Oak Ridge Today

BioBlitz at Worthington Ecological Study Area in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Submitted image

Submitted image

 

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will partner with the Tennessee Valley Authority in a Discover Life in America “BioBlitz” at Worthington Cemetery in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

A BioBlitz is an event in which the public is invited to help with plant and animal identification, an event notice said.

The event’s organizer, Melinda Watson of TVA Natural Resources, said Worthington was selected because of its unique and varied habitats, including a cedar barren, native warm season grass meadow, hardwoods, marsh/swamp, hemlocks, among other habitats, the event notice said.

Each participant needs to have access to a smartphone, tablet, or a camera with GPS capability, the TCWP said. [Read more…]

Cedar Barren clean-up scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5

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September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

 

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning conduct its fall cleanup, its third and final cleanup of the year.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the Barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is the home to three state listed plants: prairie goldenrod, fewleaf sunflower and Torrey’s mountain mint.

The Barrens are subject to invasion by bushy lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system¹s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

TCWP: See fall flowers in power line prairie on Saturday

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There will be a guided hike along a power line in the North Chickamauga State Natural Area on Saturday, September 10, and participants can meet for carpooling in Oak Ridge.

Led by well-known botanist Larry Pounds, the outing will begin at the Hixson Springs Trail Head with a walk through the woods, and then onto the power line right-of-way.

“We expect to see a wide array of fall flowers including Alabama rosinweed (Silphium gatesii), slow goldenrod (Solidago tarda), and Eastern silvery aster (Symphyotrichum concolor),” a press release said.
[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Saturday, Aug. 20

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

September blooms at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, courtesy Doug Colclasure. (Submitted photo)

 

There will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 20. This will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants, a press release said.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, or TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

TCWP volunteers will remove exotic, invasive plants from Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on March 5

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will remove exotic, invasive plants at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, March 5.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the cedar barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. One of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses.

“Our continuing efforts help to eliminate these invasives and other shade-producing plants that prevent the prairie grasses from getting needed sun,” TCWP said in a press release. [Read more…]

North Ridge Trail maintenance scheduled for Saturday, June 6

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Ray and Jo Ann Garrett appointed trail stewards

New North Ridge Trail Stewards Ray and JoAnn Garrett have announced that the annual North Ridge Trail/National Trails Day maintenance event will focus on the west portion of the trail, west of Illinois Avenue.

Volunteers should meet at the Garretts’ home at 101 Windham (just off West Outer Drive) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, a press release said.

Oak Ridge leaders JoAnn and Ray Garrett, who are longtime members of Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, agreed last month to co-steward the North Ridge Trail.

“They are filling the big shoes of out-going Trail Steward Susan Donnelly, who is stepping down due to increased work and life commitments,” the TCWP press release said. [Read more…]

Cumberland Trail work/hike scheduled for Saturday, March 21

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Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will sponsor a day of trail work and hiking on Saturday, March 21, on the segment of the Cumberland Trail State Park between Rock Creek Campground and Alley Ford at the Obed Wild and Scenic River. TCWP adopted this 2.5-mile section of the trail in 1998.

“We will concentrate on routine trail maintenance such as cleaning out clogged water bars, removing down logs and limbs, brushing the area along the trail, and finishing up at Alley Ford to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Obed River,” a press release said.

Participants should wear sturdy shoes or boots and bring work gloves, shovels, mattocks or pulaskis, loppers, clippers, and small bow saws or folding saws (Please, no chainsaws). Some hand tools and work gloves will be available at the event. Please bring clothing appropriate for weather conditions, and plenty of water, snacks, and a lunch. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters receives $20,000 national grant

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League of Women Voters Logo

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has received a $20,000 national grant that will fund an educational project for young adults (30 years or under) on hazardous waste management. The project is titled the Environmental Management Education Initiative Project.

The grant is made possible through the New Mexico Community Foundation’s Community Involvement Fund and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The purpose of the project is to expand the knowledge and understanding of these young people about the environmental management process and remediation actions in the Oak Ridge community.

The project will consist of two educational sub-projects: a Citizen’s Academy and a Rainbow Academy, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren cleanup on Nov. 8

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will undergo its annual fall cleanup at 9 a.m. Saturday, November 8.  The main cleanup activity consists of exotic invasive plant removal.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the area is one of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee.

The barren is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, Chinese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants. These plants, if allowed to mature, will shade out or overgrow the system’s unique prairie grasses. [Read more…]

Sustainability Report: Comparison of European and U.S./Vermont practices

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Dodd Galbreath and PV Panels

Dodd Galbreath, right, with students and photo-voltaic panels. (Submitted photo)

There will be a presentation on sustainability practices by Dodd Galbreath, head of the Institute for Sustainable Practice at David Lipscomb University, on Thursday, April 10. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.

It’s co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board, and the program is free and open to the public.

Sustainability is more often associated with European than American culture. This presentation will showcase photographs and technical information documented by the founding director of the Institute during a tour of European sustainability sites, as well as lessons learned during his four years of leading travel courses in Vermont and New England. Topics to be covered will include history and practices involving food, energy, waste, water, transportation, land, building, communities, and culture.

For more information, call or write TCWP Executive Director Sandra K. Goss at (865) 583-3967 or [email protected].

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren work day on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

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There will be a work session to remove exotic invasive plants and learn about cedar barren ecology at a small unique area in the heart of Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, a state natural area, will be the focus of the event on Saturday, March 1. The public is invited to attend.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this rare barren was spared from development in 1988 through efforts spearheaded by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, sponsor of this event, and was subsequently registered as a Tennessee Natural Area. Maintenance of the barren is a joint project of TCWP, the City of Oak Ridge, and the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas. [Read more…]