2E. Pine plantations no longer welcome in Tennessee

In recent decades, pine plantations have become established all over the Cumberland Plateau. According to a University of the South study, for example, they cover 80,000 acres — or about 13% of the land -- in five southern Cumberland Plateau counties between the Alabama border and Sewanee.
Gov. Bredesen believes that now is a good time to decrease the number of pine plantations. Bowater is selling their holdings. Furthermore, under the Governor's recently enacted North Cumberland initiative, 124,000 acres of forestland will be managed for conservation (NL274 ¶1). “This is not a pine state, it's a hardwood state,” Bredesen said, as quoted in The Knoxville News Sentinel of 8/7/07. “I think any time you have monoculture you have enormous disease potential. I'd like to see some of these areas move back to native Tennessee forest, which is a mixed hardwood forest.” On any of the lands acquired by the state from Bowater (NL271 ¶1A) or others, Gov. Bredesen would like to have the state plant native forests after the pines are harvested.
Even Bowater had expressed concerns about growing pine plantations and had agreed in 2005 to stop growing them. Just a few months later, the company announced its intention to sell all of its Tennessee timberlands and to use timber grown by others. The Bowater paper mill at Calhoun will not, in the future, use pines grown on plantations.

2F. TDoT to study interstate corridors

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is undertaking a study on the I-40, I-81 corridors. The first round of the Regional Stakeholder meetings is intended to provide a project overview, a listing of corridor deficiencies, and an initial array of potential solutions.
The dates for Round 1 are as follows:
September 4 - Nashville
September 13 - Kingsport
September 17 - Memphis
September 18 - Jackson
September 24 - Cookeville
September 25 - Knoxville
The afternoon meetings with staff and technical coordination committee members, are expected to run between 1:30 and 3:30 PM local time. Evening meetings, with stakeholders and the public, will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM local time. For further details, visit http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/public/2007/I40_81meeting.pdf

3. THE SMOKIES and NEARBY

3A. Further support needed for North Shore Road settlement to Swain County
[With thanks for information contributed by Ted Snyder]

Though things look very good for getting a monetory settlement in lieu of the North Shore Road (NSR) (NL274 ¶2A), it ain't over till it's over. The National Park Service's Final EIS will indeed call for a monetary settlement to Swain County as the Agency Preferred Alternative, and it's still expected to be issued during the first week of September. Almost the entire Tennessee Congressional delegation and more than half of North Carolina's (including Sen. Dole) were on record supporting that decision (NL273 ¶5A).
Now, the political will and know-how are required to bring about appropriations for the monetary settlement. On July 13, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved an amendment offered by Sen. Alexander that would allow about $6 M to be used as down payment to Swain County. This is the amount left over (after EIS preparation costs) from the $16 M that was appropriated for the NSR in 2001 via a backdoor maneuver by former Rep. Charles Taylor (NL240 ¶3C; NL241 ¶5). Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), who defeated Rep. Taylor in 2006, and who has been a major driving force behind the monetary settlement, has received assurance from House conferees that the Alexander amendment to the Senate bill will be accepted.
The remainder of the money must still be appropriated. Senators Alexander and Dole are said to be drafting a bill for the full settlement. Recently, Senator Dole has been receiving a flow of passionate letters from NSR advocates asking her to reverse her position. She needs to be supported in her original stand, which benefits the people of Swain County as well as preserving the Park unimpaired for future generations. You may also wish to support Sen. Dole's concern about safeguarding the settlement money (placing the principal in trust and spending only the interest). Sen. Alexander and Rep. Heath Shuler, who made good on his campaign pledge and led the effort to stop the the NSR, deserve our thanks for working toward the first installment of the settlement money.

3B. Proposed power plant unit threatens Smokies air

As if air quality in the Smokies weren't under enough assault already, there is now a proposal for adding capacity to an existing coal-fired power plant. Duke Power is proposing to add a new 800-megawatt unit at its Cliffside power plant near Shelby, NC. This unit, which would have a 50-year lifespan, would use conventional coal-burning technology and no provisions for carbon capture or adequate control of other pollutants (SO2, NOx, and mercury). The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) believes that the permit does not meet federal Clean Air Act requirements that new units be built with the cleanest technology available.
The deadline for commenting on the draft permit is October 31, but only one public hearing has been scheduled (Sept. 18 in Forest City, NC). Since the effects of the pollutants are clearly not just local, multiple hearings need to be held.

