The Nickajack Naturalist

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Nickajack Naturalist!

                                                                                                               (Photo: Pixabay)

The Nickajack Naturalist wishes you a happy holiday season and a bright and fulfilling new year. 

A couple of announcements:

• The Nickajack Naturalist headquarters is preparing to move again (just down the street), which promises to be a rather overwhelming task. So, in light of that, the blog is taking a break for the remainder of December, with the hope of resuming publication on January 3rd, 2022.
• It's been a few months since I made an announcement about the new Cumberland Trekker website, so watch for an update on the project in early January.
• Along with that, I'll be revealing plans for the re-branding of the Nickajack Naturalist.

See you in the new year!

Bob Butters 

Publisher, The Nickajack Naturalist

 

Land Trust for Tennessee Celebrates 15 Years of Conservation in Southeast Tennessee

Land Trust for Tennessee

                                  (Photo: Land Trust for Tennessee)

The Land Trust is proud to partner with landowners, local governments, state agencies, and community groups to protect over 100 properties and 50,000 acres in the southeast region over the last 15 years. We invite you to enjoy a short video highlighting a few of these projects and partners we have collaborated with to protect irreplaceable landscapes throughout the southeast region.

 

Watch the video.

Explore Waterfalls in Middle Tennessee

Tennessee State Parks

                                                                                                    (Photo: TN State Parks)

Stationed around Edgar Evins State Park, this 3-day trip itinerary visits two iconic waterfalls in the surrounding Middle Tennessee area, Cummins Falls and Burgess Falls.

 

Read the itinerary.

 

TDEC Launches Public Online Hub for Water Resource Data

Tennessee Dept. of Environment & Conservation

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has unveiled an Open Data Hub, an online mapping platform to provide public access to detailed information about TDEC’s ongoing work to protect and improve water quality throughout the state.  

The site is designed to inform interested parties about activity managed by TDEC’s Division of Water Resources, including data on items such as permits, water wells, water quality monitoring and watershed management. The geographic information system platform includes data sets, mapping applications and story maps. 

Learn more.

Tennessee State Parks Offer Free Guided Hikes on New Year's Day

Tennessee State Parks

                                                                                                    (Image: TN State Parks)

Take your first steps into the new year at a Tennessee State Park! On January 1st, our parks will be offering free guided hikes for all ages and abilities. This is a great opportunity to start the new year off right.

Find a hike.

 

 

 

The Naturalist Afield - 12-12-2021

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

                                                     (Photo: Backpacker)

• How to Survive Getting Separated from Your Group   Pete Rognli - Backpacker

If you get lost while hiking, you need to know how to find your footing and reconnect with your group up the trail.

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• eBirding Your Christmas Bird Count   Team eBird

Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is coming! New eBird Trip Reports can help you keep track of your tallies throughout the day, making your CBC experience better than ever.

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                                       (Photo: Blue Ridge Outdoors)

• Plan Your Winter Trip in America’s Newest National Park   Blue Ridge Outdoors / New River Gorge CVB

The adventures in the New River Gorge are year-round! From zip-lining through the snow-covered canopy to taking in the sweeping views on a wintertime hike, discover the incredible beauty that each season brings to the Gorge.

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• Three Important Forest Health Bills and What They Mean for Habitat   Tiffany Turner - Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

This legislation could boost habitat, climate resilience, and rural economies - here's what you need to know.

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• Here's How Much Paper Sales Catalogs are Harming the Earth   Geoff Nudelman - Outside Business Journal

A new report from Elastic Suite quantifies the environmental impact of sales catalog printing.

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Compiled by Bob Butters

About Reflection Riding's Dawn Redwoods

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

                                                                                                             (Photo: RRA&NC)

Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is closely related to Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) – both being in the Cypress family, the Cupressaceae. What’s perhaps most fascinating about Dawn Redwood is its discovery, after a botanist discovered a fossil and thought this tree extinct.  Come see our “living fossils!” They’re beautiful at all times of the year, and their buttressed and furrowed trunks are a sight to behold.

Learn more.

Conservation Partnership Permanently Protects Circling Cranes

TennGreen Land Conservancy

                          (Photo: TennGreen Land Conservancy)

TennGreen Land Conservancy and Circling Cranes Community Land Trust recently completed a conservation easement on 81 acres of land north of Cookeville, Tennessee. Located on a peninsular ridge, Circling Cranes is a unique and diverse outdoor haven. The land contains lush forest surrounding an open pasture, a waterfall surrounded by folklore, and approximately a half of a mile of Pole Bridge Branch stream which flows to Spring Creek State Scenic River. 

“Ever since we acquired this property, we've intended to protect the land in perpetuity. Cookeville is rapidly expanding, and we knew it would be only a matter of time before suburbia was on our doorstep. We're thrilled to get this conservation easement finalized, as our unique and diverse property now feels like a little island of sanity in an increasingly unsettled world. It was a pleasure working with the folks at TennGreen Land Conservancy, and so good to know that they're in it for the long haul! 
—Leith Patton & Jim Selin, Circling Cranes Community Land Trust

Learn more.

 

WaterWays Announces Nature by the Pint

The Chattanoogan

WaterWays, a Chattanooga based non-profit, committed to educating children and adults about the importance of clean water in their communities through school programs, restoration projects, community creek clean-ups and homeowner programs, announces Nature by the Pint, a five-month series featuring local science and nature experts.

Read more.

Volunteers Pull 34,500 Pounds of Trash in October, Smashing River Group’s Goal

The Chattanoogan

The Scottsboro group.                                                           (Photo: The Chattanoogan)

A sum of 134 volunteers participated at six river cleanups hosted by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, helping to remove 34,481 lbs. of trash from the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in October. The month was declared by four governors and four mayors to be ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month.’

Read more.