May being drier brings June fires

By Rikki Hall

Lightning started a wildfire in Linville Gorge that burned throughout June, scorching over 5,000 acres and closing the Wilderness Area for a month. Almost 1,000 acres burned in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Abrams Creek, closing three trails and a backcountry campsite for a few weeks. Another lightning-ignited blaze burned over 2,000 acres in the Nolichucky District of Cherokee National Forest, and smaller wildfires occurred throughout the region.

Waiting for this moment to arise

By Rikki Hall

Biologists gathered at the U.S. Forest Service’s Center for Bottomland Hardwoods in Stoneville, Miss. to discuss the decline of the rusty blackbird, which breeds in northern boreal forests and winters in Southeastern bottomlands. Rusty blackbird populations are estimated to have dropped more than 90 percent since the 1960s, yet most heritage lists categorize it as “demonstrably secure,” the polar opposite of “endangered.” Only in recent years have biologists taken note of its decline and begun to develop conservation plans. Its drab appearance and preference for inaccessible forested wetlands make the rusty blackbird one of the least studied North American birds, and the primary goal of the April meeting was setting research priorities for understanding the bird and why it is in decline.

Chattooga closure reconsidered

By Rikki Hall

The upper 21 miles of the Chattooga River, flowing through North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, has been closed to whitewater boating since 1976. American Whitewater, a paddler’s organization, challenged a 2004 decision reaffirming closure, triggering the U.S. Forest Service to study alternatives. The agency developed reports on hydrology, use and abuse of existing trails, comparisons to similar rivers and other factors and will present its findings this summer. Public comments will be collected at a meeting at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Walhalla, S.C. on July 10, at a workshop there on July 14, and through written and electronic submissions. The Chattooga was declared a Wild and Scenic River in 1976.

Who keeps Blount beautiful?

By Rikki Hall

Civic groups in Blount County gathered at Preservation Plaza in Maryville for the fifth annual Environmental Achievement Awards. Erich Henry won the individual award for his contribution toward acquiring an $835,000 federal grant for the Little River Watershed Association. Fairview Elementary School won an award for recycling, waste reduction and other efforts made while earning an Earth Flag from Ijams Nature Center. The business recipient was the organizers and sponsors of AirFest, and Harper Street Lofts won for building reuse.

Another forest invader

By Rikki Hall

An Asian grass that first gained purchase in North America near Knoxville in 1919 may inhibit forest regeneration, according to a preliminary study by Christopher Oswalt, a University of Tennessee graduate student. Microstegium vimineum, commonly known as Japangrass or Nepalese browntop, may impede woody plants from germinating by blocking sunlight or preventing seeds from reaching the soil. The grass forms dense mats on the forest floor and can become especially thick when a disturbance such as logging or blow downs provides direct sunlight. Accidentally introduced as a packing material for porcelain, the grass has spread into 14 Southern states, preferring floodplains and streambanks.

Radioactive carpetbaggers

By Rikki Hall

Tennessee has the most permissive regulations for burying low-level radioactive waste in landfills, according to a report issued by national watchdog Nuclear Information and Resource Service. The state allows licensed, private waste processors to separate contaminated waste and recategorize the less radioactive portions so they can be sent to landfills that could not otherwise accept the waste. Four Tennessee landfills have taken radioactive waste. A Memphis landfill took waste from the decommissioned Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant after Idaho residents protested disposal there, and a dump in Murfreesboro has taken radioactive waste. Two East Tennessee facilities, Chestnut Ridge in Anderson County and Carter Valley in Hawkins County, have served as disposal sites for low-level waste, which normally consists of soil, rubble, office furniture and other materials that were irradiated, but never contaminated with radioisotopes. In a separate report, Tennessee Clean Water Network said 31 percent of Tennessee landfills leak.

Downtown attracts unusual tourist

By Rikki Hall

Black bears made several appearances within Knoxville city limits in May, or maybe it was just one bear. A bear was spotted on the south side of the Tennessee River at the Cherokee Bluff condominiums. A few weeks later, homeowners in Bearden, north of the river, watched a bear raid their bird feeder. Days later, reports suggested a bear followed railroad tracks east from Bearden, through Fort Sanders and into the Old City, where a comical late-night pursuit ended with the bear tranquilized. Wildlife officers released the bear in Monroe County the next day.