The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Action Alert Archive (101)

Friday, 13 September 2024 13:40

Join the Rally for the Valley 2.0

TVA protest

NASHVILLE — Join the rescheduled Rally for the Valley on Sept. 21 2024 at Centennial Park for a day filled with fun, music, learning and community spirit.

The rally, organized by the Clean Up TVA Coalition, which includes Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other allies, calls on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to stop its gas buildout and lead the way to a fossil-free future.

The decisions in front of TVA are significant. They will impact the health and safety of our communities, how much we pay to keep the lights on, and whether we meet our climate targets and achieve energy justice. We are mobilizing with communities from across Tennessee to urge TVA leaders to change course before its too late. 

Are you in? Register today!

Last modified on Saturday, 21 September 2024 23:03
Monday, 02 September 2024 14:44

Calling all climbers (and hikers and bikers): Come help clean Obed crags

Volunteers learning trail maintenance.The annual Obed Adopt-a-Crag event is set for Sept. 14 and will include access trail maintenance such as that performed here by volunteers at a previous event.  National Park Service

WARTBURG — The East Tennessee Climbers Coalition and Obed Wild and Scenic River will host the park’s annual Adopt-a-Crag event on Saturday, Sep. 14 2024

Volunteers are needed to help with a variety of projects including general trail maintenance and litter pickup. Please meet at the Lilly Pad Hopyard Brewery, 920 Ridge Road, Lancing, at 10 a.m. to register and receive a project assignment. Due to limited parking, carpooling is suggested.  Please bring your own lunch and water. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring hand tools, gloves, sunscreen, and insect repellant.

After completing their projects, volunteers are invited to spend the day climbing their favorite routes or enjoying other recreational opportunities in the park.  Following the event, the ETCC will be hosting a volunteer appreciation event at the Lilly Pad.

Last modified on Monday, 16 September 2024 22:59
Tuesday, 06 August 2024 16:33

Compare notes on environmental education at annual conference

2024 Conference Docs 1350 x 1350 px

NATCHEZ TRACE — The 2024 Tennessee Environmental Education Association annual conference is set for Sept. 19-21 at Natchez Trace State Park.

The conference is open to any adult interested in education with the natural world as the foundation. Earn up to 31 PD/CE credits and network with an amazing and diverse group of educators from across Tennessee. The conference welcomes K-12 formal educators, informal educators, and more.

Sessions are diverse, and strands include historic practices and the environment, equity and inclusion and community engagement. A preconference workshop with Project Learning Tree and the Tennessee Forestry Association is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 19.
 
Enjoy Friday and Saturday sessions from organizations such as Cumberland River Compact, WaterWays and Tennessee State Parks.
 
Last modified on Saturday, 21 September 2024 23:05

Park service opens comment period for Foothills Parkway extension from Wears Cove to Gatlinburg

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GATLINBURG — The National Park Service has posted the Foothills Parkway Section 8D Environmental Assessment (EA) for a 30-day public comment period ending Aug. 21. The EA evaluates the construction of nine miles of new parkway from Wears Valley to the Gatlinburg Spur near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

(Hellbender Press first reported on this proposal in 2021.) 

A virtual public meeting about the EA and the proposed action will be held at 5 p.m. July 30. The meeting will include a presentation about the overview of the project and give time for the public to ask questions.

Read the EA, learn more about the proposed Foothills Parkway Section 8D project, and provide comments

The preferred manner for providing comments is via an online form through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website (linked above), which the agency uses to manage official correspondence and analyze public comments in the planning process. 
 
Comments can also be submitted in writing and postmarked by August 21 to:  
Great Smoky Mountains National Park  
ATTN: Foothills Parkway 8D 
107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tenn. 37738 
Monday, 13 May 2024 15:23

Celebrate National Trails Day with a work party in Oak Ridge

North Ridge Trail Trail Day 3

OAK RIDGE Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the North Ridge Trail maintenance volunteers invite everyone to our 2024 National Trails Day work project on the North Ridge Trail.

Work on the Orchard Lane access trail will begin at 9 a.m. June 1.

The access trail is located along a water drainage route. Erosion along the ditch has made the trail difficult to follow. We will work to relocate the first 130 feet of the access trail away from the water route.

Bring drinking water, sunscreen, insect repellent and good gloves. TCWP will provide some work tools, but feel free to bring any of your personal tools, including grubbing tools such as mattocks, Pulaskis, fire rakes, rogue hoes and/or McLeods fire tools. After the work is completed, a pizza lunch will be provided a short drive from the work location.

Last modified on Monday, 17 June 2024 15:10
Tuesday, 23 April 2024 00:25

Chattanooga Earth Day Week continues

Earth Week Poster Billboard Landscape

Last modified on Sunday, 28 April 2024 22:27
Thursday, 18 April 2024 06:35

Happy Earth Day to you

Written by

2017 Eclipse GIF dscovr epic 21 aug 2017 solar eclipse shadowThis image of Earth captures the 2017 eclipse shadow.  NASA

Get dirty. Get wet. Have fun. Love your mother.