4. TVA NEWS

4A. Analysis of Watts Bar Plan

The Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan was released in early August and has a comment deadline of September 24. This Plan, which would supersede the 1988 Plan now in effect, was originally issued in May 2005, but had to be revised to conform with TVA's new Land Policy (NL271 ¶4A), adopted in November 2006.
The Plan defines 7 Zones, as follows:
1 Non-TVA Shoreland (this include flowage easement land, on which TVA has the right to flood and/or limit structures). Land in this zone is not assigned to a use allocation.
2 Project Operations (needed for navigation, dams power plants, etc.).
3 Sensitive Resource Management. This includes Small Wild Areas, Habitat Protection Areas, Ecological Study Areas.
4 Natural Resource Conservation (for “enhancement of natural resources for human use and appreciation,” including wildlife or forest management).
5 Industrial (for economic development). Preference is given to businesses requiring water access.
6 Developed Recreation. Includes both public recreation (that may be operated by private concessionaires) and commercial recreation; also launching ramps, parking areas, and greenways.
7 Shoreline Access includes developments that might require TVA approval (e.g., private docks and boathouses, pathways, wooden steps, riprap and retaining walls, etc.).
The alternatives Three alternatives are considered -- A, B, and C. The first of these designates the continued use of the 1988 Plan, while the other two are new. (Note that the 1988 Plan used 19 allocations, which, for Alternative A, have been variously combined to conform to the present 7 zones). While the 1988 Plan covered 10,387 acres, the new Alternatives include an additional ~6,000 acres that were not planned in 1988 (primarily, the present Zones 2 and 7). The Alternatives are designated as follows:
• Alternative A: No Action
• Alternative B: Development and Recreation
• Alternative C: Conservation and Recreation
The DEIS identifies B as the agency's ”preferred alternative,” and C as the “environmentally preferred alternative.”
Because, for TCWP members, Zones 3 and 4, versus Zones 5 and 6, are of greatest interest, the Table below has been constructed from the information in Table 2.2-1 of the DEIS.

4B. Court finds TVA violated air pollution rules

A US District Court ruled on August 27 that TVA's coal-fired Colbert power plant in northwestern Alabama has violated air-quality standards more than 3,000 times in the past two years. The suit was brought by the Alabama Environmental Council and the Sierra Club. Unless TVA appeals the ruling to the 11th US Circuit Court, it will have to file a remediation plan to which plaintiffs can respond.

5. NATIONAL CAPSULES

5A. LWCF prospects

The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), virtually eliminated by the Administration, may get a partial rescue by Congress. The President's budget had requested only $59 M for the total of all six components of the LWCF, which is the main source of money for land acquisitions by the various natural-resource agencies. The House bill nearly quadrupled the Bush sum to $205.6M, and the Senate Appropriations committee included $182.2M for the LWCF in its Interior Appropriation. An upcoming conference committee will reconcile the difference between the House and Senate versions.

5B. It's time the 1872 Mining Law got changed
[Information from National Environmental Trust, 8/31/07, and NY Times, 8/20/07]

The Mining Law of 1872 still governs the mining of “hard-rock” minerals (gold, copper, uranium, etc) on public land. Now -- 135 years old – it is urgently in need of drastic change. The 1872 law gives mining companies virtually free access to rich mineral deposits on public lands with no requirement to pay royalties. Further, the law allows claimholders -- including companies wholly owned by foreign corporations -- to buy public land outright for no more than $5 per acre, with mining given precedence over all other uses for the land.
In mid-August, the Environmental Working Group and the Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining issued a report documenting a dramatic jump in mining claims throughout the West: from 207,540 at the beginning of 2003 to 376,500 by mid-August 2007. Alarmingly, many of these claims have been staked within 5 miles of 11 national parks and monuments (including Grand Canyon and Death Valley). Hard-rock mining in 2007 is very different from mining in 1872; modern mining operations can cover hundreds of acres, involve large volumes of toxic materials, and create huge amounts of waste.
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) has, for more than a dozen years tried to reform the 1872 law. This year, he became chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, so there may be a chance, but we must show our support.

