Chattanooga Nature Center

3rd Chattanooga BioBlitz April 30 & May 1

Tina Crawford — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:03:26 +0000

The Chattanooga Nature Center (CNC), Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden (RR), UTC, Tennessee Aquarium and Lookout Mountain Conservation join forces to host the 3rd annual Chattanooga BioBlitz April 30th at 3 p.m. through May 1st at 3 p.m. at CNC and RR.

Chattanooga BioBlitz combines the best of a festival, educational event, scientific endeavor and contest into a unique event. The BioBlitz brings together scientists and experts from across the region in a race against time to see how many species can be counted during a 24-hour biological survey of CNC and RR properties.

Come to Chattanooga BioBlitz to observe scientists at work and take part in free programs, including a guided bird and butterfly walk and bird presentation.

Participants can enjoy interactive educational activities, as well as take home a Backyard BioBlitz guide to do their own survey. Learn about the rich biodiversity of the flora and fauna of our region and discover how to reduce the human impact on our fragile environment.

For more information call 423.821.1160 ext. 112.

Around the World in 90 Minutes!

Tina Crawford — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:48:25 +0000

Bring the Entire Family to Learn about Animals all over the World

On April 3^rd, award-winning author Marty Essen presents his high-energy digital slide show, Around the World in 90 Minutes. This event is presented by the Chattanooga Nature Center (CNC), Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden (RR), Tennessee Aquarium, UTC and Lookout Mountain Conservancy.

Marty’s show features interesting facts, humorous stories, and the best of thousands of photos he took while traveling the world for his book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. It’s the type of show where the audience has fun laughing at the stories, oohing and aahing at the photos, and then, when it’s all done, they realize just how much they’ve learned. Around the World in 90 Minutes is great for wildlife lovers from 7 to 107!

Highlights: Amazing animal facts - Debunking animal myths - Cuddly wallaroos and spiny walking stick – Charging elephants and howling wolves – Deadly snakes and friendly penguins – Bizarre creatures and endangered species – Swimming with piranhas – Kayaking in the rainforest – Hiking with the Porcupine caribou migration – Rafting with humpback whales – Surviving a hippo attack in Zimbabwe

To learn more about Marty Essen and his book visit http://www.coolcreatureshotplanet.com/.

Around the World in 90 Minutes will take place at Benwood Auditorium on the UTC Campus, Saturday, April 3^rd at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults, $2.50 for children ages 4 to 11 and 3 and under are free. Attendees can pay at the door or reserve seating by calling 423.821.1160 ext. 0. Books and photographs will be available for purchase.

Summer Camp Registration is Now Open!

Chattanooga Nature Center — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:06:32 +0000

Registration begins March 1st for Members & March 15th for Non-Members.

Call 423.821.1160 ext. 112 to register

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Your Support is Needed and Appreciated

Chattanooga Nature Center — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:23:58 +0000

The Chattanooga Nature Center receives no monies from local, state or federal agencies. We rely entirely on people like you to continue our work.

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New Red Wolves are here and it’s COLD

Tish Gailmard — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:19:20 +0000

As a keeper, there are many challenges in each day and lately the cold weather as really been tough for us. When the temps are in the teens and 20s, locks freeze, enclosure doors freeze to the ground, hoses freeze and water in water buckets freeze, not to mention, we freeze! It takes more time and lots of energy to feed the animals when it’s this cold, but we do it for the animals. Some of our animals do not tolerate really cold temps, so they come inside and enjoy some warmth. We are really looking forward to a heat wave with temps in the 30s and 40s!

Our newest additions to the CNC Red Wolf pack arrived this weekend! We received two 9 month old brothers who were born at Sandy Ridge, NC. Their father is the same father of our 2007 pups and their mothers are sisters. One has a stub tail that happened when he was less than 3 months old. They are just beginning to settle into their enclosure, learn their surroundings and our routines. We’re glad to have them here!

