A laurel dace (Chrosomus saylori) collected by Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute scientists at Bumbee Creek in Rhea County, Tenn. Tennessee Aquarium

Spring City set to celebrate a rare denizen of Walden Ridge almost decimated by drought

Wes Boling is marketing communications manager for Nokian Tyres Dayton Factory.

SPRING CITY — Nokian Tyres will serve as presenting sponsor of Laurel Dace Day, a community celebration of an endangered fish set for Saturday, May 17, in Spring City.  

The inaugural event led by the Tennessee Aquarium raises awareness of the laurel dace, a critically endangered fish found only in the Walden Ridge area 20 miles from Nokian Tyres’ North American factory in Dayton. 

 Laurel Dace Day features a 5K race and half-mile family fun run, followed by a festival at the Spring City Nature Park with live music, a farmers’ market, local vendors and conservation education. The event is free to attend, other than registration fees for participation in the races. 

A bee pollinates an almond tree in an orchard. Concerns are growing that there is an increasing disconnect between pollinating plants and their pollinators due to climate change.  David Kosling/U.S. Department of Agriculture

The problem with climate change isn’t just the temperature. It’s how fast the climate is changing.

This story was originally published by The Conversation. Courtney McGinnis is a professor of biology, medical sciences and environmental sciences at Quinnipiac University.

Historically, Earth’s climate changes have generally happened over thousands to millions of years. Today, global temperatures are increasing by about 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit (0.2 degrees Celsius) per decade.

Imagine a car speeding up. Over time, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the Sun. This is like pressing the gas pedal. The faster the driver adds gas, the faster the car goes. 

The 21^st century has seen a dramatic acceleration in the rate of climate change, with global temperatures rising more than three times faster than in the previous century.

The faster pace and higher temperatures are changing habitat ranges for plants and animals. In some regions, the pace of change is also throwing off the delicate timing of pollination, putting plants and pollinators such as bees at risk.

Some species are already migrating

Most plant and animal species can tolerate or at least recover from short-term changes in climate, such as a heat wave. When the changes last longer, however, organisms may need to migrate into new areas to adapt for survival.

Water collects among trees at the West Tennessee Wetlands Mitigation Bank — a wetland restored from its days as farmland — near the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County, Tenn.  Karen Pulfer Focht for Tennessee Lookout

Bill’s supporters call it a win for private property; opponents say it’s a loss for all Tennesseans

This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

NASHVILLE — A bill slashing regulations for an estimated 80 percent of Tennessee’s non-federally protected wetlands headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk this week after receiving approval from the General Assembly.

The bill’s West Tennessee Republican sponsors — Rep. Kevin Vaughan and Sen. Brent Taylor — said the legislation removes onerous and seemingly subjective mitigation requirements for landowners and developers. 

Environmental advocates and scientists said the legislation paves the way for the destruction of Tennessee’s natural resources.

The bill passed 71-21 with one abstention in the House, and 25-6 in the Senate.

Since the 1970s, wetland regulations in Tennessee have required developers and landowners to seek permission from the state before draining or altering wetlands. The swampy areas can host diverse species, soak up rain water and filter it as it seeps into groundwater tables, recharging aquifers. Alterations to wetlands required developers to pay for mitigation — efforts to preserve or restore other wetlands nearby. 

Paul Stoddard, a principal at environmental consulting firm EnSafe, unlocks the gate to the West Tennessee Wetlands Mitigation Bank in Shelby County. EnSafe planted more than 50,000 trees to restore portions of this 250-acre wetland, creating credits for developers to purchase to offset destruction of wetlands elsewhere.  Karen Pulfer Focht for Tennessee Lookout

Interests of all stripes push to preserve state wetlands protections against pro-developer pressure

This story is part of the series Down the Drain from the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting collaborative based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. 

LEWISBURG — Fourth-generation Middle Tennessee cattle farmer Cole Liggett lined up with scientists and environmental advocates in March to urge Tennessee lawmakers not to gut the state’s historically strong protections for wetlands.

Wetlands protection has been good business for Liggett. In addition to raising cattle, he’s a manager at Headwaters Reserve, a firm that developers pay to preserve and restore wetlands and streams so they can destroy them elsewhere, called mitigation banking. If lawmakers follow through on a plan to deregulate an estimated 80 percent of the state’s isolated wetlands, that will upend the industry in Tennessee and drive up prices for developers still required to pay for mitigation, Liggett testified.

