(Click on image to see video from U.S. DOI)
A new report from the Fish and Wildlife Service identifies 269 bird species of concern when it comes to conservation. The report will be used by international, federal, state, Tribal, and private partners for research, monitoring, and management to help prevent the need for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
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Whether it’s the bird you hear every day in your yard or a song you’ve never heard before, the Merlin Bird ID app can help you identify who’s singing. Just pull out your smartphone, press record, and watch as Merlin shows matches in real time.
Merlin can now help you identify the songs and calls of 400+ species in the United States and Canada (with more species and regions coming soon). Merlin’s newest feature is sure to improve your birding skills and give you a new superpower—identifying birds by ear. Every species you identify with the new Sound ID feature can also be saved to your life list, and you’ll be able to share the recordings you make with friends and family.
Merlin’s new feature was made possible by thousands of citizen scientists who contributed recordings to the Macaulay Library and shared their bird sightings with eBird, breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence, volunteers who spent countless hours training Merlin, and our supporters.
Download the free Merlin Bird ID app here.
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(Click on image to watch TN State Parks National Recreation & Park Assc. Gold Medal Finalist video.)
The honor is given to state parks that go above and beyond in providing excellence in "parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition." Tennessee State Parks has exceled in many projects over the last several years, including opening fully renovated lodges on park properties, construction to park's visitor centers, partnering with many school districts in rural counties to drive tourism to the community and providing an escape to many during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Forest protection and management are critical to addressing climate change, and conservationists have an important role to play in helping species and communities prepare and adapt to changing conditions. Together with Land Trust Alliance, OSI is offering grants to support strategic planning for land protection and stewardship to secure climate-resilient landscapes, mitigate greenhouse gasses, and curb climate impacts such as flooding.
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Compiled by Bob Butters
Tennessee State Parks
More than 75% of the Earth's flowering plants depend on bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators! However, these hardworking creatures are in decline. This National Pollinators Week, learn more about pollinators, why they're important, and what we can do to help.
(Image: TN State Parks)
Did you know that 39 Tennessee State Parks have honeybee hives? These parks participate in the TSP Honey Project which teaches visitors about pollinators and produces sweet treats for our gift shops!
You've probably heard that honey bees are in decline, but what about other pollinators? Pollinators of all shapes and sizes need our help. This article from The Conservationist Magazine lays out how we can take action.
Some of our parks offer the opportunity to symbolically "adopt a beehive" by donating. The funds are used towards maintenance and equipment costs associated with keeping honey bees at the park.
Tyler Clemmer - Freehub
Bike trails in the greater Chattanooga region have come a long way over the past few years, but there is still work to be done. Read about how the Scenic City and the surrounding area continues to evolve as a mountain biking destination.
Land Trust for Tennessee
Tennessee State Parks
A clean up at South Cumberland State Park's Greeter Falls is one of the events scheduled for TN Promise Saturday. (Photo: Bob Butters)
Tennessee State Parks will offer volunteer work events at 55 parks across the state for Tennessee Promise scholars to fulfill their community service hours. Most of the events are on Saturday, June 26.
“Our state parks present an excellent opportunity for Tennessee Promise students to meet their service requirements,” Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Conservation, said. “It’s a great step for the students, and it’s a big help for the parks. We are grateful for what the students put into this workday.”
Radnor Lake State Park will hold its Tennessee Promise event on Friday, June 25, and Rocky Fork State Park on Sunday, June 27. Long Hunter State Park held its event earlier this month.
Activities for the workday at various parks include cleanup, removing invasive plants, landscaping, trail work, spreading mulch, and painting. Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing for the work and bring items such as water, snacks and sunscreen. Students should check with each park on the activities planned and details on what they will need. COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for this year’s event.
Details about service hours can be found online at this link. All participants must register on the website.
Tennessee Promise provides students the chance to attend tuition-free any of the state’s community colleges, colleges of applied technology or other eligible institutions offering an associate degree program. One of the requirements to maintain eligibility is to complete eight hours of community service. The parks also accept help from any volunteers who wish to participate.
For more information on the Tennessee Promise program please visit this link.
Bret & Mary - Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide
The boardwalk at James H. "Sloppy" Floyd State Park. (Photo: Bob Butters)
A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.
(Image: TWF)
The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) voted unanimously, 20 to 0, to begin a comprehensive study of litter pollution in the state. This marks the first fresh progress on statewide litter control in a generation.
The study will address topics such as the sources and composition of litter, financial and environmental costs, economic opportunities of recovering waste, the effectiveness of existing efforts and proven solutions to recover litter.
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Vista Outdoor is making an initial contribution of $3 million to the Vista Outdoor Corporate Foundation, which next month will begin accepting funding requests from nonprofit organizations for a range of grants.
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(Image: Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Bring Bird Back is a new podcast about the joy of birds and the ways that humans can help them—through simple, everyday actions.
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Senator Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Blake Moore (R-UT) have reintroduced the Recreation Not Red Tape Act, a bill that promises to protect and enhance outdoor recreation on public lands.
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The Biden administration is set to toss out President Donald Trump’s efforts to scale back the number of streams, marshes and other wetlands that fall under federal protection, kicking off a legal and regulatory scuffle over the fate of wetlands and waterways around the country, from the arid West to the swampy South.
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Compiled by Bob Butters