Celebrate our planet’s beauty and bounty at one of many Earth Day events in the region this weekend and beyond. You can pick up trash, kayak a river and even get sustainable fashion tips and tricks. 

The official observation of Earth Day 2024 is Monday, April 22, but ways to give back and respect the Earth abound for days before and after. Here’s a sampling of observations and activities. And remember: Every day should be Earth Day.

Knoxville

— Little River Watershed Association plans its annual cleanup and paddle for 12-4 p.m. Saturday, April 20. Participants will put in at Peery’s Mill near Townsend and remove trash from the river for about three hours before taking out at Sevierville Bridge. Albright Grove Brewery will offer beer after the cleanup. A limited number of kayaks are available for use, and a shuttle is available. Get more information and sign up here.

— Keep Knoxville Beautiful will hold the South Knoxville Community Cleanup from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 20 starting at Mary Vestal Park, 522 Maryville Pike, Knoxville. The group is removing litter from South Knoxville streams, roads and parks. All reserved spots are full, but Amanda Seale, director of programs for Keep Knoxville Beautiful said her group still welcomes help from anyone who shows up.

— The third annual Fleurish: A Sustainable Fashion Event (and Fundraiser) at Ijams Nature Center will bring eco-friendly and sustainable Punk vs. Funk designs to the runway Sunday, April 21. Tickets are $30 and are available at Ijams.org/fleurish. All proceeds support Ijams Nature Center. The cocktail hour from 6 until 7 p.m. will feature photo ops on the “green” carpet, education stations and information about conservation efforts in the fashion realm, as well as a cash bar featuring punk and funk signature cocktails, and food from Coffee & Chocolate, Cafe 4, and The Kennedy. The fashion show will feature clothing with sustainable, reused and recycled materials from 25 designers. Following the fashion show, attendees will be able to meet the artists, designers, and models on the nature center’s hillside. Brent Hyder and Duck Experience will provide live music. Ijams Visitor Services Director Sarah Brobst said there may be some surprise elements as well.

“Fleurish shows how the average consumer can make changes to their day-to-day lives while never losing sight of the beauty of nature and the human experience,” she said. She encouraged the audience to come dressed in their favorite punk or funk fashions.

— The University of Tennessee will host an Earth Day Festival from 11 until 2 p.m. April 22 at the Student Union Plaza.

“Come meet campus and community organizations, enter some giveaways, participate in sustainable activities, and more!,” according to organizers. Other Earth Week events will continue on and near the campus that week. A full list of them is online

Last modified on Tuesday, 23 April 2024 00:14

City Nature Challenge logo 

KNOXVILLE — People across 13 counties in East Tennessee are urged to record animals, plants and fungi they observe for four days in late April.

City Nature Challenge 2024 is international, but the Knoxville-area challenge includes anyone in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties. It will run April 26 through April 29 via the iNaturalist app, which is available on Google play or the App Store. While the focus is largely centered on urban areas, participants don’t have to live within a city or town to record their observations.

Participants can upload photos from a digital camera to the iNaturalist website even if they lack a smartphone. Zoo Knoxville, Tennessee Butterfly Monitoring Challenge, the city of Knoxville, Ijams Nature Center, Sierra Club, South Doyle Middle School and Discover Life in America are partnering to support the project. No experience is needed to participate. Results will be announced on May 6.

Last modified on Wednesday, 01 May 2024 11:04
Tuesday, 13 February 2024 19:52

Obed Wild and Scenic River annual photo contest deadline is July 15

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WARTBURG Do you have beautiful photos of the Obed Wild & Scenic River? Enter your images in the 2024 Obed photography contest. Images may show wildlife, plant life, natural landscapes, historic areas, weather, or people interacting with nature within the boundaries of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.
Photographs may be submitted into one of five categories:
• Dark Skies — Photographs that show a view of the night sky.
• Flora & Fauna — Animals in their natural habitat, including close-ups of invertebrates, or plants in
their natural habitat, including close-ups of flowers, fungi, lichen, and algae.
• Youth — Entries in any category by photographers 17 years of age and under.
• Landscapes — Expansive and dramatic views of the land and its features within the Tennessee park
boundaries.
• Recreation — Photographs of people participating in recreational activities.

Last modified on Thursday, 18 July 2024 10:54

It was supposed to be the second meeting of the Growth Policy Coordinating Committee

The meeting was not conducted according to its announcement — as the official meeting of the Knox County Growth Policy Coordinating Committee for the second reading of the plan — but downgraded to a public comment session!
A repeat of the same mistake made with the October meeting, which also was not publicly announced in a newspaper with the minimum 15 days due notice required by state law! Thus, that meeting was held as a “forum for public comments” only.

