The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Sports & Recreation (36)

Friday, 16 August 2024 09:53

Climbers bring cash to Obed crags

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Obed Mark Large Climbing Picture higher resolutionThe sandstone cliffs of the Obed Wild and Scenic River area provide sport-climbing opportunities rare for the Southeast. Visiting climbers inject an estimated $770,000 per year into the area economy.  Mark Large via National Park Service

Obed rock climbers spend $770k annually on area visits; gas and short-term rentals top spending categories

WARTBURG — Rock climbers visiting the Obed Wild and Scenic River, a unit of the National Park Service located between Knoxville and Crossville in the Upper Cumberland Plateau, annually spend about $768,000 at local businesses, according to a new study.

A recent analysis released by the Access Fund, the Southeastern Climbers Coalition and the East Tennessee Climbers Coalition evaluated tourism and spending in several prominent climbing locations in Tennessee, including the Obed.

The study reported 12,000 total estimated annual climbing visits to the Obed and the majority (62 percent) of those climbers stayed overnight while visiting the Obed. The economic impact of the spending sectors included short-term housing rentals (43 percent), gasoline (21 percent), dine-in restaurants (19 percent), fast food, groceries and snacks (10 percent), camping (4 percent) and hotels (3 percent). 

Demographics analysis of the overall study found that two thirds of the respondents self-identified as male, 85 percent identified as white, 88 percent had at least a four-year college degree and 66 percent had an average annual income of more than $50,000.

The Obed Wild and Scenic River protects 45 miles of river and steep gorges which contain rock formations that are excellent for climbing. The area contains more than 400 climbing routes and is also a destination for bouldering, climbing on large, exposed boulders.

Last modified on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 19:32

Cades Cove Loop Lope finish line 2023Debi Nixon of Belton, Missouri crosses the finish line at the Cades Cove Loop Lope.

750 people from 27 states participated in the 7th Annual Cades Cove Loop Lope

On Sunday morning, Nov. 12, Friends of the Smokies hosted approximately 700 runners and walkers for the 7th Annual Cades Cove Loop Lope to support Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through registration and sponsorships, the experience generated more than $110,000 to support a wide range of park programs including historic preservation, wildlife protection, search and rescue efforts, and Parks as Classrooms education programs.

“Experiencing Cades Cove on foot is an incredible opportunity to unplug and enjoy the splendor of the mountains, while also raising critically needed funds to support their care,” said Friends of the Smokies President Dana Soehn.

Last modified on Saturday, 18 November 2023 23:08

Foothills parkway

Feds clear 14-mile mountain bike trail network off Foothills Parkway, but no funding is secured 

GATLINBURG — Those who logged protests against a National Park Service plan to carve a 14-mile mountain bike trail network through the forest off Foothills Parkway said they still opposed the plan despite federal conclusions it would not adversely impact the natural environment of the area. 

“I’m very disappointed,” said Donna Edwards, an outspoken conservationist who lives in Walland and participated in the public scoping process. “What are (the) reasons for choosing the alternative with the largest footprint and greatest environmental impact?

“I fail to understand why mountain bikers’ needs are considered to be more important than those of birders and hikers, considering the extensive mountain bike trail networks in other areas of East Tennessee.”

She said arguments against approving the Wears Valley mountain bike trails were wise and well documented.

Here is the original Hellbender Press story:

A proposed off-road bike trail in the Wears Valley section of the Foothills Parkway that would be operated by the National Park Service has overcome a procedural hurdle but appears to be no closer to actually being built due to a lack of funding. 

An environmental assessment to determine the project’s potential impact on wildlife and the environment led to an official “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI), park officials said in a press release issued Thursday. 

“We understand the public’s desire to have a purpose-built bike trail, and this marks a step for potential future development of a trail in Wears Valley,” said Cassius Cash, superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “Having the signed FONSI allows us the opportunity to explore potential funding paths for both the construction and the annual operational costs.”

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 17:37

Amber ParkerIjams Nature Center Executive Director Amber Parker poses with opossum Opal. She was an Ijams animal ambassador for more than three years. “She came to us after her mother was hit by a car and Opal would fit in the palm of your hand. Sadly, Opal passed away earlier this year. Opossums live short lives, usually about three years, so Opal had a nice long one by opossum standards. She was beloved by all and we miss her.” Courtesy Ijams Nature Center

Each year more than 600,000 people visit Ijams Nature Center

This is the second installment of an occasional series, Hellbent, profiling citizens who work to preserve and improve the Southern Appalachian environment.

KNOXVILLE — On any given day, the parking lot at Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville is packed with cars, trucks, and buses as folks of all ages flock to hike, climb, swim and paddle its 300-plus acres of protected wildlands.

