Oak Ridge Today

Authors speak about delights, frights along Cumberland Trail on Feb. 2

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Ben Larry Pounds Book Cover

Well-known botanist Larry Pounds and his son, local journalist Ben Pounds, spent a month in 2012 hiking all 200 miles of the Cumberland Trail that existed then. Combining Larry’s extensive botany experience and Ben’s training as a writer, they documented their experiences in a book, “Wildly Strolling Along,” a press release said.

The public is invited to an informational program about their Cumberland Trail experience in a 7 p.m. program on Thursday, February 2. The Pounds will share slides of their favorite sights along the Cumberland Trail and provide basic information about the trail, the press release said. [Read more…]

Presentation will focus on TVA’s plan to close Bull Run ash ponds

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Amanda Garcia

Amanda Garcia

A Tuesday presentation will focus on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plan to close ash ponds at the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton, a press release said.

Amanda Garcia of the Southern Environmental Law Center will discuss closing ash ponds at Bull Run, the pollution and risk involved in closing the ash ponds, and the role of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in reviewing TVA’s plans and addressing pollution at Bull Run and other sites, the press release said. There will be opportunities for the public to weigh in, the release said.

The presentation is sponsored by Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. It is free and open to the public. It starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 29, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Craft Room. [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…]

Cleanup at Worthington Cemetery scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24

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volunteers-on-new-bird-observation-deck-at-worthington-cemetery2015-1

Prairie Rosinweed at Worthington Cemetery: Clean-up volunteers enjoy the bird deck at Worthington Cemetery in 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and Tennessee Valley Authority will partner again to clean up in the Worthington Cemetery area, near Elza Gate Park, on Saturday, September 24.

The cleanup is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. September 24 in the Worthington Cemetery area, which is on the Melton Hill Reservoir. It is classified as an ecological study area, or ESA.

This has become an annual National Public Lands Day celebration, with a complimentary noon pizza lunch for volunteers, a press release said. There are new bird boxes and bat boxes, thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the press release said.

Ann Worthington, family historian for the Worthingtons, will talk about the Worthingtons, who lived here and are buried here, along with their slaves, the press release said. [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…]

Presentation on Manhattan Project National Historic Park on Thursday, July 14

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Niki Nicholas

Niki Nicholas

November 2015 marked the official beginning of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, which has sites in three locations, including Oak Ridge.

On July 14, Niki Nicholas, who has been designated as the current manager of the Oak Ridge unit (in addition to her duties as superintendent of the Obed Wild and Scenic River and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area), will be the featured speaker at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Nicholas will address the new park and other topics, a press release said. [Read more…]

Summer Solstice evening hike on Cumberland Trail on Friday, June 17 

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Get a jump on the June 20 Summer Solstice with a Summer Solstice Outing on the Alley Ford section of the Cumberland Trail on Friday evening, June 17. The outing will include a 2.5-mile walk roundtrip, with one short uphill, then mostly level trail with a few ups and downs.   Participants should bring a supper snack and something to sit on while eating. Weather permitting; there will be nice views from the overlook and Nemo Bridge, a press release said.

Participants can meet for carpooling in the Gold’s Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (at the end close to South Illinois Avenue, near Salsarita’s) at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or meet at the Nemo parking area at 6:15. [Read more…]

Kids in the Creek outing on Emory River on Saturday, June 25

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Photo courtesy Tiffany Foster

Photo courtesy Tiffany Foster

 

Looking for a fun and educational summertime activity for the kids? On June 25, a Kids in the Creek outing will be held at Reister Access on the Emory River. The event will start at 10 a.m. with a welcome and safety talk, followed by two breakout sessions on fish and insects, and will conclude between noon and 12:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to all kids who are rising third-graders or older. Children must be accompanied by adults at all times; no unaccompanied minors will be permitted, a press release said.

Adults must be prepared to sign liability waivers on behalf of children. Participants should be prepared to get wet, and should wear shoes that are river-ready. Snacks are advisable, along with dry clothes, sunscreen, and bug spray. [Read more…]

Tonight: UT professor to discuss impact of invasive insects on forests

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University of Tennessee Professor Scott Schlarbaum will present a program on “Invasive Insects’ Effect on our Forests” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5, at the UT Arboretum. It has been reported that this presentation will “scare the pants off you.”

Our area is currently beset by hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, and other invasive insects, a press release said.

Schlarbaum has served as a faculty member of UT’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries since 1984, and has served in a variety of professional positions and committees regarding forest health and genetics. [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…]

DOE, TDEC, scientist to discuss environmental management at Sept. 22 seminar

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Sue Cange

Sue Cange

A scientist and speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will discuss environmental management during a September 22 seminar. It’s the second of three new Community School seminars.

The September 22 seminar will feature Susan Cange, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management; Ellen Smith, environmental scientist and Oak Ridge City Council member; and Chris Thompson, deputy director of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 22, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Cange will introduce the DOE Environmental Management program, a press release said. Smith will present on the contaminants released and left behind from the federal government activities in Oak Ridge. Thompson will provide an overview of the monitoring of DOE’s activities in the Oak Ridge Reservation relative to public safety and the environment. [Read more…]