Knoxville — The Knox County Growth Policy Coordinating Committee (GPCC) will meet on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main Street.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the proposed amendment to the Growth Policy Plan and hear from members of the public.

Note: Anyone who wishes to sign up to speak, can do so by calling 865-215-2005 by Tuesday, December 19 at 12:00 p.m.

Advance Knox was promoted as a public-participation effort to come up with a 20-year plan for growth in Knox County

Hellbender Press reported regularly on Advance Knox progress. In the end, there remained little public enthusiasm for the plan that resulted after two years.

At the “public information” meeting on Oct. 24 and at the first official GPCC meeting Nov. 27, the vast majority of attending citizens were upset by the Knox County Proposed Future Land Use Map. It showed that 17.5 square miles of land would be moved from ‘Rural’ to ‘Planned Growth.’ It appeared that little, if any consideration has been given to best agricultural soils.

Last modified on Saturday, 23 March 2024 21:42

Knox County, TN proposed future land use map

KNOXVILLE — Members of the Knox County Growth Policy Coordinating Committee will hold their second (but first official) public meeting on Monday, Nov. 27 to hear from the public and consider amendments to the Growth Policy Plan that dates back to 2000. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building. (This meeting was previously scheduled for Nov. 16.)

The committee’s first of two meetings required by Tennessee State Law to change a growth policy plan had initially been announced for Oct. 24. However, when it became known that the announcement had not been published with due notice in a local newspaper to met the letter of the law, the Oct. 24 gathering was relabeled as a public information meeting only, and its agenda limited to merely provide an introductory presentation about the Advance Knox process and its proposals, with an opportunity for brief citizen statements.

Last modified on Saturday, 23 March 2024 21:38

frozen_head.jpg Commemorative sign in Frozen Head State Park.   Creative Commons Mark BY-NC 4.0  Jim “Gravity” Smith — Hike with Gravity: North Bird Mountain Trail

Written comments will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2023

WARTBURG — Harvey Broome Group of the Sierra Club and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning want to encourage the public to weigh in on the proposed Tennessee State Management Plan for Frozen Head State Park & Natural Area in Morgan County.

Some of the proposed developments could drastically impact park natural resources and visitor experiences. Frozen Head hosted nearly 400,000 visitors in 2022. It is frequented by many East Tennessee residents and is an important destination tourist attraction. Importantly, it is an outstanding reservoir of biodiversity in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains.

The Management Plan states Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area mission is “to protect and preserve the unique examples of natural, cultural, and scenic resources and to save one of the last vestiges of undisturbed landscapes in the Cumberland Mountain region,” and park management is intended to “restore and maintain the diversity and integrity of the resource.”

Last modified on Wednesday, 01 May 2024 11:00

Tennessee developing a plan to reduce polution

Tennessee wants to prioritize a developing plan to reduce pollution causing climate warming and wants to hear from residents. A survey was created for residents to share what they wanted to see in a statewide climate pollution reduction plan. The survey closed on Nov. 15.

This planning process is being led by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and is part of the Tennessee Volunteer Emission Reduction Strategy (TVERS), an emission reduction plan currently being developed by TDEC with support from various partners. This plan is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, which was established in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA).

Monday, 13 November 2023 13:08

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY November 15

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America Recycles Day® (ARD), a Keep America Beautiful national initiative, is the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.

When: Wed. Nov. 15, 2023 /  3 – 6 pm
Where: UT Surplus/Warehousing
2111 Stephenson Dr, Knoxville, TN

ONE DAY to educate.
ONE DAY to motivate.
ONE DAY to make recycling bigger & better.

America Recycles Day by the numbers

In the past year, our hard-working volunteers and affiliates have recycled:

2,335,135+ pounds of mixed paper
1,492,898+ pounds of electronics
535,918+ pounds of beverage containers
157,958+ pounds of clothing/textiles
1,899,869+ pounds of single-stream recycling
6,056,816+ pounds of other recycled materials
And more.

In total, we’ve recycled over 16.5 million pounds of recyclables and counting.

Find out more about sponsoring an event or finding one in your area by visiting https://kab.org/our-signature-programs/america-recycles-day/ard-faq/

Last modified on Thursday, 16 November 2023 16:24
Wednesday, 01 November 2023 19:19

Tennessee Tree Day

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It’s that time of year again — time to reserve your trees for Tennessee Tree Day 2024. Reserve yours now and plan on picking them up on March 15th or 16th and planting them that weekend.  Here are some special things to know about this year’s statewide native-tree-planting extravaganza:

  • This is the 10th Annual Tennessee Tree Day
  • You have more than 12 native species to choose from
  • Plant at home, on the farm, or anywhere you have permission to plant
  • You have more than 150 pick-up sites to choose from
  • We anticipate planting our one millionth tree in 2024 — we want you to be part of this historic milestone. (We founded the Tree Program in 2007 with a goal of planting one million trees. You can help us cross the finish line!)
Last modified on Saturday, 16 March 2024 21:03