Since shorebird time will be fast approaching, I wanted to remind everyone of the new access rules put into place last fall for the Gallatin Steam Plant in Sumner Co. Everything still applies. Only one person has applied and received his badge so far. It took quite a while for him to receive it, so if you plan to visit the plant this spring I'd suggest you make your appointment (call or write me) as soon as possible to apply for your badge. ACCESS RULES FOR BIRDING AT THE GALLATIN STEAM PLANT, SUMNER CO. Birders have been allowed access to the settling ponds at the Gallatin Steam Plant in Sumner Co. to view shorebirds, etc. for quite some time. This will continue, but now with stricter rules. In the past, the plant has had rigorous access standards for their employees, vendors, and other guests, but have allowed birders to bypass these steps. Now they have decided for security purposes that everybody should be treated the same and have requested that birders follow these stricter security rules. So starting now, ALL birders will need to comply with the steps below. To gain access, each person will need a personal badge acquired from the plant personnel. To get a badge you must first make an appointment to go there and have your photo and fingerprints taken. Then they will do a backround check on you which should take about a week. Once you have your personal badge, you can use it whenever you visit. Because I have been dealing with them for our bird counts there in the past, they want me to be the contact person for birders. So to make your appointment to get your badge, please call me (331-2231) or e-mail me (_jankshaw@xxxxxxxx (mailto:jankshaw@xxxxxxx) ) and I'll call them to set it up. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE PLANT. The employees who do that work do not work on the weekends, so appointments would have to be made for Monday - Friday between 7:00 - 3:30. After you apply for your badge, it will take at least a week to receive it in the mail. After you have acquired your badge, whenever you want to visit the plant you will need to ASK FOR PERMISSION A WEEK IN ADVANCE and take your badge with you. And they want me to be the contact person for this also. So call or e-mail me when you want to go, and I'm to call them to set it up. Since rare birds often don't stay around very long, they have agreed to lower the time to wait between asking for permission to go and actually being allowed to go from one week to two days. This means that in the case of a rare bird, for those that already have their badges, you should call or e-mail me if you want to go and I'll call the plant. Then you should be able to go in two days. I'm sorry for the inconvenience this will bring, but they just want all people at the plant to follow the same security rules. If you have questions, ask me; don't call the plant. Please respect these rules so that we may continue to use the facility. Thank you. Jan Shaw Nashville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA -------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan Clarksville, TN __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ MAP RESOURCES Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________