WaterFest 2013 at Ijams is a splashing success

Water Rockets were a blast

The 18 Annual WaterFest was held at Ijams last week. The one day environmental learning festival is all centered around the importance of water and keeping local waterways clean.

Hosted by Ijams and organized by the local Water Quality Forum, the event is a free field trip for area schools. 

Some of the activities helped students learn more about water, and how important it is to plants, animals and the environment.  Some activities had a big built-in "fun" factor. The children could watch a Water Magic Show and learn about the properties of water; they could shoot plastic liter bottles into the air at the Bottle Rocket station using air and water pressure. 

It was a aqueous day for all. Special thanks to WaterFests’ 200 volunteers, vendors, teachers and parents for their help and support.

And of course, the 650 students that visited, had their faces painted, and shot rockets into the air… and went home with a brain full of water.

- Photos by Daniel Lassman, Story by Stephen Lyn Bales

Aqualogist Peg Beute asks departing students water trivia

Water Magic Show taught by professors of waterlogy

All this talk of water has made me want to pump it

Let us entertain you

Small, reclusive (and little seen) toad found at Ijams Homesite

Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)

Frog and toad season is well underway at Ijams. Many species are fairly easy to find or at least hear, but there's one that is more reclusive. Occasionally we hear it's bleating call, but actually seeing one? Well that's another story. 

Wikipedia states "The Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) is a species of microhylid frog. It is a relatively small, toad-like amphibian found in damp, shady habitats. The species is highly fossorial [adapted to digging and life underground], and feeds primarily on ants. These North American microhylids are distinguished from true toads (genus Bufo), and other anurans due to their moist, smooth skin and their lack of eardrum or tympanum.

"G. carolinensis reproduce in aquatic habits, and may breed in either temporary or permanent waters. The toad species will breed in deep water only if it is covered with a dense mat of floating vegetation/debris. They may also breed in ephemeral aquatic habitats such as temporary ponds, roadside ditches, borrow pits, deep wheel ruts in dirt roads, and shallow drainage ditches.

"The mating call sounds like a high-pitched, penetrating, nasal sheep-like bleat. It may also sound like a buzzing quality, and lasts for approximately 1 to 1.5 seconds."

Frogs and toads found at Ijams throughout the year.

      American Toad (Bufo americanus) 

      Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

      Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

      Western Chorus Frog  (Pseudacris triseriata)

      Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

      Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

      Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)

      Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)

      Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)

- Stephen Lyn Bales

Spring birds counted in the rain at Ijams

The 2013 Spring Bird Count was held yesterday morning at Ijams. Three hours of counting birds in the pouring rain, consequently, the count number is very low: only 25 species and 74 total birds. And every bird counted was indeed wet, as were the counters. 

Time: 8 to 11 a.m., Weather: Temp 60s, Rain

List: Canada Goose 1, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Osprey 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 5 (2 Adults, 3 nestlings), Mourning Dove 4, Chimney Swift 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Downy Woodpecker 1, Red-eyed Vireo 2, American Crow 1, N. Rough-winged Swallow 3, Carolina Chickadee 6, Tufted Titmouse 4, Carolina Wren 7, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4, Northern Mockingbird 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, Scarlet Tanager 1, Eastern Towhee 1, Song Sparrow 1, White-throated Sparrow 2, Northern Cardinal 7, Indigo Bunting 5, Brown-headed Cowbird 2, American Goldfinch 4

Mayor Rogero presents new city budget at Ijams luncheon

Mayor Madeline Rogero presents 2013-14 city budget

With Mead's Quarry Lake at Ijams as a backdrop, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero presented her city budget for the upcoming fiscal year: 2013-2014.

An azure blue sky overhead greeting visitors to the noon luncheon, but a voluminous white tent had been assembled to protect the 500 to 800 invited guests just in case. 

Paul James, executive director of Ijams Nature Center, made a few opening remarks and then Mayor Rogero presented her proposed no-property-tax-increase budget which did include a 2.5 salary increase to city employees and more monies allocated to restore blighted proprieties.   

