Additional information on all TCWP activities may be obtained from TCWP Executive Director Sandra K. Goss at Sandra@sandrakgoss.com or at (865) 583-3967.
TCWP’s Guidelines for Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, TCWP will be conducting its activities following CDC guidelines.
- We ask that you not participate if you are sick or were recently exposed to someone who is.
- We will practice social distancing, maintaining at least 6 feet of separation between participants. This will limit the amount of interpretation that can be done.
- We will organize activities into groups of 10 or fewer.
- We recommend that you bring a mask and wear it when around others.
- We recommend that you bring hand sanitizer or other ways to wash your hands.
- We recommend that everyone bring their own water, lunch, snacks, and sunscreen.
- We recommend caravanning to activities instead of carpooling.
- Keep in mind that restrooms may be unavailable at activity locations.
- Activities are subject to change or cancellation as we monitor and react to local, state, and federal data and guidelines.
Thank you for your patience while we work through ways to serve our community.
The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as we conduct our first cleanup of 2021. 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 is subject to invasion by bushy lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses. Our efforts help to eliminate invasives and other shade-producing plants that prevent the prairie grasses from getting needed sunlight.
Volunteers should meet in the Jefferson Middle School Parking lot at 9 a.m., with sturdy shoes, loppers, gloves, and water. For more information, contact Tim Bigelow at 865-607-6781 or Bigelowt2@mindspring.com.
This activity will be conducted to protect participants from the COVID-19 virus. Please wear masks to the start of the event and during group mingling, and try to maintain a six-foot distance from others whenever possible. This event may have to be reconsidered based on conditions at the time.
Learn how you can create a “Tennessee Smart Yard,” at this Zoom educational presentation, co-sponsored by the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the UT Arboretum Society on Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 p.m. Registration for this free online event is required. The format for this program will be Zoom. Register at: www.utarboretumsociety.org Please contact Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu with any questions or registration issues.
Residential areas are a significant part of our Tennessee landscapes and it is important to make residents a critical stakeholder group in watershed management strategies. The University of Tennessee Extension along with its partners is empowering residents with information on how to nurture a healthy, ecologically-sound landscape that provides benefits both for humans and our environment. The program will be presented by Dr. Andrea Ludwig, Associate Professor of Ecological Engineering in the Biosystems Engineering and Soil Department at the University of Tennessee.
“Our latest efforts have created an online platform for residents to learn from our experts from the comfort and safety of their own homes and at their own pace. With each certified Tennessee Smart Yard, the benefits compound towards greater protection of our valuable natural and water resources in Tennessee,” said Dr. Ludwig.
Dr. Ludwig is the co-director of Tennessee Smart Yards, a sustainable landscaping educational program that seeks to certify private property across the state as “Tennessee Smart Yards.” Dr. Ludwig has worked as the State Stormwater Management Specialist for UT Extension since 2010. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech.
In accordance with the University of Tennessee guidelines for COVID-19 precautions, programs are currently being presented online. Though the UT Arboretum Society’s educational programs are not on-site activities, the UT Arboretum Society is pleased to bring the public some great online options.
The Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014, is one of ten outdoor laboratories located throughout the state as part of the UT AgResearch system. AgResearch is a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT Herbert College of Agriculture, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension offices, with locations in every county in the state.
To learn more about the Arboretum Society or for questions on this program, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org
On March 20, Tennessee State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath will lead a hike at Head of Sequatchie, a part of the Cumberland Trail State Park admired for its serenity and beauty.
“The Head of Sequatchie is an extraordinary area,” Randy says. “It is the start of a striking 100-mile valley that is so prominent it can be recognized from space. It includes Devilstep Hollow Cave, a sacred site for Native Americans, and the emergence of a river that collects water from Grassy Cove, a huge sinkhole valley just to the north.
“The area is beautiful and fascinating. In late March, there will be abundant wildflowers along our two-mile, moderate walk.”
Hikers can meet for caravanning in Oak Ridge at the Gold’s Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot (meet at the end close to S. Illinois Avenue, near Salsarita’s) in time to leave Oak Ridge at 9 a.m. Eastern time, or can join the caravan at 9:05 Central time at Homestead Baptist Church (4427 Highway 127 South, Crossville), across from the Cumberland Mountain State Park entrance. We expect to arrive at Head of the Sequatchie by 9:30 a.m. Central. Wear sturdy shoes, and bring a lunch and water.
This activity will be conducted to protect participants from COVID-19. Please wear masks to the start of the event and during group mingling, and try to maintain a six-foot distance from others whenever possible. The event may have to be reconsidered based on conditions at the time.
