FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] URGENT - Meeting on Bell's Bend

[Chris Sloan <chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Troy Ettel sent this message out earlier today to a few folks here in
town.  This relates to Bell's Bend, an area of bottomland habitat here
in Nashville that has been set aside for a city park.  Given the urgency
of the matter (the final meeting is tomorrow night), I wanted to post
this and ask for anybody who can to be at the meeting tomorrow. THE
REASON FOR THEIR CURRENT REFUSAL OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IS THEIR
PERCEIVED LACK OF SUPPORT.  So, even if you have nothing more to say
than "I like birds," please attend the meeting - you're being there is
more than enough.

If anyone would like copies of our recommendations and map, just let me
or Troy know and we will email you a copy.

regards,

Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN

______________________________________________
Dear Fellow Birders:
I wanted to notify you about an issue of mutual concern to us all.
Tomorrow night, Nashville Metro Parks will host the final public meeting
for input on the new Bells Bend Park. Metro Parks is currently in the
process of developing the Master Plan for Bells Bend, an 806-acre park
located near the terminus of Old Hickory Blvd with approximately 2 miles
of riverfront along the Cumberland River in the Scottsboro area, just
off Hwy 12 in northwest Davidson County. 
 
The birdlife at Bells Bend is represented by many species that have
become rare to uncommon in the Nashville area. The park is situated in a
relatively rural setting and offers a mixture of open pastures and
grasslands, agricultural fields, and scattered woodlots. In the past
week, visits to Bells Bend have produced numerous Grasshopper Sparrows,
Bobolinks, Northern Bobwhite, and Prothonotary Warblers in addition to
single sightings of White-rumped Sandpiper, American Woodcock and Bald
Eagle. These represent only a small fraction of the species that the
park could host. Over 300 acres lie in the floodplain and have just been
removed this year from row cropping. In addition, several hundred acres
of open pastures are contained within the park and cattle grazing will
soon be removed. Bells Bend has an opportunity to truly be an
outstanding area for shorebirds and grassland birds.    
 
The private firm developing the Master Plan for Metro Parks asked a
small group of local birders and biologists that included Melinda
Welton, Chris Sloan, Michael Bierly and myself to present
recommendations to them on how to incorporate shorebird management into
the design of the park. We recommended that 60 acres of the 300 acres in
the floodplain be set aside in three separate pools with water control
capabilities to be managed for shorebirds. We also recommended that at
least 100 acres of the fallow agricultural fields be planted to native
wildflowers and grasses for grassland birds. 
 
Metro Parks has been hesitant to incorporate these recommendations. They
have drastically reduced the shorebird acreage from our recommendations
to a single pool. It is our opinion that the single pool will fail to
achieve the specific shorebird objectives outlined in our
recommendations, making it impossible to provide shorebird habitat in
both spring and fall and making management of the shorebird area much
more difficult. Put simply we believe the shorebird area currently
included in the plan to be inadequate and much too small. We have asked
them to restore the amount of shorebird habitat to our original
recommendations, but they have told us that because only two people came
to previous public meetings (two were held in April) and spoke on behalf
of birds, that they do not see a huge demand for this habitat in
Nashville and have therefore given greater representation to other
constituencies.  
 
The need to change the final plan to include the necessary habitat for
both grassland birds and shorebirds is urgent, as the press release
about Monday's meeting quotes Metro Parks staff as considering the
Master Plan "near final". We are also concerned that several of the
proposed park developments and uses will be detrimental to the bird
populations already using the park.  If the plan will be changed it must
be changed now. We need a strong showing of support for our proposed
recommendations at the meeting. The final public meeting will be held
the evening of May 12 at 7 p.m. at the Scottsboro Community Club, 5201
Old Hydes Ferry Pike. Because of the late notice of the press release
for the meeting, the Tennessean just announced it on Friday, many of us
find it impossible to attend. Neither Melinda, Michael, nor I can attend
the meeting. I did meet with Metro Parks representatives on Friday and
will meet with them again tomorrow afternoon before the public meeting
at an interagency meeting, but it is apparent that there is an urgent
need for a strong showing at the public meeting. Please go if you can. I
have attached copies of our recommendations for your information and
will also e-mail the map separately, as it is a large file. You will
notice that the narrative includes a recommendation for a 50-acre lake.
This recommendation was included because it appeared that Metro Parks
wanted it included in the Master Plan. Their minds have apparently
changed on this, and we see it as the least important thing to ask for,
the shorebird and grassland habitat being the most important aspects of
our recommendations. Thank you for your help.           
 
Troy Ettel
State Ornithologist
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 781-6653
Troy.Ettel@xxxxxxxxxxx

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