5C. Forest and Open Space Conservation Program is proposed

An amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill would establish this program under which federal matching grants are available to local governments and non-profit organizations for acquisition of threatened private forests and for technical assistance to aid wise management. The program would be administered by the US Forest Service in cooperation with appropriate state and local governmental entities. There would be active community engagement in forest planning for these parcels.
The threat to forests are great: by the year 2030, over 40,000,000 acres are expected to be converted from private forestlands to developments, with most of this happening in the eastern US. These forests have important values: many are essential to community water supplies, some support a timber-based economy, and almost all enhance recreational opportunities and quality of life.
A few weeks ago, TCWP co-signed a letter to members of the House Agriculture Committee urging their support of an amendment offered by Congresswoman Gillibrand (D-NY,20) establishing this program.

5D. Northwest's ancient forests again under attack
[Based on information from The Wilderness Society]

The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan was developed under the Clinton Administration to create forest reserves within national forests of the Pacific Northwest that would protect the unique old-growth forests while accommodating the needs of rural communities of the region. Job growth has, in fact, turned out to have been the greatest in counties with larger proportions of land devoted to biodiversity protection. The Bush Administration, however, embarked on a systematic campaign to weaken the framework of the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan.
The most recent strategy is to diminish habitat protection for the Northern Spotted Owl. This bird is an indicator species for a healthy old-growth ecosystem in the Northwest. The fact that the species has been in decline indicates that more, not less, of its habitat needs to be protected -- at a minimum, as much as in the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. But, though it may be hard to believe, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS's) recent Draft Recovery Plan not only decreases the habitat range but makes it vulnerable to further decreases at the discretion of forest managers. The Draft Recovery Plan's assertion that Barred Owls pose a greater threat to Spotted Owls than does timber harvesting is almost laughable, and it clearly shows that the authors of the recovery plan were not independent scientists but government officials. The USFWS has an obligation to generate plans based on sound science, and it must do so in this instance. TCWP recently submitted testimony to the USFWS voicing the above thoughts.

5E. Oil & gas development on sensitive lands
[Information from NY Times, 8/21/07 and from the Wilderness Soc. Wild Alert, Sept.]

The Bush Administration has pursued a relentless policy of oil & gas exploration/development on public lands (primarily those under Bureau of Land Management, BLM, jurisdiction) in some of the most environmentally sensitive parts of our Western mountains. While Gale Norton was Secretary of the Interior, numerous leases were issued in scenic and fragile areas of Utah, Montana, Idaho, and elsewhere in the region.
There was some hope that Norton's successor, Dirk Kempthorne, might moderate this aggressive policy, but this has not been the case. Now, even hunters and fishermen – groups that have traditionally been more tolerant of this Administration's policies than have other outdoor organizations – have lost patience. In mid-August, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership sued the Dept. of the Interior over the authorization of 2.000 new oil & gas wells (along with 1,000 miles of road and 1,000 miles of pipeline) in the Atlantic Rim region of south-central Wyoming. The suit charges that BLM is guilty of numerous violations of federal law, including failure to fully assess less destructive alternatives.
The Partnership, the bulk of whose members are hunters and anglers, has never before conducted a lawsuit against the government. It does not object to responsible development, undertaken with due regard for other values, including the protection of wildlife. But it was driven over the edge by the Administration's reckless disregard for the law.
Another suit against BLM has recently had an encouraging outcome. On August 6, Judge Marcia S. Krieger ruled that the BLM must stop all leasing and prevent any lease from taking effect on South Shale Ridge, a proposed 32,000-acre Wilderness area in Colorado. The Court found that the agency violated both the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act by neglecting to fully consider, (a) an option allowing energy companies to drill from outside the area without harming the surface of the wild land, and (b) the effect of drilling on threatened wildlife. The judge called the BLM's decision to lease South Shale Ridge arbitrary and capricious. In the past, BLM had acknowledged that South Shale Ridge met the statutory criteria for Wilderness, but Bush Administration's policies forbade BLM from designating new Wilderness Study Areas and required the agency to prioritize oil and gas development over all other values.

5F. Environmental costs of bottled water

Just in case you haven't heard this before.
Tap water is a safer, cheaper, and environmentally more benign way to quench your thirst than bottled water. The environmental costs of bottled water accrue from the energy used in making the plastic container, in filling it, shipping it to market, and shipping it to its final destination after use (landfill or recycle center). According to one study, just getting one bottle to a consumer uses energy generated by two ounces of oil. It has been revealed that much of the bottled water that is stated, or implied, to be spring water, is in fact tap water. That's actually a good thing because water not bottled from the tap has been robbed from a number of our most pristine streams – including some in Tennessee.