cooler temps

Tish Gailmard — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:50:32 +0000

As fall comes into full swing, as keepers, we have to think about changes that need to be made to keep our animal ambassadors comfortable. The snakes have stopped eating and begun their winter brumation, but we are constantly monitoring the outside temps to see if we need to turn on the heat pads for them. The box turtles also have stopped eating and have begun their winter brumation. The pond sliders continue to eat through the winter, but reduce their consumption. Our woodchuck, who is the only true native hibernator, stays awake for the winter in the heated clinic with a light bulb over his enclosure that mimics the sun’s cycle. He spends time in his outside enclosure as the weather permits. We monitor the opossums as the nights get cool and bring them in when the temps get below freezing for multiple nights in a row. We create wind breaks for the birds of prey. We add hay to the Red Wolves’ den boxes for extra warmth. Many people ask me, “These animals wouldn’t have light bulbs, heat pads, hay and heated buildings in the wild so why do you do it for them?” The answer is simple. In a captive situation, we must provide for the animal, in various ways and forms, what nature would provide if they lived in the wild. When the temps drop, the snakes find warm places in the earth, under rocks and overhangs to sleep for the winter. Box turtles and water turtles bury in the earth and mud and the woodchuck sleeps soundly all winter in his underground den. The opossums continue to hunt food, but find warm places in piles of dense leaves or in evergreen boughs to spend the cold nights. Owls perch in evergreen trees or hide in knot holes to shield themselves from the winter wind. Since our animal ambassadors have permanent injuries that don’t allow them to return to the wild, not only do we make sure they have proper diets and vet care, but we have to make sure their homes are safe and warm – husbandry at its best!

Lessons from the North Woods

Jean Lomino — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:52:08 +0000

I just returned from a six-day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Wilderness area on the Minnesota, Canadian border. This was my sixth trip, and each time my primordial self is rekindled in this amazing place. The sights, sounds and sensations of the North Woods renew my body and soul: the loon’s nighttime lullaby; a bald eagle screeching its presence as it soars overhead; lake water lapping against a rocky shore; boulders covered in multicolored lichens and mosses; air heavy with the scent of fir, spruce and pine; a beaver carving his wake on the glassy water, and timber wolves howling as northern lights dance across the sky.

In addition to a reconnection with nature, wilderness trips help me to live more simply. I’ve learned that I really don’t need so many things to be happy, because when traveling with a backpack, keeping it light is the secret to enjoying the journey. “The less I carry, the more I enjoy the trip,” has become my new mantra for life. Wilderness teaches me to consume less. I’m always surprised at how little water is needed, for instance, to take a bath or brush my teeth and how satisfied I am eating simple, one course meals.

Returning, a few weeks ago, to a soft bed, warm shower, and meal of fresh fruit and vegetables, was delightful. But these pleasures will forever be tempered with the memory of living lightly in the wilderness. I have come home more determined than ever to slow down, savor every day, use all of my senses, consume less, build greater community with my friends and family, and increase my efforts to share the joy of simple living.

I hope you will take every opportunity to go outside, and let nature be your teacher, too!

Naturally yours,

Jean Lomino

Annual Red Wolf Conference Report

Tish Gailmard — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:10:49 +0000

It’s that time of year again when we travel to a place where Red Wolves are all the rage and where everyone has Red Wolves on their minds –the annual Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP) summit meeting. This year Hope Howard and I traveled to Tacoma, Washington where the entire Red Wolf program started. We always have a great time on these trips, when we see our Red Wolf partners, discuss all things Red Wolf and create the breeding pairs and transfer recommendations for the upcoming breeding season.

One thing most people don’t realize is how breeding recommendations work. It’s quite simple because all captive Red Wolves’ pedigrees are kept in a computer program that allows us to make virtual pairings to determine whether a particular pair will increase diversity or not. Prior to the meeting, it is determined how many births are needed to offset deaths and maintain the current population size and how many births are needed to grow the population at a rate of 2%. We assume a litter size of 4 and a 25% probability of successful reproducing – these numbers drive our decisions of how many breeding pairs to create. Another important factor is space to house these animals. We can breed Red Wolves and have many pups, but there must be a place to house them. In a perfect world, all the cooperators would have unlimited funds and space to build big enclosures to house, care for and feed all the pups and parents! (The CNC’s latest Red Wolf enclosure cost approximately $15,000!)

The fostering process helps with the space issue if the timing is right. Sometimes a breeding pair is identified as a potential fostering opportunity—whose pups may be fostered into a wild den. After the captive litter is born, the Red Wolf biologists look for a wild litter with pups the same age as the captive pups. Usually this captive litter is in close proximity to the wild refuge so the transfer can happen quickly; the pups must be less than two weeks old. The fostering process also introduces the captive bloodline to the wild bloodline which creates diversity.

Last year, the father of our 2007 pups had a litter of 4 which was to be fostered, but the litter was born early in the season and there was not a wild den available. The three males from this litter are transferring to CNC! We are holding 1275F, 1566M and 1567M. Red Wolf 1377F will transfer to another facility and we will be receiving 1370F to pair with CNC’s 1408M as a breeding pair! Our pack will be 8 strong with the possibility of 2010 pups!

CNC continues to be one of the most engaged cooperators of the RWSSP and our attendance at this meeting each year confirms our strong association and allows us to be an integral part of the decision making process.

Ask the Naturalist: Do Butterflies Migrate for the Winter?

Kyle Waggener — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:29:34 +0000

Yes, but only a few species. There are around 750 butterfly species in the United States. Different species spend the winter in each of the four life stages: egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult.

male monarch butterfly

The species that migrate are typically those that over-winter as adults. The most famous example of a migrating butterfly species is the monarch. Mother monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweed plants, which is the only type of plant these caterpillars will eat. The mother can taste the leaves with her feet to determine if she is on the correct type of plant when laying her eggs. The caterpillars hatch from the eggs in just three to five days then start eating the milkweed leaves. Milkweed leaves contain a toxin that builds up in the caterpillar’s body and is still present in the adult butterfly. This toxin is an anti-predatory device that causes some birds, such as blue jays, to vomit after eating one of theses butterflies. However, there are several invertebrates, some mice, and two species of birds that are known to eat monarchs without negative side effects.

Caterpillars are eating machines, increasing their body size 2,700 times in the three weeks that they are in the caterpillar stage. That would be like a seven-pound human baby growing up to weigh 18,900 pounds! After the caterpillars are finished growing, they shed their skins for the fifth and final time. This outer layer of skin hardens to form a chrysalis which protects the caterpillar as it transforms itself into the adult butterfly. This process takes about 10 days. The adult butterfly then emerges from its chrysalis and pumps fluid into its wings to unfold and dry them. They can fly in a matter of hours and mate in three to five days. Typically, the adults only live for four to five weeks, going through three or more generations each summer. The final generation to emerge in late summer fails to become sexually mature and goes into reproductive diapause for up to eight months so that they can migrate to another area to spend the winter months.

Populations of monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains migrate up to 2,000 miles to the oyamel fir forests above 10,000 feet of elevation in the mountains of central Mexico. Populations west of the Rockies migrate to the Pacific coast of California. There is a small population in Florida that stays active and continues their typical life cycle all winter.

In late February, the adult monarchs mate, and the females migrate north from Mexico to the southernmost parts of the United States where they stop to lay eggs. These are the offspring that journey further north to repopulate the rest of Eastern North America.

Other migrating local butterfly species include red admiral, common buckeye, American lady and cloudless sulphur. Migrating butterflies rarely stop to feed, so the butterflies feeding on the flowers in your yard probably haven’t started their migration yet.

A Salute to Some Chattanooga Nature Center Heroes

Tish Gailmard — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:22:12 +0000

There are many times at CNC when we need not only people power but donations of skilled labor and materials. Twice now, Jay Bell, of Bell Development, has donated lumber for several of our Wildlife Wanderland projects. These very kind donations allow us to build new features that enrich our visitor experience and provide enclosures for our animals. Because of Jay’s generosity, we have been able to build a life-size eagle nest that reaches into the trees for a genuine eagle nest experience. We’ve also built enclosures that enrich our animal ambassadors’ lives providing them with bigger and better mews that are easier to clean and easier on the eye. A HUGE thanks to Jay Bell for his generosity and continued support of our mission.

Billy Ewton with Ewton Fence Company has donated hours and hours of his time and labor as well as fencing materials. He has built and repaired many feet of fencing and recently donated his labor, time and materials to build an off-exhibit, outdoor, warm weather enclosure for our woodchuck. This much needed, new enclosure allows the woodchuck to spend beautiful summer days outside digging happily in his new home! This enclosure will also double as an opossum enclosure when the woodchuck is not at home. MANY thanks to Billy Ewton for taking care of all our fencing needs and for his love of the Nature Center!

Chuck Harbin came by the Nature Center one day and filled out a volunteer form. When we saw his extensive building background with animal enclosures, we asked if he would be willing to build one of the new enclosures made possible by the recent lumber donation from Bell Development. He and his sons, Ryan and Adam have been working very hard ever since! We are incredibly fortunate to find such a generous and talented family to take on this very large task. Chuck’s building skills have created an awesome new enclosure for our barn owls and our great-horned female owl, who will be much more visible to the public. This enclosure allowed us to move some birds around into new spaces and free up some space as well.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to Chuck, Ryan and Adam, for their dedication, skills and willingness to work in the heat so our animal ambassadors can live in luxury!