Easter River Ride

Don't forget; you can click on the photos to enlarge them. Please feel free to copy them to your computer and use them for wall paper!

After church services on Easter Sunday, I felt especially uplifted. It was a beautiful afternoon to be out doors. Now that Daylight savings time has come around, I had time for a nap and a boat ride. I decided to take a little trip on the river to photograph how the buds are turning into leaves! There is an Easter message here but I will leave it for another time.

Another cleanup date is Saturday May 8th 2010! This is the section we will be traveling that day. There was a lot of garbage in the water this day. So there is a lot of work we can do!

Come see the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association booth at the Nature Museum in Covington on the May 17 celebration of Earth Day!

This past duck season on the Scenic Hatchie River was not the best we ever had. Some have said it was one of the worst. We had some water out of the banks and we certainly had cold weather. I hunted several days while the temperature was in single digits. It takes a special kind of outdoor enthusiast (the word is crazy) to duck hunt when the temperature is 8 degrees. One day it was so cold snow was falling but there was no cloud in the sky. The snow was frozen moisture in the air.

I took these photos on the 28th of February down stream from Highway 51 in Tipton County. It never fails, when the season is over, the ducks show up!

The sun was so welcome to me, I had to get out and take a boat ride. I took my best friend along. I am not sure who had more fun!

Enjoy!!!!

Earth Day ~ April 17, 2010

We will have a booth at the Earth day celebration in Cobb~Parr Park in Covington April 17, 2010. This is the annual Earth Fest Celebration in Tipton County.

We will be set up at the Nature Center and Veterans Museum from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. I will have maps, water shed information, historical information and a whole bunch of stories about the out doors. Come share yours too!

Come see us!

Conner

NEXT CLEAN UP DATE Saturday May 8, 2010

Spring is nearly here. I have already serviced my boat and bought a new propeller. Hopefully I won't need it!


I have already had people stop me and ask when we would be doing this again.
Part of the TWRA Clean Stream grant that funded last year's clean up effort had a second event as a component. We will be funded for another cleanup event on Saturday May 8, 2010. This is the Saturday before Mothers Day.

On our journey last fall, our group put in at Highway 54 in Tipton County and progressed down stream to Highway 51. We successfully removed nearly a ton of garbage from the Hatchie, designated as "Scenic" by the State of Tennessee!

For our journey this spring, we will get to experience a different part of the river. After all, this is just an excuse to get outside and on the river.

We will put in at Highway 70 in Haywood County. We will work our way down stream and take out at Highway 54 in Tipton County. Just like last year, I hope to include officials from County Rescue Squads, TWRA and County officials. We will have T-shirts and breakfast and lunch will be provided...FREE. All you have to do is show up!

Mark your calendar! Even if you just want to float along and enjoy this beautiful stretch of river, come on out and join us. Click on the "September" entry to the right to see photos of the event in September of 2009.

Look for more details to follow!

October river

The Hatchie River has begun to be a healthy river again. Agricultural practices have improved reducing runoff from farm land. After heavy rains the river will still be quite turbid, however, the suspended soild level quickly begins to fall off once peak flows into the river begin to wain.

On a recent October day, a friend and I took a boat ride. These pictures are just as the leaves began to change. Notice the color of the water. Look at the placid reflections and how well they show the sky and the trees.

The crops being sprayed are cotton. This is actually defoliant that is being sprayed in the pictures above. Defoliant is sprayed on cotton crops prior to harvesting to make the plants drop their leaves. This insures a cleaner product in the field and a more efficient ginning process.

Enjoy!

Hatchie River Clean-Up Day was great!

Click on the photos to see them more closely!

Despite showers and overcast skies, our first Hatchie River Clean-Up day was a HUGE success.

Nine boats and eighteen volunteers took to the river. Three more volunteers worked on the shore.

Items collected on the river included a propane tank, tires, a toilet, and even a message in a bottle.
Volunteers filled a dumpster with around fifty trash bags, not including the big items. Over one thousand pounds of debris was removed from this short section of river. Contributing agencies included Keep Tipton County Beautiful, Tipton County Rescue Squad, Covington Department of Public Works and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Our next event is scheduled for May 8th, 2010. However, we have opportunities to prevent litter from spreading every day.

Thanks Everybody!!