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In September, TVA celebrates National Public Lands Day to encourage the public to take part in the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands and to recognize their natural resources and scenic beauty. Public lands can include national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes and reservoirs, as well as state, county and city parks that are managed by public agencies. TVA’s public lands and reservoirs are to be enjoyed by all. This is the 25th annual National Public Lands Day. We appreciate all of the hard work that our volunteers will provide for Public Lands Day and throughout the year!
Fall in the Tennessee River Valley is a special time. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures in the fall and hope that you take advantage of getting out to enjoy your favorite outdoor activities.
Thank you and have a great fall!
Suzanne
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Opportunities
National Public Lands Day is your chance to give back to the lands that give you space to learn, play, exercise, relax, explore and so much more. Here’s how to get involved.
TVA manages 293,000 acres of public land—some of it wild and untamed, some of it cultivated with campgrounds, swim beaches, fishing piers, playgrounds, hiking trails, picnic pavilions and other recreational assets. Nearly all of it is available for year-round for your enjoyment. It is, in a very real sense, your land.
Throughout the month of September, TVA will be celebrating National Public Lands Day (September 22nd) by inviting you to give back to the lands you love.
“National Public Lands Day is a great time for all of us to take a moment to appreciate these beautiful, unique and beneficial public lands and waterways across TVA’s seven-state service area,” says Bucky Edmondson, Director of Natural Resources at TVA. “It’s also the perfect time to join us and people across the region in helping take care of the Valley’s public lands.”
Across the Tennessee Valley, TVA’s Natural Resource specialists are partnering with local organizations to host cleanup and maintenance events on public lands and waterways. Volunteer for one of the following, and you’ll not only get the natural high that comes with caring for nature, you’ll get the chance to pick up cool posters.
SturgeonFest
When: Saturday, September 15th
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Boat launch at Seven Islands State Birding Park (Kodak, TN; Knox County)
Details: TVA and the Tennessee Clean Water Network will be offering close encounters with “gentle giants of the deep,” aka lake sturgeon. The event is centered around the hand release of lake sturgeon into the French Broad River, and also offers outdoor educational exhibits, free ice cream and food trucks. Kids of all ages are welcome.
TVA Contact: Mark Odom, mlodom@tva.gov and Aurora Pulliam admoldovanyi@tva.gov
Watauga Lake Cleanup
When: Saturday, September 15th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Register and meet at Sink Mountain Boat Ramp and Fish Springs Marina (Johnson and Carter County, TN)
Details: Annual cleanup of Watauga Lake, sponsored by Watauga Watershed Alliance. Follow Watauga Lake Cleanup on Facebook and call or text (423) 534-4785 to volunteer.
TVA Contact: Martha Podren, mepodren@tva.gov
Normandy Reservoir Cleanup
When: Saturday, September 22th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CT (Normandy, TN; Coffee County, TN)
Where: Barton Springs public use area on Lyndell Rd.
Details: TVA, The Duck River Agency and Keep Coffee County Beautiful will sponsor and provide supplies for this effort to remove trash and litter from Normandy’s shoreline and dispersed recreation areas.
TVA Contact: Mark Morrissey, mtmorrissey@tva.gov
Watts Bar Lake Cleanup
When: Friday, September 28th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
Where: TVA Watts Bar Dam Reservation (Spring City, TN; Rhea County, TN)
Details: Join TVA and the Watts Bar Lake Association for an island-oriented cleanup effort.
TVA Contact: Scott Ledford, wsledford@tva.gov
Family Hike at Little Cedar Mountain, Nickajack Lake
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. CT
Where: TVA Little Cedar Mountain Small Wild Area near Shellmound Campground and Nickajack Dam (Jasper, TN; Marion County, TN)
Details: Little Cedar Mountain is a dreamscape. We will hike to the amazing overlook above the lake and discover amphibian habitat on the Pond Trail. Bob Butters with Outdoor Chattanooga will be one of the guides. The trail is 4.0 miles and moderate difficulty.
TVA Contact: Mark Odom, mlodom@tva.gov and Aurora Pulliam admoldovanyi@tva.gov
Loyston Point National Public Lands Day
When: Saturday, September 30th *please note change in date from September 29th*
Time: 9:00a ET to 12:00p ET
Where: TVA Loyston Loop Trailhead on Lakeshore Drive (Andersonville, TN; Anderson County, TN)
Details: TVA’s Recreation Strategy Specialist and our favorite)mountain biking guru Clay Guerry joins with the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club to host an annual work day on the Loyston Point Trails. Participants are invited to help in general trail maintenance. Bring bikes and kids for a family ride once the work is done!
TVA Contact: Clay Guerry, scguerry@tva.gov
Norris Fall Island Invasion and Cleanup
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Several launch points; contact Julie Graham at infor@9lakeseasttn.com<mailto:infor@9lakeseasttn.com> to register
Details: TVA joins with the Norris Lake Project Team, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department and Big Ridge Sate Park to lead this lake-wide clean up that reaches through Anderson, Campbell, Union, Claiborne and Grainger counties in Tennessee. The effort will focus on removing trash and debris from islands throughout Norris Reservoir, and also removing foam blocks from islands near Davis Creek and Norris Dam State Park. (Norris Reservoir; Anderson, Campbell, Union Claiborne, Grainger Counties, TN)
TVA Contact: Tim Pruitt, tdpruitt@tva.gov
Worthington Cemetery National Public Lands Day
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET
Where: Elza Gate Park (Oak Ridge, TN; Anderson County)
Details: TVA and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will lead an interpretive walk about the unique plant assemblage and bird life in TVA’s Worthington Cemetery’s cedar barren habitat. Afterwards, volunteers will do minor trail repair, pick up litter and help remove invasive/exotic plants.