Liggett works in a growing industry that operates more than 2,500 mitigation banks nationwide, earning an estimated $3.5 billion in revenue in 2019, according to a 2023 study funded by the Ecological Restoration Business Association. 

The industry is built on demand spurred by the 1972 U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires developers to offset their damage to wetlands by building or restoring wetlands nearby.

But recent federal actions to shrink the scope of that law are pushing states to choose how strictly they will regulate wetlands. The consequences of those decisions not only threaten further degradation of land, water and wildlife, but also the fortunes of an industry that has made a big business out of conservation.

Russell Roper displays a 43-inch striped bass caught at Ft. Loudoun Dam. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is considering the effects of a TVA dam upgrade at Cherokee Lake on striper populations.  TWRA

TWRA assessing potential impacts to popular game fish from changes to Cherokee Dam aeration system

Matthew Cameron is a wildlife information specialist at Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. 

JEFFERSON CITY — The Tennessee Valley Authority has announced plans to replace the current aeration system at Cherokee Dam with new turbine technology by 2026. These upgrades, designed to improve water quality downstream, may have unintended consequences for aquatic wildlife in Cherokee Reservoir — particularly striped bass. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is currently evaluating these potential impacts.

The existing oxygenation lines in Cherokee Reservoir were originally installed to meet TVA’s requirement for minimum dissolved oxygen levels in water discharged below the dam. However, an unexpected benefit of this system has been the creation of a cool, oxygen-rich refuge in the reservoir during summer months — a critical survival zone for large striped bass. These fish rely on cooler, well-oxygenated water to make it through Tennessee’s hot summers, and Cherokee Reservoir provides limited natural options. 

Coffee County is under development pressure, but it’s not a political fight

This editorial was provided by Coffee County for Responsible Growth, but applies to planning and development debates throughout the Southeast.

MANCHESTER — We keep hearing the claim that land protection, conservation and zoning are “liberal issues.”

Let’s set the record straight: That’s simply not true.

Protecting Coffee County’s farmland, water, infrastructure and rural way of life isn’t a political talking point — it’s common sense. And it’s deeply bipartisan.

We’ve got Conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Libertarians all standing together. Not because of party lines — but because we love where we live, we recognize the importance of agriculture, and we value community. 

Upper Cataloochee Road was among the many infrastructure victims in Great Smoky Mountains National Park following Hurricane Helene. Cataloochee Valley was the hardest-hit section of the park. The park service said it intends to reopen the road April 4.  National Park Service

Cataloochee to mostly reopen in Great Smoky Mountains National Park;  campground will remain closed following Smokies cuts; many downed trees and washouts still affecting multiple area trails

Kendra Straub is a communications officer with the National Park Service.

CATALOOCHEE — The National Park Service (NPS) will reopen portions of Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park beginning April 4. Cataloochee Valley has been closed since September 2024 following significant damage from Hurricane Helene. Within the park, Cataloochee Valley saw the worst impacts from Hurricane Helene.

The following roads will open to vehicles in Cataloochee on April 4: Cataloochee Entrance Road up to Beech Grove School; Cataloochee Creek Road to the Old Cataloochee Entrance Road Bridge; and Old Highway 284. Visitors will be able to drive Cataloochee Valley Entrance Road up to Beech Grove School.

What can YOU, and those around you, do to make your lifestyle more sustainable?

Today is a good opportunity to make a resolution or a promise to yourself and those around you to adopt a new habit or practice that will reduce your environmental impacts. Perhaps, you have already taken such a step a while ago and you may now scale it up or add something else to it?

EarthSolidarity!™ is focusing on individual and small-group initiatives that facilitate practical, local, down-to-Earth actions that can readily be replicated by many and thus add up to significant improvements in the community, the bioregion and — through equivalent locally and regionally tuned initiatives — contribute to our national and even global environmental health.

You may have found that it’s not so difficult, and perhaps you discovered some ways of making it easier or more successful than you thought possible at first. If so, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Encourage those next to you to adopt the same or similar action. We are looking for leaders like you that are willing to help organize or just advise small environmental action groups at the neighborhood level or within local businesses and organizations.

University of Tennessee leads the way in this year’s local Earth Day observances

KNOXVILLE — It’s once again time to celebrate Earth Day — Earth Week, really — and as it has in past years, Hellbender Press has a few suggestions for some fun ways for families to celebrate the planet we call home on April 22 and beyond.

The theme of this year’s Earth Day, which is its 55th observance, is Our Power, Our Planet.

If you have items you’d like to add to the list, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This list will be updated.

STEAM Earth Day event

— 6-7 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, Carter Branch Library, 9036 Asheville Highway, Knoxville. Register here.

The University of Tennessee Office of Sustainability Earth Week

— The sustainability office has an entire month devoted to Earth Day.

— 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday April 22, UT Gardens, 2514 Jacob Drive: Join a cleanup of Third Creek.

— 11 a.m.-2 p.m. April 22, 21^st Mortgage Plaza, UT Earth Day Festival will feature fun games, food and drinks.

Babies and Blooms Earth Day Festival 

— 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, INCubator, 100 Cherokee Blvd., Chattanooga 

A student farm leader takes care  of pigs at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. Most of the college’s pigs were recovered following fatal flooding from the Swannanoa River on Sept. 28, 2024.  Warren Wilson College

Collective action helps alleviate climate anxiety in wake of Hurricane Helene

This story was originally published by The Revelator.  

Mallory McDuff teaches environmental education at Warren Wilson College.

SWANNANOA, N.C. — “We need 10 people on flush crew, five to clean out the fridges in the science building, and 15 to clear trees on the roads! We’re gonna do this together!”

This wasn’t a pep rally or a community service event. It was the morning meeting called at 9:30 a.m. each day by campus leaders in front of the cafeteria at the small college where I lived without power or water, after the climate disaster of Hurricane Helene devastated our community in Western North Carolina.

“We know the Swannanoa Valley has been hit especially hard,” the college president told the group of students and employees. “And we are here for this college and for the greater community. This is our work together.”

That day I joined my neighbor Tom Lam chain-sawing his way across campus with a crew of students clearing brush along the way.

“Now gather ‘round so you can see how to sharpen this chainsaw,” Tom said in his booming Jersey voice, pulling on his suspenders after we’d cleared trees that crushed a neighbor’s car.

I’ve spent 25 years teaching environmental education, raising two daughters, and living at this 1,000-acre campus where all students work in jobs in places like the farm, garden, forests, and even fiber arts. And I think this might be one model of how to live in community in a climate emergency.

Veterinary college takes precautionary measures due to bird flu resurgence

Sandra Harbison is a media relations specialist with the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

KNOXVILLE — High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), a very contagious and often deadly disease of poultry, can result in the deaths of entire flocks within a matter of days. Also known as bird flu, HPAI has recently been detected in wildlife and poultry in Tennessee. This virus can spread quickly between birds, including birds that do not have any signs of disease. It has been reported to impact certain mammalian species, including humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no treatment for HPAI, and the best prevention is to avoid sources of exposure.

Out of an abundance of caution, the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) has made the difficult decision to temporarily halt the acceptance and treatment of injured or abandoned wild birds including raptors, songbirds or waterfowl (including owned waterfowl). This precautionary measure will help protect patients, faculty, staff and students from potential exposure to HPAI.

(The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency on Dec. 18 warned hunters, birdwatchers and poultry owners of increased bird flu risk. The CDCP as of Jan. 24 considers bird flu “widespread” in wild bird populations and reports limited outbreaks in poultry and livestock workers.)

Circa 1798: ‘Plan of the City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia; ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to the United States of America, and by them established as the seat of their government, after the year 1800.’  Ellicott/Thornton/Library of Congress

Groups to carry on air quality work, defend U.S. investments and ensure voices are heard from all communities

This story is from North Carolina News Service.

RALEIGH — President-elect Donald J. Trump retakes office in less than a week amid promises to roll back efforts to combat climate change. A friendly Congress could follow suit. But state-level efforts to address the crisis will continue in North Carolina, at least.

Trump has promised to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act passed under President Joe Biden, which earmarked billions for climate-resilience and alternative energy projects. Brittany Griffin with the nonprofit CleanAIRE NC says tinkering with the law would hurt the state, including its ability to prepare for more severe weather as climate change worsens. But she says there are still glimmers of hope on the state level.

“We still have a lot of state-led policies, and then our makeup now of the General Assembly looks different. We have a governor who also is pretty well-informed and, I believe, dedicated to addressing environmental issues in our state,” he said.

