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DOE, state pave way to transfer 3,500 acres

Posted at 3:05 pm December 30, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment


From left, TWRA Executive Director Bobby Wilson, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Manager Johnny Moore sign an agreement that lays the groundwork to transfer more than 3,500 acres of scenic East Tennessee land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the state of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

 

More than 3,500 acres of federal land could be transferred to the state of Tennessee, including Clark Center Park and Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement.

The land could be transferred under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The two organizations signed an Agreement in Principle on Wednesday, December 15, that “lays the groundwork to transfer more than 3,500 acres of scenic East Tennessee land to the state,” a press release said.

“Transferring this federally owned land will increase natural resource management and designate areas for greenspace and mixed-use recreational opportunities for the public,” the press release said.

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From left, TWRA Executive Director Bobby Wilson, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Manager Johnny Moore sign an agreement that lays the groundwork to transfer more than 3,500 acres of scenic East Tennessee land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the state of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

 

More than 3,500 acres of federal land could be transferred to the state of Tennessee, including Clark Center Park and Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement.

The land could be transferred under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The two organizations signed an Agreement in Principle on Wednesday, December 15, that “lays the groundwork to transfer more than 3,500 acres of scenic East Tennessee land to the state,” a press release said.

“Transferring this federally owned land will increase natural resource management and designate areas for greenspace and mixed-use recreational opportunities for the public,” the press release said.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today. Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here. We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Premium Content, Slider, State, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, Bobby Wilson, Clark Center Park, DOE, DOE Office of Science, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, federal land, Johnny Moore, Laura Wilkerson, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Randy McNally, state of Tennessee, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR

Deer hunter injured when boat runs aground

Posted at 8:52 am November 4, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A deer hunter was seriously injured early Saturday morning when a boat ran aground on Melton Hill Lake near the Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area, state officials said.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers said three deer hunters who had been drawn to hunt the Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area launched an aluminum boat at Solway Boat Ramp and headed toward the management area in dense fog.

Around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Christopher Beckler, 47, of Cleveland, Tennessee, was ejected when the boat ran aground near the Freels Bend area, the TWRA said. Beckler had been near the front of the boat using a spotlight to assist his son Dawson Beckler, 21, who was operating the vessel under dark and foggy conditions.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, Recreation, Sports, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Christopher Beckler, Dawson Beckler, deer hunter, Glenn Swafford, Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

Greenway, park closures announced during fall hunts

Posted at 10:09 am October 13, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has scheduled two scout days and three quota hunts on the Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area this fall.

During the scout and quota hunt days, these greenways and this park will be closed: Gallaher Bend Greenway, North Boundary Greenway, Haw Ridge Park, and the section of Melton Lake Greenway adjacent to Haw Ridge Park.

The hunts, which are open only to those with a valid TWRA quota permit, will take place on the following weekends:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Sports, State Tagged With: Gallaher Bend Greenway, Haw Ridge Park, Melton Lake greenway, North Boundary Greenway, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area, quota hunts, scout days, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

Oak Ridge nature walks scheduled for April-June

Posted at 10:34 am April 13, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The 2019 season of Oak Ridge Reservation nature walks continues on Sunday, April 14, with a wildflower and old growth forest walk.

More than 1,100 vascular plants, 72 fish, 34 mammals, and more than 200 bird species have been observed on the U.S. Department of Energy reservation. This year, the public is invited to eight nature walks designed to highlight the rich flora and fauna diversity of the ORR and to demonstrate the work being done to sustainably manage and conserve this resource, a press release said. The series closes with a history talk in August.

Reservations for the following events must be made in advance by noon the Thursday prior to each walk by contacting Tracy Clem at (865) 574-5151 ([email protected]). If weather forces postponement of an event, it will be announced on Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Information Line at (865) 574-9836 (i.e. 574-XTEN) at least two hours before the scheduled start of the walk. Children are allowed on the walks; no pets, please.

Sunday, April 14: Wildflower and old growth forest walk

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Recreation, Sports, State Tagged With: amphibians, bird nature walk, Freels Bend, frog calls, greenway, greenways, John Byrd, Kathy Strunk, Kitty McCracken, Larry Pounds, Mick Wiest, nature walk, nature walks, Neil Giffen, Nikki Jones, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, old growth forest, ORISE, ORNL, Paul Durr, reptiles, Sarah Darling, Shannon Young, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Trent Jett, TWRA, wildflower, wildlife habitat

Controlled burns scheduled in North Boundary Greenway Area

Posted at 12:13 pm November 17, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Controlled burns are scheduled soon on part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office said it will start controlled burns of woodland areas of the Oak Ridge Reservation that are within the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement East Tract and Parcel ED-6 along North Boundary Road and Wisconsin Avenue in west Oak Ridge.

