Endangered baby tan riffleshells are shown tagged before release in Big South Fork. Biologists are successfully reintroducing the mussel tp the area, according to research data. National Park Service

Endangered species seems to be on upswing due to reintroduction; points to water purity

ONEIDA — An endangered freshwater mussel species in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is showing signs of natural population increases for the first time. The tan riffleshell (Epioblasma walkeri) is an endangered mussel found in only a few locations within the Big South Fork of the Cumberland and the upper Clinch rivers. The National Park Service has been collaborating with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources to monitor the status of this rare species.

Staff from both agencies have been working together recently to recover the Big South Fork populations of this species by supplementing their numbers. Male and female tan riffleshell mussels were collected from Big South Fork and used to produce thousands of baby mussels. These small mussels have been added to limited locations where the species is known to exist at Big South Fork over the last few years. 

Legacy Parks hosts “Urban Hikes” book launch party

KNOXVILLE — This is the 20th anniversary for not only nonprofit Legacy Parks Foundation but also for the guidebook “Urban Hikes in Knoxville and Knox County, Tennessee.” This comprehensive guide to hikes in the Knoxville area is celebrating two decades by releasing a third edition. The launch party will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center.

“Urban Hikes” includes trails, hikes, parks and other green spaces across the area. The guide includes details such as maps, accessibility information, wildlife viewing tips, historical notes and essential tips about the trails. More than 30 hikes are included, spanning both local trails and local greenways. 

The launch party will be attended by “Urban Hikes” co-authors Mac Post and Ron Shrieves. They will be signing copies. The party is a chance for interested readers to acquire a copy of the new edition before the book makes it into stores on November 24.

Hurricane Helene was fueled by unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico before it began its deadly and destructive push into East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Scientists said global climate change made the storm considerably worse than it would have been in natural conditions. East Tennessee leaders announced a regional climate plan focused on reducing local contributions to climate change. Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

Plan suggests actions on public and private levels to slow warming climate 

KNOXVILLE — Area leaders unveiled a plan to improve air quality, health and quality of life across the metro region.

Breathe: A Climate Action Plan for the Knoxville Region, released Nov. 12, is the result of a two-year collaboration, and is the region’s first comprehensive climate action plan.

The city collaborated with regional leaders and a working group of representatives from over 50 organizations across nine counties to help shape the plan’s goals and strategies, ensuring they reflect the region’s priorities and constraints.

The plan was funded through the U.S. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which the city of Knoxville was awarded in 2023.

Individuals can make personal climate pledges and find resources to help achieve them on the project website. The plan and all related materials, pledge, and list of resources can be found at www.knoxbreathe.org.

Jaimie Matzcko uses a smartphone to document plants and an insect community on the side of Mount LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park during an outing to document life as part of the All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Discover Life in America’s two-year strategic plan calls for a greater emphasis on insects, especially bees, in the national park. Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

DLIA insect-heavy two-year strategic plan sparks next era of discovery for mountain life

Jaimie Matzcko is Discover Life in America communications coordinator.

GATLINBURG — Discover Life in America (DLiA), a non-profit organization committed to cataloging biodiversity and supporting science-based conservation in the southern Appalachians, announced its 2026–2028 strategic plan, and it’s heavy on the quest to better document the six-legged denizens of the Smokies.

This roadmap strengthens DLiA’s focus on leveraging decades of taxonomic research to impact conservation, education, and ecosystem resilience. Since 1998, DLiA has partnered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to manage an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, a project that aims to document every species in the park.

The two-year-plan calls for the launch of the first native bee assessment in the national park “to assess bee health and drive their conservation.”

OAK RIDGE — The city is investing in a new cooling system for the Oak Ridge Recreation Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The recreation center includes a game room with pool tables and arcade games, as well a gym and an indoor pool. In a news release, city government described the new cooling technology as innovative and “designed to improve operational efficiency, lower electricity costs, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions for the facility while supporting the growth of a local clean-tech company.”

That company is Shift Thermal and its system stores energy in the form of ice, made during off-peak hours when power is cheapest and cleanest.

“During the hottest parts of the day, when electricity demand and costs are at their highest, the stored ice supplements the building’s air conditioning, which then improves performance and reduces the strain on the power grid,” Shift Thermal CTO Mitchell Ishmael said in the news release.

The company uses an immiscible working fluid to circulate through the system, eliminating traditional ice-storage heat exchangers. This design simplifies installation, increases efficiency, and lowers costs for large-scale cooling systems, the news release stated.

-Ben Pounds