Griffin added that her organization will be working with community and legal partners to resist potentially harmful changes under the Trump administration, and ensuring that all citizens have a voice in their environment. CleanAIRE NC’s community science manager Daisha Walls is on the Environmental Justice Advisory Council for the Governor’s Office.

Griffin noted that there are a number of ways CleanAIRE NC is helping people feel more empowered, such as through its air monitoring networks in communities across the state and clean energy transportation efforts in rural areas, and said community member involvement is important to the state’s response to climate change.

“When they amplify their voice, it allows them to feel like they are participating in the process of shaping environmental policies as it relates to their communities,” she said.

North Carolina lawmakers have passed climate goals under the state’s Carbon Plan that aim to reduce Duke Energy’s carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. But Griffin said the current plan falls short for the state’s underserved and impacted communities. However, it is renewed every two years and she hopes they have a larger say in the next iteration.

“We at CleanAIRE NC would like to make sure there’s more inclusion for all communities in the planning process so they can actually more directly benefit from it,” she said.

Debris hangs from trees on the banks of the French Broad River near the main building of Hot Springs Resort and Spa. The river gauge at Hot Springs was offline during the main rain events immediately preceding the Sept. 27 floods but registered a peak just under 21 feet. The record stage is 22 feet, but that record will likely fall after review of provisional weather-gauge data by the National Weather Service.  Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

Two weeks after epic floods, a far cry from normalcy; utility repairs continue; Del Rio still reels; Hot Springs limps; outpouring of help and mountain grit as battered communities take stock

This story will be updated.
The original story and updates continue below. We have been adding more images, videos, links, live or interactive graphs and specifics to our earlier reporting and updates.

GATLINBURG — Great Smoky Mountains National Park staff continue to assess the damage sustained by the country’s most-visited national park during Tropical Storm Helene. (The storm was at tropical storm strength when it struck the mountains Sept. 26-27, prompting a rare tropical-storm warning for Western North Carolina).

The Cataloochee and Big Creek areas on the North Carolina side in Haywood County were particularly hard-hit, and significant damage was reported to park cultural resources and road and bridge infrastructure. Those areas remain closed. Most roads and trails on the Tennessee side of the national park are open. Cataloochee is a valuable tourist draw during the fall rutting season of elk populations successfully reintroduced to the park in the 1990s.

 Tropical Storm Helene destroyed Upper Cataloochee Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and damaged other park infrastructure and historical resources.  National Park Service

Here’s an update from the National Park Service:

“The park experienced substantial damage, particularly in North Carolina, including Balsam Mountain, Big Creek and Cataloochee Valley.

Helene fallout continues; hundreds still missing; at least 60 dead in NC; flooding and wind damage still widespread in Southern Appalachians; National Guard in action; land access, supplies, communications, water and power still spotty

This story will be updated.
The original story and updates continue below.
We have been adding more images, videos, links, live or interactive graphs and specifics to earlier updates, too. So, keep scrolling to glean them after touching the More… button. You may want to bookmark some of the interactive features for your own present and future use.

Demolished vehicles are seen in the area of what used to be Red Banks Campground in the Chestoa area of Unicoi County.  Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

ERWIN — The death toll from Hurricane Helene climbed to at least 180 people on Wednesday, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States in 50 years with the exception of Hurricane Katrina, which claimed over 1,800 lives in 2005 in what was also a largely impoverished area.

In one-hard hit community in the mountains of northeast Tennessee, emotions grew high as Spanish-speaking family of missing loved ones accused first responders through an interpreter of showboating, classism and preferential rescues during a tense press conference broadcast live on X.

The mounting death toll and increasingly fruitless searches came as millions of people spent their sixth day without running water or power and an ad hoc army of first responders, volunteers and National Guard troops struggled to deliver life-saving supplies to communities throughout the Southern Appalachians that were cut off by the record breaking flash floods spawned by the storm.

In Erwin, a town of 6,000 in Unicoi County, officials confirmed that a criminal investigation had been launched into the conduct of a manufacturing company that was accused of forcing employees to keep working even as floodwaters rose to dangerous levels.