6. ENERGY LEGISLATION and GLOBAL WARMING

6A. The good features of Senate and House energy bills need to be married

In reporting on the Energy Bill passed June 21 by the Senate (NL274 ¶8A), we rejoiced in the raising of the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard (which could save as much gas as we now import from the Persian Gulf), but we regretted the bill's failure to include a requirement for utilities to produce at least 15% of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by the year 2020. Subsequently, in early August, the House passed its version of the Energy Bill, which is the opposite of the Senate bill with regard to these two items.
The energy package passed by the House does not include fuel economy targets for automobiles. On the other hand, it includes a national renewable electricity standard (passed by a vote of 220-190) requiring electric utilities to obtain at least 15% of their power from a combination of energy efficiency and renewable sources, such as the wind and sun. If passed into law, this standard would not only be a significant step forward in combating global warming, but would also create jobs and save consumers money on their electric bills.
The House bill has additional important features. It provides tax incentives for clean, renewable energy. It imposes some modest environmental safeguards on oil & gas drilling in fragile Western lands (see ¶5E, this NL); and it repeals some of the generous tax breaks that were bestowed on the oil industry by the 2005 energy bill, using the proceeds to fund development of alternative fuels
Congress now has the job of reconciling the House and Senate Energy Bills in a conference committee. Unfortunately, while Congress was taking its August recess, the auto industry was busy trying to undermine the Senate-passed 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy standard. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), they hired PR firms to scare consumers about this regulation. But recent UCS studies show that the provision would create over 170,000 new jobs, would not limit consumers' vehicle options, and would save consumers over $24 billion at the pump each year.
The Senate-House conference has the opportunity to marry the best features of each bill – the strong fuel economy provision of the Senate bill AND the renewable electricity standard of the House bill. If this comes to pass, NRDC estimates that the final bill would achieve about one-quarter of the reductions necessary to put the country on a path that stabilizes greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere. (At least it's a start!) We still need comprehensive climate-change legislation to be passed later in this Congress.
But, even for this first step, there is still the danger of a veto that has been threatened by President Bush. He has complained that the bill does not encourage oil exploration and that it repeals tax breaks to the oil industry.

6B. The true cost of carbon emissions
[Information from Environmental Defense Solutions of August, and the NY Times of 7/6/07]

We are using the atmosphere as a free dumping ground for carbon emissions. Energy is underpriced because its cost does not reflect the damage caused by fossil fuels. Americans will have to be made to understand that to stop global warming, we'll have to pay more for energy now. Unless we do so, the future costs (from droughts, sea-level rises, famines, extreme weather, etc.) will be hugely greater. Can people be made to think beyond the present?
Two remedies have been suggested:
(a) A charge on the carbon content of various fuels.
This is really a use fee. Because it would cause energy costs to rise, consumption would be curbed; plus, there would be a powerful incentive to invest in alternatives. (Note that part of the revenue from such a “tax” could be used to subsidize the higher energy cost for low-income Americans.)
(b) A cap-and-trade system.
Early this year, 10 Fortune-500 companies joined with environmental groups (Environmental Defense and NRDC) to form an alliance – the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) that called for strong national legislation to cut global warming pollution (NL272 ¶8C). Subsequently, several additional large automobile companies, and a number of major institutional investors joined USCAP (NL273 ¶8D).
USCAP's major objectives is a mandatory cap on CO2 emissions and a cap-and-trade program that sets a nationwide firm limit on emissions, while freeing businesses to find the lowest-cost ways to make the cuts. The coalition has called for reducing emissions 60-80% by 2050, a level that is needed to avoid the most dangerous climate changes. Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA), and Rep. Dingell (D-MI), have promised bills to embody these objectives.

6C. Yet more thoughts on biofuels

Growing public and Congressional awareness of the need to combat global warming is a very good thing, but it also sets the stage for special interests eager to use the global warming threat to push their “solutions.” These must not be accepted blindly; policy must be firmly based on science and on factual considerations in all areas.
It should already be abundantly clear that the substitution of corn-based ethanol for gasoline will not reduce the generation of greenhouse gases and is likely to have socially and ecologically deleterious effects (NL273 ¶8F; NL274 ¶8C). Certain other sources of biofuels that in themselves are more energy-efficient than corn could lead to massive deforestation, either because the source is a tree, or because the crop used (e.g., Brazilian sugarcane) is grown on large acreages that were formerly forests. Forests are major CO2 sinks, so their destruction works counter the benefit achieved through burning of the biofuel.
Hopefully, biofuel solutions (switch grass? algae?) will be found that result in a net reduction in greenhouse gases. It is essential that research into such technologies be strongly supported. Senator Bingaman had an amendment to the Senate Energy Committee bill that required production of biofuels with at least 20% less greenhouse-gas pollution than emitted by gasoline. The conferees for the energy bill (¶6A, above) should make sure that biofuel development does not result in significant environmental harm, such as loss of forests, habitat destruction, or water pollution.
Until such fuels are found, it seems wise to continue, and to enhance, our efforts toward sure-fire solutions. For instance, as shown by an Earth Policy Institute analysis (NL274 ¶8C), increasing automobile fuel efficiency by just 20% would be equivalent to converting the entire US grain harvest into ethanol.