Making sure the center’s 620,000 or so annual visitors have a positive experience interacting with Mother Nature requires dozens of full-time employees plus a generous contingent of volunteers. Ensuring the complex operation stays on course and within its $1.8 million operating budget is a tough job, but Ijams Executive Director Amber Parker has been doing it for six years now and has no desire to be doing anything else.

When Amber talks about Ijams she fairly bursts with giddy, infectious energy. This is a woman who has clearly found her place in the world, and even a brief walk along any of the center’s 21 trails makes one wonder if the land itself hasn’t responded in like fashion to her devotion.

Last modified on Thursday, 16 March 2023 17:07

Knoxville Urban Wilderness — Baker Creek Preserve mapTrails at Baker Creek Preserve.  Visit Knoxville

City cultivation of urban nature amenities proceeds apace

KNOXVILLE — The latest phase in a multimillion dollar plan to turn the southern end of the James White Parkway into an integral part of the city’s Urban Wilderness officially kicked off Monday afternoon (Dec. 19). 

Numerous officials, including Mayor Indya Kincannon, showed up for the groundbreaking of the Baker Creek Pavilion, a key component of the ambitious project.

The city is pouring $2.7 million into the Baker Creek area of the Urban Wilderness Gateway Park, which will offer public restrooms, a picnic area and plenty of parking.

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 17:39

Updated: Smokies crews recover drowned Knoxville kayaker

TOWNSEND — Smokies recovery teams on Monday found the body of Carl Keaney, 61, of Knoxville, in the Little River.

Keaney was last seen kayaking the Sinks during high flow when he vanished under water, prompting calls to Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers who, along with other local crews, proceeded to search for his body for three days.

Here’s the previous Hellbender Press report:

Teams are searching for a missing kayaker in what Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are now calling a “recovery operation” after a 61-year-old man disappeared underwater while boating above the Sinks on Little River. High water levels from recent heavy rains are making search and recovery difficult.

“Around 3:40 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16 Great Smoky Mountains National Park dispatch received a call that a 61-year-old man had disappeared underwater while kayaking above The Sinks and did not resurface,” according to a news release from the park. 

Silver anchor and thin fishing line tied to a branch for an underwater trotlineSilver weight and thin fishing line tied to a branch for an underwater trotline.  Getty Images via Tennessee Lookout

Traditional Tennessee trot lines pose a fatal collision with river recreation

This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

NASHVILLE Brandon Archer was canoeing down the Buffalo River with friends over Labor Day weekend three years ago when he jumped out for a swim and drowned.

Archer had become entangled in a trotline, an unmanned fishing line studded with hooks that stretched across the river. The MTSU football player died a day shy of his 22nd birthday.

“When they found him he was under 10 feet of water and they found trotline wrapped around his ankle,” Courtney Archer, Brandon’s mother, told members of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission this month. “When I saw my son I remember the marks in his ankle from the trotline that was there.”

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 21:44

Rue MappOutdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp.  Bethanie Hines via Revelator

Black people like nature, too. But you wouldn’t know it from looking at outdoor magazines before Outdoor Afro got started.

This story was originally published by The Revelator. There are Southeastern chapters of Outdoor Afro, including Knoxville.

If time and money weren’t an issue, what would you do?

That’s what Rue Mapp’s mentor asked her as she faced the completion of her college degree and an uncertain job market.

“I’d probably start a website to reconnect Black people to the outdoors,” Mapp replied, a story she recounts in her new book Nature Swagger. Soon after that she launched the blog Outdoor Afro, which began with stories of her own experiences in nature. It was inspired not just by her own love of the outdoors, but of a desire to increase the visibility of Black people enjoying those spaces.

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 21:52

 DSC3094The Whip Contest, set for 3 p.m. Saturday at Drop Inn, is a perennial crowd favorite at the annual Appalachian Mountain Bike Club Fall Festival. Courtesy AMBC

With food trucks, demos and contests, this year’s family-friendly bike festival is ready to roll. And they haven’t forgotten about the Vols.

KNOXVILLE — There’s a different kind of homecoming set for this weekend. It doesn’t feature football, but it still involves wheel routes. It’s a celebration of the city’s unique outdoor recreational offerings in an urban center.

The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, a 650-member posse devoted to the acquisition, maintenance and marketing of regional mountain bike trails for multiple uses, hosts its 13th FREE annual fall festival Nov. 4-6, centered around Baker Creek Preserve and the rest of the Urban Wilderness.

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 21:54

fontana

GATLINBURG — The director of the National Park Service is expected in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Saturday to celebrate National Public Lands Day.

Director Chuck Sams plans to make some remarks in appreciation for the volunteers who help backstop national park maintenance costs before citizens fan out for various tasks across the park. Sams is the first Native American to head the park service, and he will be joined by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Chief Richard G. Sneed.

Last modified on Friday, 06 January 2023 22:01
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