Debris hangs from trees on the banks of the French Broad River near the main building of Hot Springs Resort and Spa. The river gauge at Hot Springs was offline during the main rain events immediately preceding the Sept. 27, 2024 floods but registered a peak just under 21 feet. The record stage is 22 feet, but that record will likely fall after review of provisional weather-gauge data by the National Weather Service. Much of the debris generated by flooding on the French Broad River in Western North Carolina made its way downstream toward Douglas Lake in Tennessee.  Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

Volunteers needed for 36^th Ijams River Rescue set for March 8

KNOXVILLE  — The thousand-year rains brought by Hurricane Helene flushed incalculable amounts of garbage from multiple major watersheds in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina in late September 2024. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee Valley Authority, for instance, resorted to booms and cranes to corral and collect thousands of tons of garbage along more than 200 miles of Douglas Lake shoreline. The cleanup continues.

High water downstream also carried debris and detritus of every description into Knox County via the French Broad River, which then deposited it along urban and regional lake and stream banks.

Removing this pulse of pollution and flotsam from the Tennessee River, already known as a conduit of microplastics, could take years or generations. You can start the process March 8 along multiple TVA lakes in the area. We all live downstream.

Here’s the release from Ijams Nature Center, one of the main sponsors of the annual event:

Volunteer and make your community a cleaner, healthier place to live, work and play during the 36^th annual Ijams River Rescue from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 8. A severe weather date is set for Saturday, March 15.

Ijams Nature Center’s annual cleanup event brings together hundreds of individuals, families, Scout troops, businesses and church groups to remove tons of trash and tires from sites along the Tennessee River, creeks and streams. Sites are typically located in Knox, Anderson and Blount counties. 

Epic flooding from Tropical Storm Helene destroyed the CSX railroad bed along the length of the Nolichucky River Gorge near Erwin. TDEC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this month ordered the transportation company to stop dredging materials from the river to repair its railroad line.  Jonathan Mitchell for Hellbender Press

Company accused of illegally mining river rocks, sediment to shore up rail lines washed out by Helene

This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

ERWIN — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee environmental regulators ordered CSX Transportation to stop dredging the Nolichucky River Gorge for rocks and sediment being used to shore up a rail line washed away by Tropical Storm Helene. 

In separate letters issued to the Fortune 500 company this month, the Corps and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) warned, the company’s dredging was unauthorized — and noted CSX had continued dredging activities even after being put on notice last month by both agencies.

The company is prohibited from performing “any excavation or dredging of material from the Nolichucky River or its tributaries in both Tennessee and North Carolina, the Dec. 2 letter from the Corps said. CSX must “immediately cease and desist” its dredging, TDEC’s Dec. 6 letter said. 

Dredging poses serious risks to the river’s aquatic life and increases the potential of downstream flooding in the future for communities that rely on the Nolichucky for outdoor recreation and the tourist dollars it brings in, a lawsuit filed by lawyers with the Southern Environmental Law Center said last month. 

Helene fallout continues; hundreds still missing; at least 60 dead in NC; flooding and wind damage still widespread in Southern Appalachians; National Guard in action; land access, supplies, communications, water and power still spotty

This story will be updated.
The original story and updates continue below.
We have been adding more images, videos, links, live or interactive graphs and specifics to earlier updates, too. So, keep scrolling to glean them after touching the More… button. You may want to bookmark some of the interactive features for your own present and future use.

Demolished vehicles are seen in the area of what used to be Red Banks Campground in the Chestoa area of Unicoi County.  Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

ERWIN — The death toll from Hurricane Helene climbed to at least 180 people on Wednesday, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States in 50 years with the exception of Hurricane Katrina, which claimed over 1,800 lives in 2005 in what was also a largely impoverished area.

In one-hard hit community in the mountains of northeast Tennessee, emotions grew high as Spanish-speaking family of missing loved ones accused first responders through an interpreter of showboating, classism and preferential rescues during a tense press conference broadcast live on X.

The mounting death toll and increasingly fruitless searches came as millions of people spent their sixth day without running water or power and an ad hoc army of first responders, volunteers and National Guard troops struggled to deliver life-saving supplies to communities throughout the Southern Appalachians that were cut off by the record breaking flash floods spawned by the storm.

In Erwin, a town of 6,000 in Unicoi County, officials confirmed that a criminal investigation had been launched into the conduct of a manufacturing company that was accused of forcing employees to keep working even as floodwaters rose to dangerous levels.

KNOXVILLE — Discover Life in America has a newly established partnership with Schulz Bräu Brewing Company to host its monthly Conservation on Tap speaker series.

The latest installment of the series at the new venue is 7 p.m. April 16. Join Conservation on Tap at Schulz Bräu Brewing Company, 126 Bernard Ave, Knoxville.

