The Nickajack Naturalist

May 31 Open House for Conservation Tract on Lookout Mountain

  The Lookout Mountain Conservancy is planning a free open house on Thursday, May 31st to discuss plans for a recently acquired seven acre tract at the foot of Lookout Mountain.    Read more.

Heartwood Music Festival May 17-20

  The 2nd Annual Heartwood Music Festival takes place from Thursday, May 17 to Sunday, May 20 at Eddie Martin's Farm on Battle Creek Road, South Pittsburg.  There'll be over 20 bands, camping, nature walks, a plant sale, and much more.  Organizations such as the Sierra Club, the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, Save Our Cumberland Mountains, Crabtree Farms, and others, will have booths set up.

  Click here for more information.

    

Upcoming South Cumberland Outings

Scheduled outings in the central South Cumberland area.

 

Fri., May 18

Nickajack Bat Cave Kayak Trip      Outdoor Chattanooga

 

Sat., May 19

Rock/Creek Scenic City Trail Marathon & 1/2 Marathon    Raccoon Mountain

Cloudland Canyon Rim Trail Hike      TN Trails Assc.

Eat-Hike-Eat  Sewanee      TN Trails Assc.

Lookout Mountain Dayhike      Chattanooga Hiking Club

 

Sat., May 26

Cloudland Canyon Hike    Overlook, Waterfalls, and West Rim Loop Trails    TN Trails Assc.

Prentice Cooper Hike    Pot Point Loop Trail    TN Trails Assc.

Lula Lake Dayhike    Lookout Mountain      Chattanooga Hiking Club 

 

Sat., June 2      National Trails Day

Cloudland Canyon Hike      Sierra Club

Cloudland Canyon Dayhike      Chattanooga Hiking Club

Trail Maintenance    Cloudland Canyon State Park      Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park 

 

Sat., June 9

Perimeter Trail Hike    University of the South, Sewanee      TN Trails Assc.

 

Thurs., June 14

Bike Ride to Moccasin Bend    Outdoor Chattanooga and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park

 

 Links to More Outings Schedules

  

Chattanooga Hiking Club   http://www.chatthiking.com  

Tennessee Trails Association    www.tennesseetrails.org/calendar.php

Sierra Club, Alabama Chapter    http://alabama.sierraclub.org

Sierra Club, Tennessee Chapter    http://tennessee.sierraclub.org

SORBA Chattanooga  (mtn. biking)    http://sorbachattanooga.org    click on "Calendar"

Chattanooga Bicycle Club    www.chattbike.com/forum/calendar.php

Tennessee Ornithological Society, Chattanooga Chapter    www.chattanoogatos.org   click on "Chat Newsletter"

South Cumberland State Recreation Area    www.friendsofscsra.org/activities.htm

Lula Lake Land Trust    www.lulalake.org

Cumberland Trail Conference    www.cumberlandtrail.org/calendar.html 

 

 

   

   

Wings for Conservation

  SouthWings, an aviation nonprofit organization, provides help with the "big picture" on environmental issues across the southeastern U.S.    Read more.

New Trip Planner for Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau Region

 The Alliance for the Cumberlands has launched Edge Trekker, a comprehensive new website for exploring the possibilities for travel and outdoor recreation in Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau region.  The site contains an interactive map, available in satellite version, with clickable icons representing natural, historic, and arts and culture locations, events, places to eat, and places to stay overnight.  These are also presented in a list format, as well as by county.  And there's an event calendar.

  An advanced search allows one to select places by activity, such as fishing, hiking, or mountain biking, or by attractions, such as waterfalls, museums, or state parks.  You may also narrow your search by selecting a city or zip code, and indicating a maximum distance.

  Check out this exciting new site, plus sign up to win a Jackson kayak or Deuter backpack, at http://edgetrekker.com. 

  To learn more about the Alliance for the Cumberlands, visit www.allianceforthecumberlands.org.   

Monteagle Launches Phase Two of Mountain Goat Trail Project

  The City of Monteagle has implemented part of its downtown corridor plan, which also begins phase two of the Mountain Goat Trail project.  The goal of the project is to eventually connect Cowan to Palmer with a walking and biking trail via the historic Mountain Goat railroad bed.  The track was constructed in the mid 1800's for hauling coal out of Grundy County.

  Since 2006, the City of Monteagle has obtained two Mountain Goat Trail related grants totaling over $780,000, which fund 80% of the project. 

  To learn more about the Mountain Goat Trail, visit www.mountaingoattrail.org.  

The Birding Scene at Stevenson Park

An osprey flying over Stevenson City Park.

  I've been back to the Stevenson, AL City Park twice lately to check out the birding scene.  After a large section of the park was closed off for months following a tornado hit in last year's outbreak, the entire park is now open.

Uprooted stumps remain as a reminder of the tornado.

 
One of the ospreys nesting on the light pole.

  This is at least the third year that a pair of ospreys have been nesting atop a light pole in the park's softball field.  I'm not sure what happened with them last year, as their pole would have been directly in the tornado's path during nesting season.  I simply know they are there again this year.  If you're surprised at their tolerance of human activity, upstream on Crow Creek they nest on top of the railroad trestle, with trains passing a few feet below every 15 minutes or so.

The nest.

A killdeer on the boat dock.

  A pair of killdeer apparently nested in an area where I found a nest on the ground a couple of years ago.  There were two young birds following their parents around, but I was unable to get a good photo.

Great blue herons are a common sight at the park.  It's also a good place to spot an egret.  

A flock of coots that didn't fly north for the summer.

A lone tree that refused to give in when the tornado took down its neighbors.

Kim focusing on a flock of blue-winged teal.  They were too far away for me to get a photo.

View from the park across the adjacent Crow Creek Wildlife Refuge.  

  The Stevenson City Park continues to be a great place for birding.  For an August 2011 post about the park, which includes directions, click here.  To see a Nov. 2010 post, Wildlife and Recreation at Crow Creek, click here.

Bob Butters

 

      

Proposed Hixson Development: Update

  In an update to an earlier post, the developer of a controversial Hixson tract on a wooded hill has withdrawn his rezoning request, for now.  Read more.

See the earlier post from March 12 below.

 Many of you may have seen recent news stories about public opposition to the proposed development of a shopping center on 190 acres of currently forested hill in Hixson.  To see information from the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy about the proposed project, including a statement of environmental concerns, a Hixson/North River land use plan, a petition you can sign in opposition to the development, and more, click here. 

  The Planning Commission is scheduled to hear the case on April 9.

  

White-Nose Syndrome Found in Bats on Lookout Mountain

 White-nose syndrome, recently found in bats at Russell Cave National Monument, has now been discovered in bats at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park on Lookout Mountain.  

Read more.

Following is an earlier related post from March 16.

 White-nose syndrome, a disease which has killed millions of bats in eastern North America, had not yet shown up in Alabama.  That is, until March 1st, when it was confirmed in bats at Russell Cave in Jackson County.   Read more.

Outdoor Gear Resale Shop Opens in Chattanooga

  Two environmentsl groups have opened The Gear Closet, a Chattanooga resale shop for outdoor gear and clothing. Sale proceeds will support clean water projects.  Read more.