SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

 February

                    2014

 

  

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
 
 
TWRA biologist Scott Sommershoe holds one of the banded eagles
    Golden Eagle Tracking Project 

 

TWRA lead research on Golden Eagles wintering in Tennessee is part of a large project across the Appalachian Mountains coordinated by Dr. Todd Katzner at West Virginia University and the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group, presenting information on the project at AppalachianEagles.org.

 

Research is designed to document occurrences of Eastern Golden Eagles on the wintering grounds, which will allow for a greater understanding of population size and habitat use. Through tracking birds with transmitters, we are hoping to better understand specific habitat uses, spatial movements, migration corridors, esp. in areas where there is potential for wind development, effects of spent lead ammunition, leg hold traps, and fragmentation of forests on Eastern Golden Eagles. Ultimately we will gain more information of the origin of Eastern Golden Eagles wintering in Tennessee and the southeast as the birds collect data year round and will provide detailed information on breeding locations.

 

In January 2012, TWRA and TNC managed 15 different bait sites for Golden Eagles and documented Golden Eagles at 6 different locations in eastern Tennessee. In January-February 2013, TWRA, USFWS, and TNC operated 10 bait sites and documented Golden Eagles at 5 sites. We also trapped 3 Golden Eagles and attached GPS transmitters that send data to cellular communication towers. Transmitters are developed, deployed, and data is managed by Cellular Tracking Technologies.

 

Click here to learn more about the eagles and the technology being used to track this majestic bird.

 

       
  Cumberland Mountain State Park Rangers Save "Special" Deer 
  
'Tripod' resting after her ordeal

NBC affiliate WBIR in Knoxville recently reported on the compassionate efforts of some special park rangers.

 

Over the past several years, rangers at the Cumberland Mountain State Park have developed an unofficial mascot, a three-legged deer they lovingly referred to as 'Tripod.'

 

Ranger Monica Johnson suspects it was a car accident last year that injured her leg and killed one of her fawns.

 

"We watched [her leg] go through this process of falling off," said Johnson. "It swelled up huge. We thought that it would end up infected and she would die, but she fought through it."

 

But Monday bad luck struck again, and somehow Tripod ended up stranded and sinking between chunks of ice in the middle of frozen Byrd Lake in the Cumberland Mountain State Park.

Johnson grabbed a camera and conservation worker Nathan Potter grabbed a boat and a team of about six worked together to reach the doe.

 

"To see it out there just struggling for her life, again, it was just like we've got to do something," said Johnson.

 

Using a pick ax, Potter and a colleague pulled the boat over the ice, clearing a path for the animal to swim back to shore.

 

"She had already been through so much," said Potter. "She deserved more than to be out there in the lake like that."

 

As soon as she was able to touch solid ground, they say the deer succumbed to exhaustion. Rescuers hauled her out of the water and over to a ranger's nearby house where they let her rest in a vacant dog pen, covered in blankets and straw.

 

Three and a half hours later, they say she got up and walked away.

"She's more or less the park mascot," said Potter. "I'm sure we'll see her again."

 

       

 

TDEC Announces 2014 Energy Education Camps  

 

  

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Office of Energy Programs announced today that applications are now available online for the 2014 K-12 Energy Education Camps.

 

The four-day educational sessions provide K-12 teachers with the information and resources needed to teach the science of energy and energy conservation in the classroom and to guide students in becoming leaders in their school and community.

 

"It is essential to teach the next generation of energy consumers about the benefits and importance of conservation," TDEC Office of Energy Programs Director Molly Cripps said. "Lowering energy costs and promoting conservation helps create a more sustainable energy future for all Tennesseans."

 

While a school may be represented by one teacher, it is highly recommended that teams of two teachers from a school attend the camp and work together to develop and conduct an energy education program.

 

K-12 teachers are invited to apply for one of the following three camps:

  • June 3-6 at Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, Tenn.
  • June 10-13 at Paris Landing State Park in Buchanan, Tenn.
  • July 8-11 at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Pikeville, Tenn.

Teams selected to participate in Energy Camps will be provided with complimentary lodging and meals and will receive a $400 stipend to purchase energy-related classroom materials. Applications are available online at http://www.tn.gov/environment/energy_education.shtml. Applications are due by April 11, 2014.

 

At Energy Camps, teachers will participate in fun learning activities that address science standards and also make connections to Common Core State Standards for English language, arts and math. The camp will include sessions with classroom activities divided into grade clusters of K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 as to address grade-specific standards and include age-appropriate instructional methods.

 

Teachers will leave the Energy Camps with increased background knowledge of science of energy, energy conservation and clean energy technology and be prepared to involve students in service learning projects that promote environmental stewardship in their schools and communities. The 2014 Energy Camps will also include a full-day field trip to energy-related sites.

 

The Office of Energy Programs Energy Education Camps is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program. For more information, contact the Energy Hotline at 1-800-342-1340 or contact Angela McGee at Angela.McGee@tn.gov.

 


           
  

The Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards are the most prestigious environmental and conservation awards in the state. For more than 25 years, the awards have been presented to individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the protection and improvement of our natural resources and wildlife.

 

The awards are designed to bring about a greater knowledge and awareness of effective practices and projects and to give proper recognition to those persons and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the natural resources of their community and the state.  Click on the above logo for more information. 

 

Nominations will open January 1, 2014 and be accepted until March 31, 2014.

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