Join us for an insightful presentation by Phil Francis, Chairman of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and former acting superintendent of GSMNP, as he provides an update on the current challenges facing the National Park Service and our national parks.

Francis will discuss the critical resources that need protection and the staffing necessary to ensure the preservation and maintenance of these cherished public lands. This event is a must-attend for anyone passionate about the future of America’s national parks and the efforts needed to safeguard them for generations to come. Learn more at: protectnps.org.

Come support local conservation efforts and enjoy a wide selection of 20+ beers on-tap (and plenty of nonalcoholic beverages) and some authentic German fare from Schulzes Schnitzel Kitchen.

A student farm leader takes care  of pigs at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. Most of the college’s pigs were recovered following fatal flooding from the Swannanoa River on Sept. 28, 2024.  Warren Wilson College

Collective action helps alleviate climate anxiety in wake of Hurricane Helene

This story was originally published by The Revelator.  

Mallory McDuff teaches environmental education at Warren Wilson College.

SWANNANOA, N.C. — “We need 10 people on flush crew, five to clean out the fridges in the science building, and 15 to clear trees on the roads! We’re gonna do this together!”

This wasn’t a pep rally or a community service event. It was the morning meeting called at 9:30 a.m. each day by campus leaders in front of the cafeteria at the small college where I lived without power or water, after the climate disaster of Hurricane Helene devastated our community in Western North Carolina.

“We know the Swannanoa Valley has been hit especially hard,” the college president told the group of students and employees. “And we are here for this college and for the greater community. This is our work together.”

That day I joined my neighbor Tom Lam chain-sawing his way across campus with a crew of students clearing brush along the way.

“Now gather ‘round so you can see how to sharpen this chainsaw,” Tom said in his booming Jersey voice, pulling on his suspenders after we’d cleared trees that crushed a neighbor’s car.

I’ve spent 25 years teaching environmental education, raising two daughters, and living at this 1,000-acre campus where all students work in jobs in places like the farm, garden, forests, and even fiber arts. And I think this might be one model of how to live in community in a climate emergency.

Renowned poet, educator and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni died Dec. 9 at 81.  Jeanine Fuller/Social media

“Knoxville, Tennessee”

I always like summer

best

you can eat fresh corn

from daddy's garden

and okra

and greens

and cabbage

and lots of

barbecue

and buttermilk

and homemade ice-cream

at the church picnic

and listen to

gospel music

outside

at the church

homecoming

and you go to the mountains with

your grandmother

and go barefooted

and be warm

all the time

not only when you go to bed

and sleep

— Nikki Giovanni

BLACKSBURG — Knoxville native Nikki Giovanni, a poet, civil rights legend and educator who empowered generations with her fearless words and unwavering advocacy for Black America, died on Dec. 9 at the age of 81 after her third cancer diagnosis.

“The acclaimed poet, Black Arts Movement icon whose poems of wit, wonder and wisdom were celebrated in children’s books, on keynote stages and television shows, and in more than two dozen bestselling poetry collections, died peacefully on December 9, 2024, with her life-long partner, Virginia [Ginney] Fowler, by her side,” said friend and  author Renee Watson in a statement. 

In 2023, Knoxville’s Beck Cultural Exchange Center unveiled an exhibit dedicated to Giovanni, featuring her complete book collection and personal memorabilia. The center, a cherished space for Giovanni, was a must-visit whenever she returned to her hometown.

“Nikki was a gift to the world, generously sharing her talents with everyone around her,” said Rev. Reneé Kesler, President of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. She loved deeply and expressed that love in countless ways.”

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni was born on June 7, 1943, in the “Negro Wing” of Knoxville General Hospital to parents Yolande Cornelia Sr. and Jones “Gus” Giovanni. She graduated from Austin High School in 1961.

She enrolled at the historically Black Fisk University in Nashville in 1960. At Fisk, she joined the Writer’s Workshop, a space that fostered her creativity and connected her with other aspiring Black writers who later went on to become prominent Black literary figures such as Dudley Randall, Margaret Walker and Amiri Baraka. 

“At Fisk, she found her voice — a voice that would go on to inspire the world to dream with courage, to fight with purpose and to love without constraint. Through her poetry, she wove stories of Black resilience, beauty and liberation. Her spirit is forever etched into the soul at Fisk, an eternal light guiding us toward justice, creativity and authenticity,” Fisk officials said in a statement. 

Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) weekend is underway

Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days people everywhere are invited to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds.

Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.

Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 14–17, 2025.

Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:

• If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
• If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the free eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop/smartphone).

Jonathan Cox (left), wetlands biology technician for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, looks in astonishment at an eastern hellbender captured while monitoring populations in Pisgah National Forest.  Ben Dalton/N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission 

Two-year study will gain insight into hellbender reproduction; special interest in Fontana Reservoir area and its watersheds 

Holly Kays is senior writer for Smokies Life.

GATLINBURG — With wrinkly skin that comes in various shades of brown, eastern hellbenders aren’t easy to spot. These giant salamanders, which average 20 inches in length, spend most of their lives nearly invisible under rocks on the bottom of cool, fast-flowing streams. In a two-year research project starting this summer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will use a combination of technology and traditional survey techniques to solve the mystery surrounding the hellbender’s distribution in the Smokies.

“One of the major conservation questions is: Are hellbenders reproducing in our streams?” said Jonathan Cox, wetlands biology technician for the park. “And it’s really hard to find that out because their lifespan is so long that you can have a hellbender detected in a stream for multiple decades, but it may be the same individual.”

Hellbenders can live for 30 years or more, so figuring out whether the adults alive today are reproducing successfully is imperative to securing the species’ future. Hellbender populations have declined significantly over recent decades, leading the US Fish and Wildlife Service to propose that the salamander be listed as an endangered species. A public comment period on the listing proposal is open through February 11.

A pileated woodpecker is seen seeking dinner; it is a common denizen of winter Southern Appalachian forests and likely made many Christmas bird lists.  Evan Kidd via Smokies Life

Citizen-led Audubon Christmas Bird Count tallies our feathered friends for yet another year

Holly Kays is the lead writer for Smokies Life.

GATLINBURG — Since its origin in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count has become a holiday fixture for ever-expanding numbers of birders across the globe, giving a valuable gift to generations of wildlife scientists — a massive trove of data on bird populations in the Western Hemisphere.

This annual avian census, set to commence for the 125^th time, began in an era when many bird species were facing steep declines, especially waterfowl prized for their feathers. The Christmas Bird Count was the National Audubon Society’s answer to the traditional Christmas Side Hunt, a team competition that encouraged participants to kill as many furred and feathered creatures as possible in a single outing.

“The Christmas Bird Count really got started as an alternative to those kinds of hunting efforts,” said Curtis Smalling, executive director of Audubon North Carolina. “This year is the 125^th annual Christmas Bird Count, and that makes it the longest-running community science project in North America.”

Anyone can participate in the CBC, regardless of their birding skill level, by joining one of the thousands of circles, each 15 miles in diameter, that comprise the event. The organizer of each circle chooses a day between December 14 and January 5 to conduct their count. On the appointed day, all participants in the circle have 24 hours in which to tally as many birds as they can. In addition to listing the individual species spotted, they also count the number of individual birds seen and participant hours logged.

The Great Smoky Mountains region includes circles in Gatlinburg, Cades Cove, Knoxville, Franklin, Highlands, Waynesville, Hot Springs and Asheville.

A male (left) and female common merganser perch on a rock. Though this species may winter in coastal areas, it tends to prefer freshwater habitat and winters in the Smokies in small numbers.  Warren Bielenberg via Smokies Life

Wednesday, May 14, 5:30 p.m.
South Side Garage
1014 Sevier Ave, Knoxville

For more information and RSVP go to “Green Drinks Knoxville” on Facebook

Join us on our NEW date, the second Wednesdays of the month

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee has a natural abundance of water resources and biodiverse ecosystems. Unfortunately, 60% of Tennessee’s waterways are not meeting federal standards.

Stream habitat has been consistently declining in the last several decades. Restoring and conserving high value riparian areas will be an essential part of combating the negative impacts of urban development.

Barriers to resources prevent communities from effectively tackling these projects on their own, severely limiting cohesive statewide efforts for water quality improvement.

Maddy Johnson will introduce practical methods of restoring a riparian area in various settings at no to low cost.

Green Drinks Knoxville is a social and professional organization that convenes open-minded folks to encourage education and conversation about the environment, green technologies, sustainable lifestyles, and more. Our events are free and open to the public. We welcome all and support racial diversity, gender equality and LGBTQ inclusivity.