“Firebreak installation activities supporting these burns will begin in the near future, with ignitions taking place as soon thereafter as weather conditions permit and continuing through December 2018,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, U.S. Tagged With: Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, controlled burns, DOE, North Boundary Greenway, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA, U.S. Department of Energy, UT-Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

TVA, Fish & Wildlife Service announce trout stocking agreement

Posted at 4:32 pm November 1, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached a multi-agency agreement to provide continued funding for three federal fish hatcheries that have stocked waters in Georgia and Tennessee with millions of trout. The agreement was announced Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, at a press conference beside the Clinch River below Norris Dam. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached a multi-agency agreement to provide continued funding for three federal fish hatcheries that have stocked waters in Georgia and Tennessee with millions of trout. The agreement was announced Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, at a press conference beside the Clinch River below Norris Dam. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached a multi-agency agreement to provide continued funding for three federal fish hatcheries that have stocked waters in Georgia and Tennessee with millions of trout.

The partnership, which began in 2013, includes the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Since 2013, TVA has been funding trout production by the Service at three national fish hatcheries: Dale Hollow and Erwin in Tennessee, and Chattahoochee Forest in Georgia. The trout are then provided to the following tailwaters: Apalachia (Hiwassee River), Blue Ridge, Boone, Cherokee, Fort Patrick Henry, Normandy, Norris, South Holston, Tims Ford, and Wilbur. Trout-stocked reservoirs in the plan include Fort Patrick Henry, South Holston, Parksville, Watauga, and Wilbur reservoirs.

The four partner agencies announced the new agreement Tuesday at a press conference beside the Clinch River below Norris Dam. The agreement provides partnership funding through fiscal year 2021, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Recreation, Sports, State Tagged With: Clinch River, David Bowling, fish hatcheries, Frank Fiss, Georgia, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Lamar Alexander, Mike Oetker, Norris Dam, Rusty Garrison, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, trout, trout stocking, trout stocking agreement, TVA, TWRA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Reports: Deputy, prisoner injured in crash

Posted at 10:21 pm August 7, 2018
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Yoonsik Jung

Yoonsik Jung

An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy and a prisoner were injured in a three-vehicle rear-end crash at Interstate 75 early Sunday, and a Clinton man is facing charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving, among other counts, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 1 a.m. Sunday on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard (Highway 61) at I-75.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Gregory Stanley, 49, of Knoxville, was transporting a prisoner for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria, and he was stopped at the traffic light at the I-75 southbound exit ramp when he was struck in the rear by a driver reported to be intoxicated, ACSD Chief  Deputy Mark Lucas said. TWRA had made an arrest on Norris Lake for domestic assault, and the Sheriff’s Department had responded to transport the person who had been arrested to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

Stanley, the deputy, was stopped for the red light when his car was hit in the rear, Lucas said. Both Stanley and the prisoner, Eric Allen Rose, 25, of Powell, were taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge by Anderson County EMS for non-life threatening injuries after the crash, Lucas said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: ACSD, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Catherine Coulter, crash, driving under the influence, Eric Allen Rose, Gregory Stanley, Highway 61, I-75, Interstate 75, Mark Lucas, North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard, reckless driving, Tennessee Highway Patrol, THP, TWRA

Black bear reported in Clinton on Friday

Posted at 11:25 am June 15, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Black Bear at Anderson County High School on Oct. 6, 2015

An archived file photo of a black bear at Anderson County High School on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Archived file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

A black bear was spotted wandering through Clinton on Friday.

The city sent out a Code Red Alert to part of the city on Friday morning indicating that the bear had been spotted in the vicinity of JD Yarnell Industrial Parkway and the 1200 block of Seivers Boulevard, heading in the general direction of the Clinton Home Center.

Authorities say that if you see the bear, you should give it a wide berth and notify the Clinton Police Department at (865) 457-3112.