TVA Contact: Angela Sutton, ampolly@tva.gov
Douglas Lake the Beautiful Cleanup
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: TVA Access at the end of Allensville Rd (Sevier County, TN)
Details: This annual all-purpose cleanup is coordinated by TVA, the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sevier Beautiful and Sevier Solid Waste Inc.
TVA Contact: Aurora Pulliam, admoldovanyi@tva.gov and Laura Howard, lhoward@seviersolidwaste.org
Operation Inasmuch - Cherokee Lake Cleanup
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: RSVP on cherokeelakeusers.net or email (Jefferson, Hamblen County, Grainger, TN) cherokeelakeusers@gmail.com to select from various clean-up sites
Details: This annual lake-wide cleanup is coordinated by TVA, Cherokee Lake User’s Association which includes local marinas and Carson Newman’s Inasmuch Project
TVA Contact: Tim Pruitt, tdpruitt@tva.gov and Brian Stewart, jbstewart@tva.gov
50th Anniversary of the Hiwassee Scenic River
When: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park, 404 Spring Creek Rd., Delano, TN; Polk County, TN)
Details: Hiwassee/Ocoee Rivers State Park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beautiful Hiwassee being a Scenic River. We want you and your family to be a part of the celebration! This will be an all day event with a hike on the John Muir Trail or a float on the river. Boats will be available for rent through local outfitters. Everyone is welcome to meet back in our group camp at Gee Creek for food, music, and fun. There will be vendors set up such as REI and Starr Mountain Outfitters. TVA and others will have booths set up to help you with all your outdoor adventure needs.
TVA Contact: Aurora Pulliam, admoldovanyi@tva.gov and Suzanne Fisher, lsfisher@tva.gov
Tennessee River Rescue
When: Saturday, October 6th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: 17 different departure sites; visit tennesseeriverrescue.org for more information
Details: Join this large-scale cleanup effort—founded in 1988 as a way to help beautify the Scenic City and protect its precious water resources—on Nickajack and Chickamauga reservoirs.
TVA Contact: Mark Odom, mlodom@tva.gov
Tennessee River Cleanup
When: Friday, October 5th
Time: 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. ET
Where: The Point at Concord Park (Knoxville, TN; Knox County, TN)
Details: Join the group for a free lunch and celebrate a proclamation from Governor Haslam. Immediately following, board boats to clean up shorelines along the river. Partners include TVA, Living Lands & Waters, TDOT, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, and Keep TN Beautiful. Reserve a place at www.keeptnriverbeautiful.org/register.
TVA Contact: Martha Podren, mepodren@tva.gov
Tennessee River Cleanup
When: Saturday, October 6th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to noon ET
Where: Lenoir City Park, Lenoir City, TN
Details: Board boats and clean up along the Tennessee River. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt, water bottle and lunch. Partners include TVA, Living Lands & Waters, TDOT and Keep TN Beautiful. Reserve a place at www.keeptnriverbeautiful.org/register.
TVA Contact: Martha Podren, mepodren@tva.gov
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Partnering with You for a Cleaner Tennessee Valley
Planning to host a river or reservoir cleanup effort? TVA can help with up to $5,000 in funds to cover trash bags, gloves, litter grabbers, dumpster rentals, safety items, first-aid kits, refreshments, boat rentals and more. Find out more.
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Safety and Skills
We all know that texting and walking is a bad idea, but did you know that according to the National Safety Council texting and walking causes up to 6,000 injuries a year?
While vehicles and crosswalks pose a threat to distracted walkers, looking at your device while walking on the trail also poses a threat. Oftentimes, we feel the urge to look at maps or apps while hiking, but think about the dangers that exist. There are roots, uneven surfaces, and trees that a distracted hiker may not notice. It is easy to stumble over a rock or object in the trail when your eyes aren’t focused. Please remember to keep your head up and focused on the trail while walking, and stop if you need to look at your phone or other device.
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Volunteers at work
The Kill the Dam Invasives work day took place along the Appalachian Trail at Fontana Dam and shoreline. The event was well attended, and two groups performed work: one focused on removing and treating invasives and restoring the viewshed to the lake at the Fontana Hilton Shelter that is on TVA property; the other on manually pulling invasives from the trail adjacent to US Forest Service and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lunch was provided by REI. Volunteers received event t-shirts made possible by TVA support.
A special shout-out to Greg Penn and the volunteers that helped to clean up Half Moon Island on Watts Bar this spring!
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Reminders & Upcoming Events
- Adopt a Spot Volunteers: remember to fill out your Condition Evaluation Report and submit your volunteer hours to volunteer@tva.gov.
- You’ll look great relaxing in one of our new volunteer hammocks. Complete your required four site visits, submit your monitoring forms (so we’ll know how many site visits you have completed) and we’ll send you a volunteer hammock to recognize your hard work. If you already have your hammock, we’d love to see a photo of where you use it. Just include the hashtag #tvafun on your social media posts. Keep the photos coming. We love seeing how you recreate on TVA public lands!
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Got a question? Pick the PLIC
TVA’s Public Land Information Center (PLIC) is your single source for answers to questions about a variety of public land topics including recreational opportunities and shoreline permits.
Call (800) 882-5263 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET or submit your question using the form found here.
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Join the fun!
We would love to see photos of your volunteer activities and stories. Send them to volunteer@tva.gov for a chance to be featured in the next newsletter.
Share your adventure on social media by tagging #tvafun to your posts on Instagram or Facebook
Find out about volunteer events and opportunities on TVA public lands in other parts of seven states in the Tennessee Valley by visiting the www.tva.com/volunteer
Plan your next adventure on TVA lands by visiting www.tva.com/recreation
Have a question about TVA lands? Call us at 1-800-TVA-LAND.
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