| By Tish Gailmard Several changes have occurred within our Red Wolf pack recently. As the 2007 litter of five pups grew up, four family members were transferred to other facilities. The father was transferred to Sandy Ridge, the captive facility within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, to be paired with a female in hopes that any offspring could be fostered into a wild den; they produced a litter this season, but it was too early to find a wild den with pups the same age. Two female pups are living at the nature station at Land between the Lakes, Kentucky. One very lucky male pup has gone to live in the wild on an island in the Florida panhandle. He shares the 12,000 acre Saint Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge with a very young female and a very old female. This spring, my family and I had the great opportunity to track this male using telemetry with the resident bio tech, Eddie Eckley. We heard the CNC pup’s radio collar beep about ¼ mile from us, but we never saw him. A few weeks later, Eddie called me to say that the younger female and our male pup were producing beeps in the same area for 8 days. He later found a den, but no pups – this female is a little too young to produce yet. He did get a visual on our male pup with a piglet in his mouth! The island has a large population of non-native pigs, non-native Sanbar deer and native white tail deer that provide excellent hunting and nutrition for the three resident Red Wolves. With this year’s experience, hopefully this male pup will father some pups next year and add to the wild population! The mother of the 2007 litter along with the remaining two male pups, reside at CNC. (We refer to them as pups when in fact they are larger than their mother!) Our red wolf pack also includes a new pair – a female from Tallahassee and a male from Knoxville. These 4-year-olds are currently a companion pair and get along very well. Hope and I will attend the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan summit meeting this summer where we will learn if there will be any more changes within our pack, so stay tuned! As I write this article, all the Red Wolves are in some stage of blowing their winter coats and may look raggedy, but rest assured they are just preparing for the hot summer that has come upon us so quickly. When the winter coats come off, they often look thin, but they are not. They eat high quality dog chow and lots of meat treats six days per week. They are living large while helping educate all of us about their importance. Not a day goes by that I don’t marvel at these fascinating creatures. By Christina Koch  Creek Cleanup Volunteers, from left to right: Kelly Taylor, Dee Taylor, Courtney Hicks, Matt Chapman (CNC volunteer), Debbie Vass, and Bob Vass. On the weekend of May 23 and 24, after several postponements due to relentless rainfall, a group of dedicated volunteers canoed Lookout Creek in an effort to remove trash from the water and banks. Much of the litter had collected in a log-jam along the banks of Reflection Riding, creating quite an eyesore on an otherwise peaceful setting. To get an idea of just how much litter was polluting the Creek, see the committed group of volunteers (see picture #1)—most from St. Thaddaeus’ Episcopal Church—along with their “day’s catch.” Other participants included our regular volunteers—Richard, Harriet, and Alice White. To each of these devoted volunteers, from all of us at CNC (along with Mother Nature)…THANK YOU SO MUCH! By Chattanooga Nature Center CNC Representatives for Events These volunteers man our CNC Booth at special events. The tasks include setting up CNC materials, handing out literature, and answering general questions. To reflect a positive image of CNC, representatives should possess a pleasant demeanor and basic social/communication skills. For more information please contact Diane at 821-1160 x111 or dmorgan@chattanature.org. By Tina Crawford  Ribbon cutting ceremony took place May 26, 2009 Paddler’s Perch is now open and ready for overnighters – yes you! A ribbon cutting and public celebration took place on May 26th with guided canoe trips, hikes and tours of the Nature Center and Reflection Riding. A huge thank you to Bruz Clark and the Board of Directors at the Lyndhurst Foundation! Thank you as well to Sunny 92.3, Kristy Burns and Lookout Valley High School Band Boosters. CNC Members and TN River Blueway Paddlers may rent the Perch. It’s $35 for two people for one night, with an additional $10 per person up to eight (see reservation procedures, packing list, etc. on this website under Paddler’s Perch.) Come spend the night in the canopy of the trees, hear the wolves howl at night and enjoy other wildlife and the views of historic Lookout Creek. To make reservations call 423.821.1160 ext. 102. By Tish Gailmard Our goal here at CNC is to help people gain knowledge of the natural world which leads to respect, then love and finally to conservation. I am a believer in teaching children and young adults about our native wildlife because when learning is interesting, fun and hands-on, it becomes contagious and gets the learning ball rolling through the community. Some of my time as wildlife curator is spent working with students who request help with school reports about specific animals, like the second-grader working on a Barn Owl report or the 6th grader working on a Red Wolf report. At other times older students want to know more about being a wildlife curator, like the college student who is currently following me with a camera and notepad. I recently worked with a middle school student who obviously had a strong interest in wildlife, was full of animal facts, but wasn’t sure about his career. Through our conversations he realized that an interpretive ranger might be a good field for him. Another example is the high school student who fulfilled her required volunteer hours here at the Chattanooga Nature Center. Not only has she gained some valuable experience, but she has given back to CNC as a responsible and dependable volunteer. With so many career choices today, a school report or a job-shadowing experience might lead a student to a new found opportunity and eventual career. I’m excited and honored to be a part of that process! By Christina Koch  CNC needs volunteers for the following projects:
- Lead tours and welcome visitors on the weekends. The only requirements are that volunteers be at least 18 years old, enjoy meeting people and have a love of nature. They will also need to complete a docent training session so they will be familiar with the flora, fauna and history of the site. This is a great volunteer opportunity if you would like to spend time in a beautiful setting and help CNC fulfill its mission.