It’s not unusual to occasionally see black bears in East Tennessee in the summer, including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and the Great Smoky Mountains. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has previously said that Oak Ridge and Knoxville are surrounded by very good bear habitats—including the largest black bear preserve in the world—and it’s not unusual to see up to a half-dozen bears come through the Oak Ridge area each year and at least that many in the Knoxville area. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Government, Police and Fire, State, Tennessee Tagged With: bear habitat, black bear, Clinton, Jason Lankford, JD Yarnell Industrial Parkway, Roy Smith, Seivers Boulevard, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

Fish caught in Melton Hill Reservoir could break state record

Posted at 1:52 am March 5, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Angler Stephen Paul caught the new pending state record musky on March 2, 2017, from Melton Hill Reservoir in Knox County. The fish weighed 43 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 51 and 3/8 inches in length. (Photo by Dylan Gano)

Angler Stephen Paul caught the new pending state record musky on March 2, 2017, from Melton Hill Reservoir in Knox County. The fish weighed 43 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 51 and 3/8 inches in length. (Photo by Dylan Gano)

 

A fish caught in Melton Hill Reservoir on Thursday could break a state record, wildlife officials said.

The muskellunge, better known as a musky, was hauled in by angler Stephen Paul in the Knox County portion of Melton Hill Reservoir on Thursday evening, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said.

The giant musky weighed 43 pounds and 14 ounces. It bit Paul’s artificial lure around 6 p.m. Thursday and provided him with the “catch of a lifetime,” the TWRA said.

The fish could break a 34-year-old state record.

The TWRA said muskellunge are a challenging fish to catch, particularly when they get older and wiser.

Paul’s friend Dylan Gano was with him to document the historic catch. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Recreation, Sports, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Bret Carter, Dylan Gano, fish, giant musky, Jim Negus, John Hammonds, Kyle F. Edwards, Melton Hill Reservoir, muskellunge, musky, Norris Reservoir, Paul Shaw, state record, Stephen Paul, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

Some periodic park, greenway closures for fall deer hunts

Posted at 10:00 pm October 28, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Haw Ridge Park Parking Lot

Part of the Melton Lake Greenway is pictured above at the Haw Ridge Park parking lot.

 

Haw Ridge Park, North Boundary Greenway, and Gallaher Bend Greenway will be closed periodically for Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area managed quota hunts this fall, a press release said.

The closure on Haw Ridge includes the portion of Melton Lake Greenway adjacent to the park, from the lake to the parking lot on Edgemoor Road, the press release said.

The hunts, which are open only to those pre-selected in a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) quota drawing, will take place on the following dates: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Sports, State Tagged With: Aubrey Deck, deer hunts, Gallaher Bend Greenway, Haw Ridge Park, Melton Lake greenway, North Boundary Greenway, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Recreation and Parks Department, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

Update: TWRA identifies drowning victim as Norris man

Posted at 11:20 am September 7, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TWRA-and-Rescuers-on-Norris-Lake-Sept-5-2016 1

Rescuers recovered the body of a missing Anderson County boater in Norris Lake on Monday, Sept. 5, 2016. (Photo by TWRA)

 

Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has identified the man who drowned on Norris Lake on Monday as Roy McClenney Jr., 71, of Norris.

McClenney’s body was recovered from 46 feet of water at around 6:40 p.m. Monday.

The TWRA said they were called shortly after noon when the man jumped off of a pontoon boat anchored in a cove near Sugar Camp Lane in Maynardville in Union County and never resurfaced.

Rescue crews from Union County and Knoxville joined TWRA in the search for the man, who was located with help from a remote operated vehicle, or ROV. TWRA officers located the man’s body, and divers from the Knoxville Rescue Squad made the recovery. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Knoxville, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Union County Tagged With: drowning, Maynardville, Norris Lake, remote operated vehicle, ROV, Roy McClenney Jr., Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA, WYSH Radio

Rescuers recover body of missing Anderson County boater in Norris Lake

Posted at 8:28 pm September 5, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TWRA-and-Rescuers-on-Norris-Lake-Sept-5-2016 1

Rescuers recovered the body of a missing Anderson County boater in Norris Lake on Monday, Sept. 5, 2016. (Photo by TWRA)

 

The body of an Anderson County boater who went missing in a cove near Sugar Camp Lane in Maynardville was recovered under water in Norris Lake on Monday evening, authorities said.

At about 6:40 p.m. Monday, September 5, rescue crews recovered the man’s body in about 46 feet of water, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said. The 71-year-old Anderson County man went missing around noon Monday after jumping into the lake from an anchored pontoon boat.  Witnesses onboard the boat say that the man went under the water and never resurfaced.

Rescue crews from Union County and Knoxville joined TWRA in the search for the man, who was located with help from a remote operated vehicle, or ROV. TWRA officers located the man’s body, and divers from the Knoxville Rescue Squad made the recovery. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County boater, Knoxville Rescue Squad, Mark Holland, missing Anderson County boater, remote operated vehicle, Rick Roberts, ROV, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA, Union County

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