Invasive Species

Over 200 pounds and out of the environment. We'll be firing up the smoker.

Spring

Great horned owlets somewhere in Roane County.

Visitors to Whites Creek Gorge

Well actually they were on the Plateau just above the gorge but that's close enough for me to count it. You just never know what a security camera is going to pick up.  We think we found the owner of the game preserve they escaped from. He said they were fallow deer but these look more like red deer to me. Either way they are a long way from their native Asia.

Roane County TN Hike 2-13-16

About half this hike is a gnarly bushwhack. I've been wanting to explore this creek but it's about an hour and a half hike to get to it's source, and it's tough to find hiking friends who are up for the challenge. Paul and Floyd were happy warriors in the woods and great company all the way.

Look closely at our first waterfall and you can see the stone stool that probably was a refuge of cool relief in the hot summers of many years ago when the area was inhabited. This falls was 8 - 10 feet, slowed to a nice steady flow after the floods of two weeks ago.

The next waterfall was the largest at around 20-22 feet. It's more the Cumberland Plateau classic  with the sandstone cap over sedimentary layers that will gradually erode back and create a clear drop for the water. It's almost there as it is.

The last big drop before the trail back was around 15 feet. This is the one that made me wish I had brought my Nikon and tripod.  Too much beauty to show with a pocket camera, but maybe you get the idea.

Jump rock gave everybody that little queasy feeling in the gut when we looked over the side into the spring clear water. It's about 35 feet off the water.

I don't think this is a geocache.  It had certainly been on the mountain a long long time and nobody was the least bit tempted. I suspect there is a pretty boring story about how it came to live there, probably involving a twelve pack and an ATV 20 years ago. We saved the refreshment for a spirited toast back at the house thanks to Paul. Cheers!

Walk Around the Yard Today

Saturday afternoon 1-30-16. We decided to take a little walk around the yard. Annie was sitting on the overlook rock, high above Whites Creek.

I looked up and said "Eagle"!

Turns out there were five of them, all immatures.  There's one high above in this shot with the little walk about camera. You can see the two pairs that were sparring. We watched the acrobatics and dueling until they moved off down the gorge.  

A later part of the hike took us by this vernal pool. This is a specatcular spot and a source of life for the terrestrial salamanders on the Plateau.

Roaming the Properties with the Neighbor

Don owns the land next to ours. It is a beautiful and important tract in the scheme of things. He wants it protected from the march of development and has been a good ally in protecting the Whites Creek watershed. We rode up one of the old roads to look for one of Don's corner markers. He thought it was a concrete marker. We bushwhacked around for a half hour and were about to give up. I decided to try one more area and there it was. It wasn;t concrete. It is a cut stone marker with the initials C S carved in it. That stands for Cincinnati Southern Railway. In order to entice railroads into Tennessee they were awarded large land grants and this is one of them. Don's father got the land in about 1945 and Don bought it from his father 30 or so years later. Don is an energetic fellow and gives me hope. He turned 88 this week.

View From Jump Rock

So I dragged Skip on a little hike to Jump Rock on Piney Creek. He's about 35 feet above the water so forgive him for not standing right on the edge of the rock. This is about 1/2 mile above the confluence with Whites Creek.

Photos of Whites Creek 10-25-20015

Evening at Whites Creek

You folks should come see us sometime. This is earlier today.

The Hugging Tree at Whites Creek

We have done a rough survey of this Hemlock beauty that has it at just under 100 feet tall with a 54 foot crown width. It is just the right width and at just the right angle to feel really good on your back when you hug it. So if someone ever calls you a "tree hugger"...ask then if they've ever really hugged a tree?

Rough Day at Whites Creek

Whites Creek Palooza Info (Tickets Still Available)

Whites Creek Palooza!  Sat July 11   2 ish til after 8 or something

Yes, there are tickets left. Pay at www.ConservationFisheries.org   or email  stevescarb@aol.com for reservations.

Yes, we will be able to take your card at the door. Cash is also lovely.

Yes, you may donate to the beer fund.

Yes, there will be a live auction for a lot of cool stuff.

Yes, you will need the usual outdoors stuff, water shoes, insect repellent, sunscreen (yay!), camp chair, water clothes, dry clothes. You will be in the Whites Creek Conservation Easement held by Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. There will be walking involved but we have transport for those who need it.

GPS address: 680 Black Creek Rd  Rockwood, TN 37854...

Black Creek Rd is off Hwy 27. It's 3 miles south of Rockwood's big junkyard landmark (also the hwy 70 junction). The railroad crossing arms are a certainty that you are at Black Creek rd. Drive is 1.8 miles, right on gravel drive immediately past the big copper mailbox. We'll have signs if all goes according to plan.

Your cell will NOT work as you get close so call before you get too far on Black Creek Rd if you need us to talk you in:   865-354-4363 

Parking is always tight. You can park on the paved road and walk, or you can drive up the gravel drive to the house, unload, and then park. We'll have a shuttle from the parking areas, which aren't that far anyway.We will have some parking near the house and i the camping field. Campers get first shot, of course.

This is a shot of the creek as of Thursday evening. This is going to be wonderful!

