Safari at Radnor Lake
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JULY/AUGUST 2020 • $4.95 Safari at Radnor Lake Woman Suffrage Movement Events Jumping Spiders Head of the Tennessee River Initiative tnconservationist.org 1 When the summer heat rises in Tennessee, you can keep your cool 56 at any one of our 56 beautiful Tennessee State Parks. places to Chase waterfalls, jump into our lakes, explore a cave, go for a hike, stay cool or simply picnic in the shade. Explore2 july | august 2020the opportunities at tnstateparks.com, and plan your visit today! STATE OF TENNESSEE Dear Reader, Bill Lee It seems like the last time you and Governor I were together on this page was DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION a million years ago! I don’t know David W. Salyers, P.E. about you, but my saving grace Commissioner since then has been the Great Jim Bryson Outdoors. I can’t remember a Deputy Commissioner, Parks and Conservation longer, prettier spring season, Behrends Andrea Greg Young and getting outside for long hikes Deputy Commissioner, Environment and to commune with nature has 888-891-8332 saved my sanity on more than Editor-in-Chief Heather Lose one occasion recently. Everywhere, it seems we are seeing people getting back to nature. We’ve cleared and planted several beds at our house, and we are already harvesting delicious basil, dill and mint. My husband has rediscovered his love for cooking (lucky me!) and we are exploring what can be created from the produce we For the July/August 2020 issue, The Tennessee Conservationist saved the receive from the local farm share we bought this year. We even following resources by printing on 4340 pounds of Rolland Enviro Print have a neighborhood plant swap going on, and trading seedlings paper, made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper. and helpful tips has widened and strengthened our community. 10 short tons of wood If you have also found peace and solace in nature recently, I’d like to ask you for a favor. Please keep this magazine in mind for 57 trees any gift-giving opportunities in your life throughout 2020. It’s a hard time for publications, and we have priced The Tennessee 7,705 gal. Us world eq. of water Conservationist to be accessible. We are, like everyone these 35 10-minute showers in North America days, eying our bottom line with a bit of trepidation, and would truly welcome your financial support. Thank you! 75 lbs of waste The whole gang here really hopes you enjoy this magazine. We 17 times average daily waste per American worked hard on it. It seemed important to bring inspiration to your mailbox and your inbox, and I believe we’ve put together a fabulous issue for you. I am inspired by the beautiful cover image 7,384 lb CO2 by Mike Serkownek. It speaks to me of resilience, tenacity, and 8,294 miles driven by car awe-inspiring beauty—qualities that seem so important right now. I’m inspired by the Tennessee State Park rangers you will 15 MMBTU read about in this issue. I love the story about a collaboration that brought an accessible playground to Henry Horton State 71,040 60W light bulbs burning for one hour Park. You’ll also read about the woman suffrage movement, and how a group of “little old ladies in tennis shoes” worked as a 36 lbs NOx indirect greenhouse gasses community to save a special place for future generations. 10,235 miles driven by car We’ve also highlighted a new book for folks like me (and maybe you?) who have turned to gardening, in hopes that it will inspire Sources: Environmental impact estimates for the North American marketplace are made you to choose native plants. Our Go Green With Us column will using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator v3.2. For more information, visit inspire you to choose a durable water bottle over buying bottled www.papercalculator.org. The fine papers’ environmental savings related to greenhouse water, and we kick the whole issue off with a wonderful story on gas impacts are based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The LCA was made by the wildlife you can spy at Radnor Lake. Dig in, and be inspired! Rolland and validated by a third party. www.rollandinc.com Heather Lose, Editor-in-Chief Don’t miss these stories in the next issue: Subscribe today at Celebrate Pelicans at Reelfoot • Powerline Prairie at Rock Island tnconservationist.org The Tennessee Naturalist Program Inspires Learning + Go Green With Us, Things to Do, Conservation Update, and more! or call 615-532-0060. tnconservationist.org 3 IN THIS ISSUE Editor-in-Chief Editorial offices: Heather Lose William R. Snodgrass TN Tower ON THE MAP Editor 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave. 2nd Floor Louise Zepp Nashville, Tennessee 37243 6 Safari at Radnor Lake Art Director/Designer Article by Joan Greene, Photos by Ronald Manley 615-532-0060 Jeff Law Read some tips on ways to enjoy