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SCB Activities Society for Conservation Biology 2008 Annual Meeting

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Chattanooga Conservation Efforts

Restoration of the American Chestnut - The American chestnut was one of the most important and dominant trees of forests from Maine south to Florida.  Mature chestnut trees averaged up to five feet in diameter and up to one hundred feet tall.  Native wildlife depended on the tree's abundant crops of nutritious nuts, and chestnut was a central part of eastern rural economies, both for the nuts and the timber.  However, chestnut blight arrived in 1904, and by 1950 it had wiped out the species from its 3.6 million hectare range.  Dr. Hill Craddock of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has been working with the American Chestnut Foundation and many other researchers to restore the American chestnut to the southeastern United States.  The goal of the Chattanooga Chestnut Tree Project is the restoration of the American chestnut to the Southern Appalachian and Cumberland Plateau Regions.  The return of the chestnut to its place in the forest canopy requires a two-part plan of action: research on biological controls of the chestnut blight disease and breeding the trees for disease resistance.  A secondary goal of the Project is to provide support for the establishment of a commercial chestnut industry (for nut production) based on improved cultivars.

The North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy -The North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy is a citizen-created nonprofit organization that provides pro-active citizen involvement and support in conserving the significant natural, historic, and cultural resources located within and near the watershed area of North Chickamauga Creek.  The North Chickamauga Creek Gorge, located 15 miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a beautiful deep central gorge cut into the sandstone plateau of Walden's Ridge. It is approximately 10 miles long--steep, and rugged with forested slopes and very limited access. This gorge is at the upper portion of the 32-mile North Chickamauga Creek, one of the main tributaries of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. Near its confluence with the Tennessee River is the North Chickamauga Creek Greenway, a popular greenway with over 400 acres of adjacent public open space and three miles of pedestrian trails.  The North Chickamauga Creek Gorge is listed by the National Park Service in their Nationwide Rivers Inventory for its "outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, and cultural values." In addition, it is on the "Top 200" list of the American Rivers Conservation Council, and is one of the highest quality and most difficult whitewater creeks in eastern U.S.  One Federally Endangered plant, Scutellaria Montana (Large-Flowered Skullcap) and one Federally Threatened plant Spiraea Virginiana (Virginia Spiraea) can be found there.

The Lula Lake Land Trust -The Lula Lake Land Trust, established by the will of Robert M. Davenport in 1994, seeks to protect and preserve the natural beauty and abundant resources within the Rock Creek watershed on Lookout Mountain, Georgia for the benefit of present and future generations by fostering education, research and conservation stewardship of the land.  As early as 1958, Mr. Davenport began to acquire pieces of property that would later form the core of the land trust project. These original acquisitions included two exquisite natural features, Lula Lake and Lula Falls. Mining, clear-cut timber harvests, garbage dumping and unrestricted public access had left much of the surrounding land denuded of its beauty and apparent value, giving Mr. Davenport the opportunity to quietly amass several hundred acres throughout the 1960's and 1970's. Once closed to public access in the early 1980's, he began rejuvenating the land by cleaning up the dump sites and replanting timbered areas. The current attractive condition of the property is a tribute to his hard work.  Mr. Davenport had talked to his family about long-term goals for Lula Lake such as preserving the property and conducting biological inventories to identify any rare or unique plants and animals. One such species, Virginia spirea ( Spiraea virginiana ), was found on the property and previously known from only one other location in Georgia. When learning this, Mr. Davenport became completely convinced of the importance of preserving this unique area for future generations. By his untimely death in 1994, he had acquired over 1,200 acres around Lula Lake and since then, the Land Trust has increased protection within the watershed to over 4,000 acres.

Chattanooga Creek -Chattanooga Creek has been identified as one of the most highly polluted waterways in the southeast. It served as a dumping ground for nearby industries and factories as well as by local residents. The major cause of pollution in the creek is coal tar, a by-product from coke ovens and iron smelters active during World War II, which was disposed of in the creek.  Through decades of misuse, the creek became a hazard for the entire city and especially for the residents of the Alton Park and Piney Woods neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are located along the creek in the midst of the heavily industrialized area. Residents in these neighborhoods have long complained of horrible smells and have suffered from a wide range of health problems. There were times when homeless men had to be treated for chemical burns after bathing in the creek and drinking the water and school children reported getting rashes after playing in flooded practice fields next to the creek. In the last few years, residents have gained awareness of the negative affects of the creek and have decided to take action.  It is currently an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, and is in the final stages of clean-up.

Restoration of Lake Sturgeon -Sturgeon and their ancestors have lived for 350 million years, surviving ice ages, the rise and fall of dinosaurs, and the reshaping of continents.
However, overfishing and habitat degradation brought the population of this native fish to the brink of extinction in the Tennessee River valley. But today, there is hope for this ancient species.  The local recovery effort began in 1998, with the formation of the Tennessee Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction Working Group, comprised of the Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the World Wildlife. Soon, it is hoped that wild sturgeon may be born in the region for the first time in more than 50 years.

Restoration of the Peregrine Falcon -Chattanooga boasts one of only two nesting Peregrine Falcon pairs in the state of Tennessee.  Early in 1997, a local birdwatcher named Roi Shannon spotted a Peregrine Falcon sitting at the Chickamauga Dam.  The bird was wearing U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service leg bands that indicated that he was part of a restoration program conducted in Chattanooga in 1993.  Through the next eleven years, four different females have joined the bird, named Roi in honor of his discoverer, and together they have produced 16 chicks, of which 12 have successfully fledged and flown away to continue the repopulation of this magnificent species whose populations were decimated by DDT.  At 14 years old, Roi is already well past the normal maximum age of peregrine falcons. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the longevity record for North American Peregrine Falcons is 17 years, but few wild Peregrine Falcons live that long.