For a more detailed story of Mayor Rogero budget, go to: knoxnews or a complete transcript, go to Mayor's speech for the knoxnews photo gallery, go to: photos.

To celebrate the event and draw attention to the recreational aspects of the quarry, Ijams own Sarah Brobst rappelled (yes, rappelled) down the cliff face on the west side of the lake. 

Excellent job by all!

- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photos by he and Daniel Lassman. 

Guests at Mayor's luncheon

Mayor Rogero answers media questions beforehand

Ijams staff welcomes visitors

Ijams Executive Director Paul James and Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis

Ijams own Sarah Brobst (circled) closely inspects quarry cliff face
as she rappels down from overlook

Sarah post cliff descent. Thumbs up to the entire event!

Sam Houston schoolers overwhelm with their kindness

Ijams educator Lauren Bird and screech-owl (right) with Sam Houston students

Recently, a school teacher from Sam Houston Elementary contacted me about collecting items for Ijams. 

She asked me for suggestions of things we could use. I gave her a list and thanked her for the kind gesture. Ijams is a non-profit so there are always things we need.

She emailed me again last week and mentioned that they had done their donation drive and wanted to bring the collected items over to Ijams yesterday.

We racked up! 

Sunflower seeds and paper towels and green cleaners… all kinds of good, useful stuff.  To thank the young students for their generous effort, we did an animal program for them so they could see first-hand one of the animals they were helping with their donation.

THANK YOU!

- Story and photo by Jennifer Roder, education director 

Ijams red-shouldered hawk nest hatches three

The red-shouldered hawk nest high in a beech tree down the hill behind the Visitor Center is alive with new life. Three down-covered nestlings were counted.

Ijams' staffer Rex McDaniel managed to get a photo yesterday.

Congratulations go out to the new proud pair of parent hawks!

- Photo Rex McDaniel, Story by Stephen Lyn Bales.

River Rescue 2013 cleans trash from 50 public locations

AmeriCorps member Victoria Deren models this year's River Rescue t-shirt complete with
optional accessories, two bags of trash.
(Please note that the bags are half as big as she is!)

The clouds parted, the rain stopped, unveiling a perfect Saturday for the 24th Annual River Rescue organized by Ijams Nature Center. The yearly shoreline clean-up focuses on public lands: boat ramps, parks and greeways from Island Home Airport downstream to Ft. Loudon Dam, plus sites along Melton Hill and Watts Bar Lakes.  

According to coordinator Peg Beute, this year saw just under 800 volunteers at 50 sites along the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers. The end result of the clean-up was nine tons of bagged debris, three tons of scrap metal, 102 tires and, perhaps a sign of our times, one loaded 9 mm pistol.

- Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

Kindergarten kids get to experience the "feel of nature"

Getting kids close to nature, that's our goal.

As an educator, you hope to find something memorable. One recent morning it was kindergarten kids on a field trip from Amherst Elementary. 

It was also rainy, damp. The young ones wore ponchos or, when the ponchos ran out, trash bags. 

As we walked along the trail to the Homesite, cherub-faced Cameron in a yellow full-length poncho lifted her arms to soak in the morning dampness and said, "Oh, feel the nature!"

She was in the moment. 

That was memorable, but the real highlight came on the Serendipity Trail. [Serendipity: noun: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.] That morning the trail proved to be aptly named.  We found a barred owl and were able to creep up to be only about seven feet away. 

We were so close we could have asked for its autograph—Strix varia. But we let it alone to enjoy the "feel of nature."

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales 

From Ottosee shale to Lenoir limestone, Moore talked the talk

Harry Moore discussing the geology of Ijams' Mead's Quarry

Retired state geologist and author Harry Moore led a Geology Walk yesterday afternoon at Ijams for adults and young rock-hounds. 

Moore has authored several books about regional and state geology, plus the fossil site at Gray, Tennessee. He also knows the Ijams bedrock and quarries very well having grown-up near the now Ijams' properties. Moore developed his life-long interest in geology in the area. The abandoned quarries were his childhood playground.

