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Greetings, River Neighbors!

Autumn seems to be turning pretty quickly into winter. We’ve begun winter drawdown on many of our reservoirs—stay on top of the latest information with our Lake Info app.

Even as the cold weather arrives, TVA’s Natural Resources team has stayed busy. We’ve completed many annual fall activities including scheduled maintenance and wrapping up another season for our dam reservation campgrounds.

Holiday break is just around the corner – keep your kids from getting bored by showing them our revamped TVA/Kids site, with child-friendly articles on things like how dams work, how electricity is made, what archaeologists do and lots more.

Speaking of history, take a look at this fascinating story about how TVA has mapped an ancient archaeological site. The public lands we manage have such a rich history, and our Cultural Resources team focuses on protecting those sites and artifacts.

Even in the cold, remember our trails and undeveloped public lands are always open! We invite you to take a stroll and look for winter birds—you might even spot a bald eagle since they are nesting now. When the leaves are off the trees, it’s amazing the wildlife and plants you can spot. But remember, follow trail safety rules and remember it gets dark early now!

Our next newsletter will reach you after Christmas, so please enjoy your break time and have a wonderful, safe holiday season.

Allen Clare
VP, TVA River & Resources Stewardship

TVA/Kids: a fun place to learn while school’s out

Imagine it’s early afternoon during your children’s holiday break from school. You peep in to find them in front of a screen… again. But this time they are on a site called TVA/Kids reading about the different ways to make electricity. At dinner, your ten-year-old explains about TVA’s work to stop flooding and make navigation safer by building a series of dams on the Tennessee River. Later at a family gathering, your teenager brings up TVA careers in botany and archaeology

TVA/Kids – A Fun Place to Learn While School’s Out

Celebrating Christmas? Count birds and be careful with your tree

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Each year, observers tally millions of individual birds, reporting hundreds of different species to the database. This is the 122nd annual Christmas Bird Count season. Join us this year!

And when you take down your live Christmas tree, please dispose of it properly—don’t just toss it into one of our lakes! Here’s the reason why.

26a Permitting – A Day in the Life

From its beginning in 1933, TVA understood that shoreline permitting would be an important part of protecting the lands along the rivers and reservoirs within the Tennessee River Watershed. Discover how Representative Abbie Casey helps make life better for the people of the Valley by working with property owners and her TVA colleagues to review waterfront projects and obtain necessary approvals.

Abbie Casey - A Day in the Life of a Watershed Representative (tva.com)

Sewing a legacy

The Seminole Nation – along with more than 20 federally recognized Native American tribes and nations that once called the seven-state region their home – partner with TVA in federal trust relationships and government-to-government consultations to ensure the protection, preservation and accurate representation of their culture and history.

https://www.tva.com/newsroom/articles/sewing-a-legacy

TVA and tribal archeologists reconstruct ancient Native American village via unique map

Electromagnetic radiation and millions of magnetic frequencies are helping TVA, state and tribal archeologists build a nonintrusive, subsurface map of a Native American archeological site that was first recorded in the 1930s.

https://www.tva.com/newsroom/articles/tva-and-tribal-archeologists-reconstruct-ancient-native-american-village-via-unique-map

Explore TRV

As the holidays draw near, Explore TRV ties the events of the season into a big bow that highlights Christmas throughout the Valley. Experience an old timey holiday at the Museum of Appalachia or discover “reverse caroling” in Cleveland, TN. Further down river, meet Ebenezer Scrooge in Tuscumbia, AL or hear Elvis croon holiday favorites in Paris, TN. There’s lots more to discover; search “Christmas” on Explore TRV.

Winter on the RiverLine

Tennessee RiverLine (TNRL) enthusiasts know there are too many migrating birds and stunning shorelines to ever put away their kayaks. But there’s more to this initiative than paddling. Would an enlightening presentation about a nearby TNRL River Community be of interest? How about a guided hike? Tennessee RiverLine is exploring these ideas and more. Stay tuned!

Tennessee Valley Marinas and Campgrounds

Hold onto your life jacket and your s’more stick, the 2022 TN Valley Marinas and Campgrounds Calendar is on its way! The calendar showcases both Clean Marinas and Camp-Right Campgrounds across the valley while educating owners on how to best serve their customers while protecting the environment. Learn more about attributes to look for in campgrounds and marinas, as TVA shares valuable information about caring for the river and its adjoining public lands.

Some gates and access roads closed

It’s the time of year when TVA closes some gates and access roads to motorized vehicles to reduce damage to roadbeds from ATVs and other motorized vehicles during low water levels. All public dispersed sites will remain open to foot traffic at all times. Affected reservoirs are Boone, Cherokee, Douglas, Hiwassee, Kentucky, Melton Hill, Norris, Nottely and Watts Bar. Some roads may remain open longer to provide public access for special uses such as hunting or wildlife observation.

Please! Don’t block any closed access gates as they may be needed in case of an emergency.

https://www.tva.com/Environment/Lake-Levels

The Wayback Machine

We take holiday lights for granted, but they have a fascinating history that ranges from the first candles pinned to tree boughs to the two million bulb display at Bristol Motor Speedway.

https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/merry-and-bright

Explore with the Tennessee River Valley MapGuide
Looking for new places to explore by foot, car or boat? Check out the Tennessee River Valley MapGuide. There are plenty of things to see and do close to home.

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.
https://www.tva.com/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Public-Lands-Information-Center

Ongoing maintenance:
Keep up with road closings, bridge repairs, all kinds of things here:
https://www.tva.com/newsroom

See past issues of River Neighbors here.

We publish this newsletter to keep TVA's stakeholders informed about the programs and projects associated with TVA’s environmental stewardship, recreation and river management efforts.

Our mailing address is:

Tennessee Valley Authority

400 West Summit Hill Drive

Knoxville, TN 37902

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