Join Oak Ridge-based Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning for 2 months of activities

Join us at the Lilly Pad Hopyard Brewery, 920 Ridge Road, Lancing, Tennessee, on Sunday, Oct. 19, as we celebrate Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning’s successful campaign to permanently protect new property along the Obed Wild and Scenic River corridor. This family-friendly event will feature live music by Elza Gate from 2-4 p.m. and an afternoon of fun.

Several of our business sponsors will be on hand – including one who plans to film the festivities -so it’s a great chance to celebrate together and show support for Tennessee’s wild places For more information, contact Nancy Manning at nancymanning@tcwp.org.

Hike Ramsey Branch land at Obed Oct. 25

This hike will explore TCWP’s newly acquired 30-acre property on Ramsey Branch at the Obed Wild and Scenic River. We will meet at the Obed Wild and Scenic River office at 208 Maiden St., Wartburg. at 9 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Central) and carpool from the office to the parking area near the property. Those wishing to carpool from Oak Ridge to the Obed office can meet at the Gold’s Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot (at the end close to South Illinois Avenue, near Salsarita’s) in time to leave for Wartburg no later than 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

Our hike will explore the beautiful Ramsey Branch property, including a mature hardwood forest, small waterfall, and stream. If we have time, we’ll also walk to an overlook of the Obed watershed on the property. Please bring sturdy hiking shoes, hiking poles (as needed), water, sunscreen, insect repellent, and snacks. Expect the hike to end by 1 p.m. Eastern.

Contact Chuck Estes at 865-207-0143 or chucklola@bellsouth.net to RSVP if you plan to attend, and for any other details.

Help clean up Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as we conduct our fall cleanup, our third and final cleanup of the barrens this year. Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the Cedar Barrens 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 many native woody plants that threaten the prairie community. Our efforts help to eliminate invasives and other shade-producing plants that prevent the prairie plants from getting much-needed sunlight, nutrients, and water.

Volunteers should meet in the Jefferson Middle parking lot at 9 a.m., with sturdy shoes, loppers, gloves, and water. We will also have some Uprooters, loppers, and gloves to share. The work session will conclude at noon with a free pizza lunch for volunteers.

For more information, contact Jimmy Groton at 865-805-9908 or groton87@comcast.net.

Learn about the Owl Ridge Raptor Center

On Saturday, Nov. 1, Lisa Thomison, co-founder of the Owl Ridge Raptor Center, and the Raptor Center staff will provide an introduction to the work of this federal- and state-licensed raptor rehabilitation center at the Unversity of Tennessee Arboretum Auditorium, 901 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge. The program, co-sponsored by TCWP, the UT Arboretum Society, and The American Museum of Science and Energy, will run from 10 a.m. until noon.

Owl Ridge will bring some special winged “ambassadors” for us to meet. The Owl Ridge Raptor center is a nonprofit organization that takes care of injured and orphaned birds of prey, including owls, hawks, falcons, vultures, and eagles. The goal with each bird is full recovery and re-release back into their native habitat whenever possible.

The program is free, but registration is required to confirm your seat. Make sure to register for all members of your group so that seats will be available. Seating is limited to 100. We will have a donation box available to benefit the work at Owl Ridge Raptor Center.

Register at: https://www.simpletix.com/e/meet-owl-ridge-raptor-center-tickets-234031. Parking will be available at the auditorium. Follow the signs to the auditorium, which is one-half mile from the arboretum’s main entrance. For additional information, contact mcampani@utk.edu.

Norris Watershed hike Nov. 22

The Norris Municipal Watershed, situated adjacent to Norris Dam State Park, is a 2,300-acre area that is the watershed of Clear Creek; it is managed for water quality protection, sustainable forest management, and public recreation. A network of about 30 miles of forest roads and single-track trails are managed by the Norris Watershed Board.

For this hike, we will meet in front of Norris Middle School at 9 a.m. After a short stroll across the commons through downtown Norris, by the elementary school, we will take Deer Ridge Trail to Observation Point Trail. We’ll then walk a short distance to Observation Point, where we will have views of Norris Dam and the Cumberland Mountains in the distance. Back down the hill from Observation Point we’ll take Eagle Trail, much of which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the mid-1930s. This trail parallels the Clinch River before climbing up to the city.

A short walk on Hickory Trail Road will lead to a trail that goes to Eric Harrold Park; then we’ll walk down past the town center and back to the starting point. The hike, which passes through some nice old forest, is about four miles with some uphill sections.

For more information on these events, visit our website at tcwp.org.

Nancy Manning is the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning executive director.

Hike at Obed WSR’s Ramsey Branch