a safari, a journey or [email protected] Student Edition Editor expedition to observe animals in their natural habitat, at Mike Baumstark To subscribe to Radnor Lake State Park and Natural Area. Administrative Assistants The Tennessee Conservationist Cheryl Gracy visit www.tnconservationist.org 11 How Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes Stopped an Interstate or call 615-532-0060 Loretha Legette and Saved a Park Hannah Smith By Aubrey C. Watson Renee Stewart Digital Prepress and Printing by Jostens, Inc. Without the “little old ladies in tennis shoes,” the citizens of Memphis would not have their beloved Overton Park. Ronald Manley Ronald In 1969, the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park diverted I-40 from the park and its Old Growth Forest. 14 Wandering into the Past: Crockett Days at David Crockett State Park By Rachel Lee Each August, David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg is filled with campfires and reenactors assembling for Crockett Days, a chance for park visitors to walk into the past and experience life during Crockett’s lifetime. This year’s event is set for August 7–9. Mink at Radnor Lake State Park and Natural Area. Mink are elusive and quick. This is a rare sighting for the photographer. 27 6 34 11 14 21 The Tennessee Conservationist is a multimedia platform published bimonthly by Tennessee State Parks, a division of Tennessee Department of Environment and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The Conservationist advocates for the preservation and Conservation, Authorization No. 327325, protection of the state’s natural and cultural resources. We invite readers to connect with the natural resources and 180,000 copies, April 2020. RDA SW38 recreational and educational activities found within the State Parks system, and feature articles on native species, history, archaeology and culture. This entire magazine printed on 100 percent recycled paper (100 percent post-consumer waste.) Copyright 2020. The original articles, photographs and artwork appearing in this magazine, except those produced by employees of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced THE TENNESSEE CONSERVATIONIST, (ISSN 0040-3202) is published bimonthly. by any means without the express consent of the individual contributor. The opinions expressed by authors do not Vol. LXXXVI, No. 4 necessarily reflect the policy of the Tennessee Department Environment and Conservation or the State of Tennessee. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: The state assumes no responsibility for photographic or editorial submissions. THE TENNESSEE CONSERVATIONIST, 312 8th Ave N FL 2, Nashville, TN 37243-0440. 4 july | august 2020 16 A New Book From the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs 30 The Head of the Tennessee River Initiative Begins in the Past Offers Advice on Choosing Native Plants By Carol Evans By Louise Zepp Legacy Parks Foundation’s Head of the Tennessee River If you need suggestions on native plants for your Initiative promotes health by focusing on acquisitions, garden, here is a new book with some ideas! donations, easements and partnerships that create greater public access to the French Broad and Holston 20 Profile of a Tennessee State Parks Manager and Ranger Rivers from their dams to the head of the Tennessee By Hobart Akin River, and by piloting the Natural Shores Program. Profiles of Fort Loudoun State Historic Park Manager 21 Eric Hughey, and Ranger Matthew Vawter of Harrison 33 Go Green With Us: Water Conservation: Every Drop Counts Bay State Park. By Robin Peeler and Kelsey Davis Tennessee State Parks are practicing water 22 Jumping Spiders conservation by reviewing monthly use to check for By Jackson Gibson and Steve Murphree hidden leaks, and by adding water bottle filling stations. Jumping spiders will typically jump away from you if you get too close—kind of like a bungee jumper, only 34 BlueCross Healthy Place at Henry Horton State Park with a dragline of silk to escape. Some may turn and By Shaun Rainone look at observers, coming closer for a better look. Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill is the site of a new BlueCross Healthy Place, featuring accessible play areas 27 Tennessee State Parks and the Woman Suffrage Movement that celebrate the nature and history of the region. By Katie Wisniewski The 100-year commemoration of the ratification of IN OUR DEPARTMENTS the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote holds a special place in Tennessee history, as the 3 Intro Volunteer State was the 36th and final state to ratify 4 In This Issue the amendment. 39, 42 Conservation Update 41 Student Edition 43 Things to Do 30 ON OUR COVERS Front: Buzzards Roost at Fall Creek Falls State Park. Photo by Mike Serkownek (www.TraceOfLight.com.) 20 Back: Gray’s Lily, seen here at Roan Mountain, blooms in June and July.