Moore discussed the four bedrock layers that underlie Ijams,  west to east: 1. Ottosee Shale Formation (gray shaley rock) exposed at Homesite; 2. Chapman Ridge Formation (sandstone with limey matrix); 3. Holston Formation (industrial grade limestone found at quarries sold as Tennessee Marble); 4. Lenoir Formation (crumbly, shaley gray limestone, Toll Creek east to Forks of the River).

Special thanks to Harry Moore and to Alice Ann!

Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales   

Moore points to Mead's Lake as it sits today at the edge of the Holston Formation

Spring Break Camp enjoys last blast of winter

Just suppose you have Spring Break Camp and winter is still malingering around. What do you do?

Well, you suit-up, go outside and have fun anyway. Monday morning the young campers got to play in the snow! Good old-fashioned fun.

This year, Spring Break Camp, ran for four days: March 25 through 28 and covered a variety of topics that included geology, birds and snowball construction (make 'em round, pack 'em tight). 

Text by Stephen Lyn Bales, photos by Lauren Bird and Jennifer Roder

Spring arrives at Ijams, but winter hangs on

Cutleaf toothwort

First day of spring!

Despite this stubborn winter, that just keeps leaving and returning, some of the woodland wildflowers, the early spring ephemerals, are beginning to show themselves at Ijams.

One of the earliest bloomers every year is cutleaf toothwort (Dentaria laciniata). Look for it along the trails at the Homesite as well as North Cove Trail and River Trail.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Third-graders look for signs of the "Web of Life," find sleeping owl

Is that an owl? Out come the cell phone cameras. 

Today's kids often do not get the chance to spend much time outdoors, in the woods. Many are completely removed from such adventures my generation took for granted.

Often labeled the "Last Child in the Woods" generation because of the widely respected book by Richard Louv of the same name, that's why Ijams is so important. Where else can they go, feel safe and commune with nature?

Taking advantage of the closing days of winter and the soon opening salvo of spring, third graders from Brickey McCloud Elementary came to Ijams this morning for a field trip. Searching for signs of the "Web of Life" and predator/prey relationships, they were not disappointed. A barred owl was found napping above the stream along North Cove Trail. 

What's one difference between this generation and the one that experienced Ijams during the 1970s? This morning's kids quickly whipped out their cell phones and took photos of the sleepy Stix varia.

What? A phone that's also a camera. Who could have imagined that in the 1970s?

-Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales 

Napping barred owl above stream. Photo taken with a cell phone.

Good winter for purple finches at Ijams

Male purple finch photographed outside Ijams Visitor Center

To begin with, purple finches (Haemorhous purpureus) are not really purple. The males are more of a mix of pinks and raspberry. But all of that nomenclature aside, they ARE remarkably beautiful.

Purple finches breeding habitat is coniferous and mixed forest in Canada and the northeastern United States, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast. Members of the American rosefinch family, they are only in the Tennessee Valley in winter but not every year. They are erratic.

That's why this odd here-one-week-gone-the-next winter has been so special. We've had them at the Ijams' feeders off and on for several weeks.

Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Ijams Rite of Spring: Search for timberdoodles

Peent! Peent...Peent! 

The sound is insect-like and primal. The buzzy "peenting" call of a chunky upland shorebird, a male, his opening salvo of spring and impending, albeit brief, romance. In strict terms of biology: The passing of his genetic material to the next generation, so that other chunky timberdoodles will follow. 

And a rite of spring for Ijams Nature Center: Searching for the aerial displays and raspy calls of American woodcocks hidden in the muddy fields, the sodden grass, at twilight along the Urban Wilderness Trail at Forks-of-the-River. 

Thanks to all who joined us Saturday evening. And thank you, Hannah in the bright pink coat!

Fellow searcher Jason Sturner writes: "A nature-filled weekend in Knoxville: male frogs and toads vocalizing for the ladies; woodcocks in courtship flights beneath the clouds and stars; a gorgeous Fox Sparrow amid a flush of juncos; fresh layers of sun on swelling tree buds; hepatica blooming on a woodland hill; the air an arrived exhalation of the coming spring."

Valarie Johnson (red coat) linked a video.

Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales