Newsletter | Chattanooga Nature Center

Lessons from the North Woods

By Jean Lomino

boundary waters canoe trip - Jean Lomino 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

By Tish Gailmard

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?

By Kyle Waggener

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

By Tish Gailmard

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!

Wilderness – An Idea Whose Time Has Come Again in Tennessee

By Chattanooga Nature Center

Guest Editorial By Jeffrey Hunter, Southeast Field Coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.

Protecting public lands is a uniquely American idea dating back to the mid 1800’s. Tennessee has played no small role in that history. In 1863, General U.S. Grant was here in Chattanooga for the Battle of Lookout Mountain. On March 1, 1872, legislation to establish the world’s first National Park – Yellowstone – was signed into law by President Grant. In 1890, several additional National Parks were established including Sequoia, Yosemite, and Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park. Chattanooga’s Military Park, including parts of Lookout Mountain, was the first National Park created to study the Civil War here in America.

In the years that followed, the US Forest Service was established (1905), and the National Park Service was created (1916). While the establishment of these new federal agencies was an idea whose time had come, there were some who argued that it was not enough. Our nation was expanding rapidly and our natural heritage was at risk. As early as 1921, Aldo Leopold expressed concern that “the parks are being networked with roads and trails as rapidly as possible.” Leopold and other Americans wanted some parts of our wild landscape permanently protected from road building, dams, timber harvest, mining, and other development activities. In 1935, Leopold, Harvey Broome (from Knoxville, TN), Benton MacKaye (the originator of the Appalachian Trail concept), and Robert “Bob” Marshall (the Chief of Recreation and Lands for the Forest Service) formed The Wilderness Society (TWS) to push for greater protection for our public lands. The next year (1936), the Cherokee National Forest was established in Tennessee.

As a result of hard work by a dedicated group of individuals, the Wilderness Act of 1964 was enacted. This historic piece of legislation established our nation’s beloved Wilderness Preservation System, and offers protection “in perpetuity” for portions of our public lands here in the United States. Since then, tens of millions of acres have been protected as wilderness, including the Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness (1975). In 1984, the Bald River Gorge Wilderness, Citico Creek Wilderness, and Big Frog Wilderness areas were created. In 1986, the Little Frog Wilderness was added to the wilderness system. These lands provide clean water, vital wildlife habitat, and places for Americans to recreate quietly, away from the hustle and bustle of modern society.

It has been 23 years since new wilderness areas have been established in Tennessee. In 2004, the Forest Service recommended expanding wilderness protection in the Cherokee National Forest. A citizen’s group – Tennessee Wild – has since formed to advocate for federal legislation to formalize the Forest Service recommendations. We have also recommended some modest additions to the Forest Service’s recommendations. In total, Tennessee Wild is seeking wilderness protection for nearly 18,000 acres of the Cherokee. All of these lands are currently in public ownership. The Chattanooga Nature Center recently endorsed Tennessee Wild’s conservation vision, and wants you, the members of Chattanooga Nature Center, to help to make this a reality. In order to accomplish this goal, we need to pass federal legislation to protect the Cherokee for both current and future generations.

Starting on September 5, 2009, the Chattanooga Nature Center will offer a series of five hikes in six weeks to areas where we are seeking wilderness protection. These hikes are free and open to the public. I encourage you to join me along with staff from Chattanooga Nature Center, as we explore Tennessee’s wildlands. These lands are rugged and wild, and home to an incredible array of flora and fauna. Even if you can’t join us for a hike, there are things that you can do to make a difference. A Wilderness Workshop planned for October 31, 2009 at the Nature Center will teach the skills necessary to expand wilderness here in Tennessee.

Please join us. Together, we can make a difference.

Jeffrey Hunter is the Southeast Field Coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition. He is an avid hiker, an aspiring naturalist, and trail maintainer who walked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2000. In addition, he has backpacked in wilderness areas all across America including parts of the Continental Divide Trail and Pacific Crest Trail with his daughter Martha. He and his wife Suzanne live in the Caretaker’s Cabin at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden.

For more information about wilderness in Tennessee, please visit http://tnwild.org.

The Lowly Maggot

By Tish Gailmard

While the wildlife department normally writes about one of our animal ambassadors, I felt compelled to write about one animal that presents numerous issues in the summer for us as animal keepers—the common housefly. In the summer heat, flies are everywhere—on leftover food, scat, water buckets and various other things that most animals and certainly humans would find disgusting. As a keeper, I come in contact with some pretty nasty stuff on a daily basis. It’s just part of the job and I really don’t mind it. I consider it a small price to pay for the privilege of sharing in the lives of the animals here at CNC. We often joke that we can deal with all kinds of dirty work, including stinky food, dirty water, mud, mosquitoes, bees, heat, cold and rain, but we have one nemesis that gets us every time and that is the larval stage of houseflies—maggots!

There is a purpose for all creatures, and here are some interesting benefits of maggots:

Some types of maggots can be of great use to forensic scientists. By their stage of development, these maggots can be used to give an indication of the time elapsed since death, as well as the place the organism died. Maggot species can be identified using their DNA. At the height of the summer season, a generation of flies (egg to adult) may be produced in 12–14 days. It is important to note that the lack of maggot presence is also telling in an investigation. Some other families of Insecta, such as Histeridae, feed on maggots. Thus, the lack of maggots would increase the estimated time of death.
Other types of maggots are bred commercially, as a popular bait in fishing and a food for carnivorous pets such as reptiles or birds.
Maggots have been used in medicine to clean out necrotic wounds, and in food production, particularly of cheeses (casu marzu).

So there you have it! Even though they are pretty disgusting, maggots do have an important place in the web of life.

Looking forward to winter…

Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns:

Holiday in the Woods: