The Nickajack Naturalist

Incredible Owls and How to Protect Them

By Tish Gailmard - Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

A barred owl.                (Photo: Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center)

Owls' entire faces are designed to help them hear and determine which height and direction a sound is coming from - and they can even do this while in flight. Their stealthy hearing makes them insanely good at hunting. A typical barn owl will eat 3-4 rodents per night. In a year, a pair of barn owls and their clutches will consume more than 4,000 prey animals! Owls are nature’s pest control.

What can you do to protect the owls in our area? Be mindful of your pest control methods. When we poison rats and mice, we poison the food chain, including those incredible owls (and pollinators, bobcats, opossums, hawks, and other wildlife). If you hire a pest control company, instruct them to use non-trophic bait. Before you spray for mosquitos and garden pests, consider other options, like predatory insects that can keep bad bugs in check. 

Learn more about owls.

Tennessee River Gorge Trust Announces Three New Properties Have Been Protected!

Tennessee River Gorge Trust

                                                                                           (Map: TN River Gorge Trust)

The Tennessee River Gorge Trust has purchased the 32 acres that contain the iconic Edwards Point atop Signal Mountain along with 2 additional tracts on Signal and Aetna Mountains. These land purchases total 281.5 acres of protected land in the Tennessee River Gorge that will remain as intact forests for generations to come.

Learn more.

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Read more at NOOGAtoday.

Reflection Riding Named One of the South’s Most Beautiful Gardens

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

Reflection Riding.                                                              (Photo: Bob Butters)

We are really proud that Reflection Riding ranked #5 on Fodor Travel’s 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South list! Our 300-acre campus is home to more than 1,000 species of flora, over 150 tree species, and more than 40 resident animals — all native to east Tennessee. Come explore this oasis on your own, or sign up for one of our many exciting fall events. 

Through a reciprocal membership program, our members can visit several of the other gardens on the list at a free or reduced rate: the Gardens of the American Rose Center (Shreveport, LA), Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens (Savannah, GA), Birmingham Botanical Gardens (Birmingham, AL), Cheekwood Estate and Garden (Nashville, TN), and New Orleans Botanical Garden (New Orleans, LA). Enjoy touring these beautiful gardens!

View Fodor's List

 

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Seeks Volunteers for National Public Lands Day - Sept. 25

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park news release

This year’s project at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park will focus on removing vegetation along the roadside of Sanders Road on Lookout Mountain. Sanders Road is a park road connecting Ochs Highway to Scenic Highway and is used by residents of Lookout Mountain and visitors to the many tourist attractions on Lookout Mountain. 

Read more.

Crabtree Farms’ Annual Fall Plant Sale And Festival Is Sept. 18 In-Person And Sept. 21-25 Online

The Chattanoogan

Crabtree Farms continues their 20-plus year tradition of providing a full array of plant start varieties to the community at their annual Fall Plant Sale and Festival plus an online component.

Read more.

                                               (Image: Crabtree Farms)

Crabtree Farms Hosts Upcoming Local Foods, Local Places Workshop   Thrive Regional Partnership

Crabtree Farms is hosting an upcoming workshop focused on stimulating inclusive economic growth, increasing access to local foods, and strengthening community health along the Rossville Boulevard corridor. With support from the EPA and USDA, the virtual workshop will consist of six sessions over three days, from September 21-23. 

Register Here.

The Naturalist Afield - 9-12-2021

A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.

• Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes Removing Storied Snail Darter from Endangered Species Act Due to Recovery   USFWS news release 

Inspired by its Endangered Species Act protections, over the last 40 years conservation partners went to work protecting and restoring snail darters, conducting surveys that located additional populations, and reintroducing the fish to rivers it once called home. Due to these and other efforts and collaborations, the FWS scientific status review has found the snail darter no longer faces the threat of extinction, and it is being proposed for delisting. 

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                                            (Image: Day Fire Podcast)

• Conversation About Conservation   Day Fire Podcast

Dawson and Clint recently sat down to talk through the habits we can develop to ensure the land we enjoy today will be available to the generations to come!

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• Going on Your First Backpacking Trip? Don't Make These 5 Common Mistakes   Backpacker editors

If backpackers have one thing in common, it’s this: We were all beginners at one point. All of us took those first tentative steps onto the trail, blissfully unaware of what we didn’t yet know. And a lot of us learned it the hard way. 

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                                (Photo: Outside Business Journal)

• Technology in U.S. National Parks, by the Numbers   Outside Business Journal - Andrew Weaver, Corey Buhay

Technology has become an all-encompassing fixture of our lives, even when it comes to outdoor recreation. Here’s a snapshot of how it’s shaping our national parks—for better or for worse.

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• How Tech is Transforming the Outdoor Industry   Outside Business Journal

Behind the scenes in the outdoor industry, technology is ever-present and increasingly powerful. Are you up to speed on the latest developments?

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Compiled by Bob Butters

 

Wildlife MythBusters

Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources

                                                                                                              (Image: GA DNR)

 "MythBusters: Wildlife Edition" tackles do snakes chase people, does Georgia have black panthers and are coyotes the top predator of wild turkeys?

Lend a Hand to the Lands You Love on National Public Lands Day - Sat., Sept. 25, 2021

Tennessee State Parks

                                                                                                   (Image: TN State Parks)

Join thousands of others across the country who will come together on National Public Lands Day to make a difference in a park or natural area they love. On Saturday, September 25th, we invite you to get your hands dirty giving back to your Tennessee State Parks. Come soak up some time outdoors while improving our precious trails and waterways.

Find an event.

The Fight Against Invasive Species in the Region

Thrive Regional Partnership

In an effort to keep the region’s ecosystems balanced and healthy, several Thrive partners discuss their tactics to mitigate the detrimental impacts of invasive species across our region at the latest Natural Treasures Alliance meeting.

Read more.

Southeastern Climbers Coalition Welcomes New Executive Director

Southeast Climbers Coalition

Meagan Evans.                                                                            (Photo: SCC)

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition is stoked to have Meg Evans join the team as Executive Director to help fulfill SCC’s mission to preserve climbing for present and future generations.  As we carry the torch to be good stewards of our climbing resources, Meg will lead the charge by continuing to build relationships with land managers, elevating education and stewardship and welcoming new climbers into the treasure trove of crags we have in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

Read more.