- Creek Cleanup on Sat/Sun, May 2/3 to get ready for the Grand Opening of our new Paddler’s Perch. Volunteers are needed to go out in canoes and/or walk the grounds and gather trash from the creek and surrounding areas. We have all needed equipment for this project (canoes, life jackets, gloves, grabbers, etc.).
- Represent CNC while manning display/info booth at other special events (dates TBA). This involves setting up CNC materials, handing out literature, and answering general questions.
- Assemble membership packets (folding materials, stuffing envelopes, affixing mailing labels, etc.). This is an ongoing opportunity (approximately once a month for several hours); however, we’d gladly accept help on a one-time basis too.
- Teach Field Classes/Field Trips (as needed). This would be a great opportunity for a retired teacher or a college student majoring in education and/or environmental sciences. Involves instructing elementary and middle school students on a variety of topics while leading them on hikes and nature activities. Volunteers will need to complete a training session.
- Light carpentry work. We need someone with skill in carpentry/construction to build several small to medium-sized outdoor animal enclosures and Red Wolf den boxes.
If you are interested in any of these rewarding opportunities, please contact Christina at 821-1160 x0 or ckoch@chattanature.org. By Chattanooga Nature Center Plots are available to CNC members in our organic garden. This year we are asking for a $25 donation for each plot to help pay for a new fence. To reserve your spot or for more information, call 821-1160 x 0. By Kyle Waggener  In November 2008, the Chattanooga Nature Center joined Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. This is a continent wide bird-monitoring program where ordinary citizens watch and count birds at their feeders. The data is then sent to scientists at Cornell so they can track large-scale movements of winter bird populations and monitor long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Staff and visitors to the nature center contributed data and birdseed to this effort.
The FeederWatch season ended the first weekend in April. The nature center courtyard area totaled 31 species over that time period including: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch. For more information on how you can participate in Project FeederWatch go to http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ or call (607) 254-2427. By Kyle Waggener  Studies have shown that wild birds rely on many different sources of food for survival. Even birds that regularly visit feeders usually rely on them for less than 25% of their food supply, with wild food sources providing the rest. Wild birds have survived on this continent for millennia without people feeding them, and could do so again. People didn’t start feeding wild birds in North America until the late 1800s. Some people feel that human-caused habitat loss increases the need to provide food for our feathered friends. This is true, to some extent, in more urban areas. The flip-side to this is the millions of acres of habitat that were lost to grow the crops for the bird seed in the first place.
Feeding birds during cold winters in the Northern latitudes has been shown to increase the survival rate of chickadees. I’m sure that it isn’t nearly as important down here in the South because snow cover is what prevents them from finding food in northern states. Even when it gets cold here in Chattanooga, wild food sources are still available. A Wisconsin study, conducted in the middle of winter, sheds some light on this problem. The conclusion was that birds who regularly visit feeders find wild food sources when their feeders are suddenly taken away, and they survive just as well as birds that depend entirely on wild sources. During a typical winter, wild food sources are enough to ensure the survival of wild bird populations. So if for some reason you quit feeding the birds in your yard, they will find other sources of food to survive. Birds do tend to get into a routine of checking food sources. If you stop feeding them, it may take them awhile to come back to your feeders as part of their routine. Feeding birds can be a tremendous benefit to people because in our increasingly urbanized world, feeding birds has become our primary interaction with wild animals. By Jean Lomino Spring has again performed its extravagant show. All nature is awash with rich hues of green, purple, red, and yellow. Animals are busy courting, building nests and feeding babies. It seems that everything is in constant motion after a long winter’s sleep. CNC is also in a state of renewal. If you haven’t visited recently, you will be pleasantly surprised to see what is happening. As a result of our master planning that began two years ago, and through the generous support of the Lyndhurst Foundation, CNC’s new canoe facility is in its final stages of construction. Not only will this feature enhance paddlers’ experiences, but it also provides additional opportunities for visitors-new views of Lookout Creek and the wetland, a swinging bridge and the “Paddler’s Perch.” (The Perch can be rented for overnight stays and for special events.) The 30 year-old visitor center restrooms have received a facelift, thanks to our partnership with Lowe’s, and a new red wolf exhibit will soon be ready for view. All of these projects have been designed in keeping with our mission to teach and model the principles of sustainability. The Paddler’s Perch and dock have been constructed with sustainable materials, and will feature a composting toilet. Great care was taken to preserve the trees and natural features of the building site. The visitor center restrooms include low-flow toilets, waterless urinals, automatic faucets, soap, and towel dispensers. All items have been selected for their durability and green features. We have also recycled the original fixtures rather than adding them to the landfill. As was the original intent 30 years ago, the nature center buildings, themselves, are part of the educational experience for our visitors. Since CNC has been built on a residential scale, all of the sustainable features and construction practices can be replicated at home. Come by soon to see all the great things that are happening at your nature center as we celebrate together, 30 years green. . . and growing! |