6D. Coal liquid to fuel automobiles??? – no way!!!

As in the case of biofuels, the ground for this “solution” has been prepared by the widely perceived need for energy independence. But most people would very quickly reject the coal-liquid idea if they knew the following.

6E. Capsules

• According to researchers at the University of Alaska (www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu), global warming will increasingly damage Alaska's infrastructure in places where there is thawing of permafrost, increased flooding, or worsening coastal erosion. It is estimated to lead to a $6.1 billion increase (20%) between now and 2030 in the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure in the state.

7. TCWP NEWS

7A. Political Guide Reminder

Have you lost or mislaid the Political Guide? Be not discouraged -- you can still contact all the key people suggested in the Action Summary and in the individual Action Boxes. Visit the TCWP web site (http://www.tcwp.org), which contains the complete and up-to-date Political Guide.

7B. Upcoming activities
[For additional information on any of the listed events, contact Sandra at 865-522-3809, or at sandra@sandrakgoss.com]

“Opportunities for the East Fork Obey” -- Tuesday, September 25, Jamestown
TCWP will host this meeting from 10am – 3pm CDT at the Jamestown First United Methodist Church. The East Fork Obey is a spectacular treasure that provides 30% of the waters of Dale Hollow Reservoir. Designed to foster increased awareness of this river valley, the meeting will feature presentations on cultural heritage, water-quality recovery efforts, and development trends in the North Cumberlands. Admission is free, but space is limited. To RSVP, or for additional information, contact Rachel Craig at 865-579-6048 or at hagerman@usit.net. The project is partially supported by a grant from the World Wildlife Fund
Exotics extirpation on National Public Lands Day – Saturday, September 29, Oak Ridge
Over the years, working with TVA staff, TCWP volunteers have replaced exotic invasives with native plants in the Worthington Cemetery Ecological Study Area near Elza Gate. This year, again, we will celebrate National Public Lands Day with our traditional removal of exotic plants. Assemble at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot/picnic area south of the Turnpike (Hiway 95) just east of the Melton Lake traffic light. Some tools will be available, but bring gloves, and loppers if you have them. After your morning's work, you may enjoy a complementary pizza lunch at noon in the picnic area. TCWP Annual Meeting – Saturday, Oct. 27, Wartburg
Our Annual Meeting this year will celebrate the successful initiation of the North Cumberlands Conservation Plan, which will create conservation benefits on more than 120,000 acres in four Tennessee counties, and which represents one of the most significant state-directed conservation actions in the past decade.
Our meeting, to be held at the Wartburg Senior Center, will start at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) with coffee and registration. At 10 a.m., we will hear from our keynote speaker, Scott Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, which has been an essential partner in the Plan. The meeting will also include a short business session and election of officers for 2008 and will run through lunchtime (lunch will be included in the registration fee). A choice of several hikes in Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area will be offered in the afternoon. Put the date in your calendar today, and look for more details to come in a special mailing. Volunteers needed for work session at OR Cedar Barren – Saturday, Nov. 17
Once common in east Tennessee, the cedar-barren habitat and the prairie plants it supports have become rare. The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, located adjacent to Jefferson Middle School, has long served as a public and educational resource. This barren, saved from development by TCWP, has been protected by designation as a state natural area and by a 19-year partnership between the state, the City of Oak Ridge, and TCWP.
Volunteers are needed for a work session on Saturday, Nov. 10, to remove encroaching and shade-producing plants that threaten the barren's rare species. Volunteer steward and TCWP Board member Tim Bigelow appeals for student and adult volunteers to assist with this biannual task. Volunteers are asked to meet at the southwest parking lot of Jefferson Middle School at 9 a.m., wear sturdy shoes, and bring gloves, water, and loppers, although some tools will be available. The work session will conclude at noon. For more information, contact Tim (865-607-6781 or bigelowt2@mindspring.com).