You are Invited to Whites Creek Palooza Sat July 11

It's Party time in the Gorge, folks! 

Hey folks, if you have questions or need information email (stevescarb@aol.com) or call (865-354-4363)  

The weather has been atrocious July 4th weekend but the Palooza prediction is looking awesome! If you have never attended a Whites Creek Palooza your life is incomplete. If you have, well, you know you need to be at every Palooza you can. It's for a wonderful cause and it's the best party going.

Where:  Whites Creek Conservation Easement
             Administered by Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation
           
             (also known as Steve and Annie's place)
             
             680 Black Creek Rd
             Rockwood, TN   37854       865-354-4363 

When:    Saturday July 11... 2 pm til 8 pm    Shuttle from parking along the paved road runs from before 2 til after 3. It's 150 yards to the house if you're late. Call or email if you have special needs. (Lots of us do)

What:     For the Benefit of Conservation Fisheries   You and yours (family friendly) get to:

              Participate in a biological stream survey of Whites Creek with renowned fisheries biologists
              Experience the beautiful creek and riparian gorge at Whites Creek
              Swim, snorkel, and bask with friends and real scientists
              Enjoy an excellent meal provided by Big Boy's Barbecue of Fairfield Glade
              Music by Daniel Kimbro and Mountain Soul

              Live Auction of carved sculpture, photography by National Geography's Joel Sarte,
              Much coveted mosaic by Joe and Rita and much more

              We will have some adult beverages but you are encouraged to byob

Minimum donation $30 per person. Little kids free. Medium size kids pay what you think. 

Hey it's a fund raiser. You'll feel really good about giving us your money and you'll have a great time.

Tickets may be purchased at www.ConservationFisheries.org.  

 If you want to bring cash or check and pay a the door you can email me (stevescarb@aol.com)  and reserve your tickets. 

 We limit the number of folks we can handle on this so get ready.  I promise you it will be well worth the price and you'll feel extra good about supporting the fishies.

We only let 125 of our closest friends into this. A day on the creek with food, world famous biologists, naturalists, botanists, barbecue and music...All for $30. Don't be silly! You know this is for you. And your kids. Rain or shine, we have an amazingly good time out here. There's a link for tickets. If you can't come this time, donate anyway. These folks have replenished the species diversity in the Pigeon River, Abram's Creek, and have saved the Barrens Top Minnow from extinction on this planet. You need to be a part of this!

Questions?   stevescarb@aol.com      865-354-4363 

Legal stuff: By attending this event you acknowledge that you assume all risk for yourself and children and agree to hold harmless everyone involved for everything. Whites Creek is a natural area with all the hazards and joys of a wilderness. You understand this.

Sediment Problems at Whites Creek

We had just over one inch of rain last night here at our end of the creek. This is what the water quality looked like at 10:50 am today.Not a sign of a sediment problem.

6 and a half hours later the water from Piney Creek reached us. This is what it looks like as of a few minutes ago...

I don't begrudge what you do on your land as long as you realize you are part of the larger system and act accordingly. I don't mind you mining rock from your land, but you have no right to send your mud downstream on everybody else. Not only that, it is against the law.

New Native Orchid For Me

 Until these beauties bloomed I had assumed they were showy orchids. Surprise! They are Lilyleaf Twayblades... Liparis Liliifolia.

The leaves on this one are a little smaller than my hand.  They are located on the north slope of Whites Creek Gorge in Rhea County.  The pictures are from this morning.

Protecting Private Lands is of Global Significance

This would be YOU, Whites Creek Property owners!

...when biodiversity of endemic species (those found only within the continental United States) was looked at alone, the Southeast scored highest in all six groups, making it the most important focal region for native biodiversity. “It appears that private land protection efforts, similar to public protected areas, are not prioritizing the most endemic-rich areas of the country, or at least are having less success in those areas,” the authors said. 

The full article

A second Recommended Priority Area including the Tennessee, Alabama, and northern Georgia watersheds, is primarily comprised of private lands but is globally significant for aquatic species. In these watersheds, SELC focuses on stopping unpermitted pollutant discharges into rivers, preventing hazardous mineral extraction (like coal mining and fracking), protecting healthy in-stream flows, and championing smart growth in a rapidly growing region, including protecting the limited existing national forest lands.

Morning Songs in the Gorge

Earth Day Conservation Easement Survey in Roane County

Christie drove over from Nashville to survey this tract that includes a portion of Whites Creek and a lot of Piney Creek. The owner is interested in putting a conservation easement on it this year. This waterfall is a tributary to Ford Branch.

I think this is a large flowered trillium. Anybody want to jump in?

I have been unable to key this one out. It's gorgeous though. Anybody know what it is?

Whites Creek Tests Positive for Hellbenders!

This Just In...

 

Just got an email from Stephen Spear that the Whites Creek eDNA sample is positive. Good news! Now we just have to find one…

Regards, Mike

Dr. Michael Freake

Dept. of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Lee University

Whites Creek Near the Source

I have met a great guy who owns the land where Whites Creek emerges from the ground. He sent me this picture taken very recently. I must make a pilgrimage very soon!