During winter migration, visitors to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge can view thousands of greater sandhill cranes. This year’s celebration is Jan. 18-19 in Birchwood.  Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Beat the winter blues with food, music and celebration of a natural spectacle

BIRCHWOOD — The Sandhill Crane Festival is underway through Sunday in Birchwood, Tennessee. This is the 34^th year of the festival. Come celebrate the return of this migrant bird. Breathe in the fresh air. Hear its call. See its dance. 

With up to 20,000 sandhill cranes returning to the area each year, you’re bound to be caught up in the spectacular display of the sandhill cranes, eagles, waterfowl and more on the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Volunteers will be on hand with spotting scopes, but you’re welcome to bring your own binoculars. Dress for the weather, rain or shine. A potent cold front enters the area Sunday.

Free buses shuttle attendees from the Birchwood School on Highway 60 to each of the locations. No parking is permitted at the refuge unless attendee is in possession of a handicap placard.

The American Eagle Foundation will once again be at the Birchwood School for two live performances each day, along with Nashville recording artist, Second Nature. Vendors will be set up in the gym and home-cooked meals prepared in the kitchen, including Ms. Linda’s homemade breakfast biscuits and vegetable soup. 

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee’s 2024-25 statewide gun hunting season for deer opens Saturday, Nov. 23. The season traditionally opens each year on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. During gun season, sportsmen may also use muzzleloaders or archery equipment. 

The statewide bag limit for antlered bucks is two. No more than one antlered deer may be taken per day, not to exceed two for the season. In Units 1, 2 and 3 there is an antlerless bag limit of three per day, and a limit of two antlerless for this season in Units 4, 5 and 6. The bag limit may only be exceeded as part of the Earn-A-Buck program or as replacement buck in a CWD positive county.

During season setting, new hunting units were implemented for this season. Hunters should refer to the 2024-25 Tennessee Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Guide for specific information about their hunting unit and complete license requirements.

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, is required to carry proof of satisfactory completion of a hunter education class or be in possession of the Apprentice Hunter Education Permit (along with other required licenses) while hunting any species in Tennessee. Hunter education can be completed online for free along with in person options offered by TWRA. 

The statewide deer hunting season will continue through Jan. 5, 2025. The second Young Sportsman Hunt is Jan. 11-12.

Tennessee State Parks

BUCHANAN — The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will return to Paris Landing State Park for the first time in 15 years for a one-day meeting on Friday, Sept. 20. The meeting will start at 9 a.m.

A new video titled “Safe Boating Near Locks and Dams” will be presented. The video was produced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in partnership with, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and Hardin County Emergency Management Agency.  

Retired TWRA Wildlife and Forestry employee Mark Gudlin will be recognized for his induction into the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative Hall of Fame. He served in a variety of roles during a 38-year TWRA career and was serving as Habitat Program Manager upon his retirement in 2021.

Will Bowling from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will be recognized for a donation from the Foundation and the Mildred T. Edwards Trust. The gift will go toward purchasing a 1,322-acre tract at North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area.

There will also be a preview for rules and regulations governing licenses, permit fees and boating certificates.

ROCKWOOD — Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers and local agencies recovered the body of Roane County resident, 19-year-old Braeden Hartup, from Watts Bar Reservoir just after 2 a.m. May 26. 

The initial 911 call, concerning a male who had jumped from a boat and did not resurface, came in just after 9 p.m. May 25. Hartup and 10 others were on an anchored pontoon just south of Rockwood, near the Winton Chapel Access Area. Witnesses stated that Hartup decided to swim and jumped into the water from the front of the boat. Hartup was not wearing a life jacket. 

TWRA officers and local agencies used a remote-operated vehicle to locate and recover Hartup’s body in 24 feet of water. The body was transported to the Knox County Medical Examiner’s Office. This is the eighth boating related fatality this year. The incident remains under investigation. 

Find boating and statistical information at tnwildlife.org.

NASHVILLE — Alcohol possession and consumption will be prohibited on Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Wildlife Management Areas statewide, effective April 15 with the exception of designated areas. Alcohol is only permitted at designated TWRA campgrounds and on public waters bordering or within a WMA. Drunken-disorderly conduct is also prohibited.

This rule applies to all user groups, including hunters, hikers, off-highway (OHV) drivers and passengers, and other WMA users. Signs will be posted on the WMA noting that alcohol is prohibited. TWRA wildlife officers will be issuing citations for alcohol possession and use that is not in compliance with the regulations. Tennessee State Driving Under the Influence laws also apply on local roads and managed trails when operating OHVs.

The rule change is being implemented due to high rates of intoxicated trail riding on WMAs and frequent accidents where alcohol was a contributing factor. The TWRA is committed to public safety and is focused on keeping public lands family friendly and safe for all Tennesseans.

— TWRA

During winter migration, visitors to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge can view thousands of greater sandhill cranes.  Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency via Appalachian Voices

Sandhill Crane Festival at Hiwassee Refuge set for Jan. 12-14 in celebration of the crane’s revival and survival

BIRCHWOOD — As many as 12,000 cranes have overwintered at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers. Whether you’re an avid birder or you’ve never seen a Sandhill crane before, the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival represents an extraordinary opportunity to witness a truly unforgettable natural phenomenon.

Experience the migration of the Sandhill cranes and many other waterfowl, eagles, white pelicans and whooping cranes. The entire region buzzes with birds and birdwatchers alike.

The festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 12 – 14. Free buses run the short distance from the Birchwood Community Center to the Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial. Volunteers are set up at each location for birders and curious visitors alike.

Carl Williams, a TWRA fisheries technician and self-taught crayfish biologist.  TWRA

MORRISTOWN — Carl Williams, a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency fisheries technician and self-taught crayfish biologist retired after dedicating more than four decades to wildlife and fisheries conservation and management. 

Williams began working with TWRA in August 1979 through the Young Adult Conservation Corp (YACC), which was a federally funded program. Initially hired for a one-year assignment, he worked with lands management wildlife biologists on various projects, including white-tailed deer and wild turkey restoration. 

The subsequent year marked a shift as he joined TWRA’s Fisheries Division, conducting creel surveys on Cherokee and Douglas reservoirs. In August 1981, he transitioned to the Buffalo Springs Trout Hatchery spending the next seven years propagating and rearing rainbow, brown, brook, lake and Ohrid trout, and distributing them throughout many streams, rivers and reservoirs in East Tennessee.