7C. North Ridge Trail signs installed July 18

Finally it came to pass: the North Ridge Trail signs we had spent several years composing, pricing, and collecting money for were all installed – one at each of 11 trail-access points strung out between the eastern end of the Trail at Endicott Lane and the western end at Mississippi Avenue. TCWP had collected $900 for the signs from its members, and was helped over the top by a $1,100 contribution from U.T.-Battelle (which manages Oak Ridge National Lab). The City of Oak Ridge's maintenance crew chief Jon Hetrick was immensely helpful in arranging for the ordering and fabrication of the signs and for their installation. Each sign is headed “North Ridge Trail,” followed by the name of the particular access, and, in large letters (very important) “Foot Traffic Only.” Finally, in smaller letters, “Made possible by a partnership between Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, City of Oak Ridge Department of Parks and Recreation, UT-Battelle.”
The sign-installation ceremony was greatly enhanced by the presence of a group from the Children's Museum – staff members, counselors, and 7 young summer campers. Also in attendance were Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, UT-Battelle's Brenda Hackworth, Jon Hetrick, TCWP's Trail Steward Susan Donnelly, and three other TCWP members.
This is an extraordinary foot trail that TCWP developed about 40 years ago! Over 10 miles (counting access and side trails) within city limits, but hardly anywhere within sight of a house, wandering through the mixed deciduous forest of Black Oak Ridge, into and out of ravines, and past rock outcroppings. It well deserves its dual designation as both a National and State Recreation trail. We are proud of having developed it and having maintained it for all these decades, and we thank all the many who participated in this effort!

7D. Report of a past TCWP activity

The Creek Adventure of July 21 was hugely successful. About 40-50 people of all ages (it was wonderful to see so many kids!) were clambering over rocks in the shaded waters of Clifty Creek, turning over stones to find larvae of aquatic insects, and looking for crayfish. They got to view and actually touch several species of fish. For some, it was the first time to see darters. Many species of these small colorful fish are found in only one or two streams in East Tennessee. The excitement and joy of discovery were palpable – and the place was beautiful! Just downstream, the creek skirted a vertical sandstone bluff, and, beyond that, the group was introduced to a clump of the federally threatened (and state endangered) Virginia spiraea. Bright scarlet fungi enlivened the moss- and fern-covered logs on the banks.
We are most grateful to the TVA people who were so helpful with the “critter” identification: Greg Shaffer manned the fish station (assisted by TCWP's Jimmy Groton) and Michael Jones worked with the aquatic insects. Tiffany Lynn Foster was in overall charge. And our own Larry Pounds contributed his botanical expertise.

7E. Special mentions

Virginia Dale, Corporate Fellow in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division, was one of the first researchers to study environmental recovery after the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, which obliterated life for miles. Now, a book by a writing team she headed has won an award of merit in the Society for Technical Communication's international competition.
Mark Peterson, a former member of the TCWP Board, received a Certificate of Appreciation from DOE's Office of Environmental Management at a recognition ceremony on May 11. The certificate recognized Mark's contributions towards avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating the environmental impacts associated with construction of the Haul Road in the heart of the Oak Ridge Reservation. Innovative environmentally-friendly practices adopted by the project included the use of sunlit culverts for enhanced fish passage, creative bridge design that avoided disturbance of a unique swamp community, and a special type of wetland mitigation.

7F. Erratum

Please correct your copy of NL274. On p.7 (left), in ¶5C, second paragraph, the number should have been 60, instead of 600.

8. JOB OPPORTUNITIES; CALENDAR; RESOURCES

•• JOB OPPENINGS

National Park Service Conservation Internships Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team (SE-EPMT).
Hiring now for 6-month positions (start and end dates throughout the year can be negotiated) that include fieldwork in 18 NPS units in the southeast (parts of 7 states). Duties include implementing and documenting invasive, exotic plant-management-control methods. Many training/educational opportunities. Benefits: weekly stipend, insurance, all accommodations and travel expenses on the job, and other benefits. For additional information, please contact Nancy Fraley at 828-296-0850 ext. 100, or Nancy_Fraley@nps.gov .

•• DEADLINE and Events calendar

(For details, check the referenced NL item; or contact Sandra K. Goss, 865-522-3809, sandra@sandrakgoss.com)

•• Resources