[Bristol-Birds] Background information for Paddle Creek Ponds

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:56:25 -0400
Paddle Creek Ponds are relatively new to the birding scene of 
Northeast Tennessee.  The ponds are located just off Paddle 
Creek Road, north of the South Fork Holston River in Sullivan 
Co., TN.

This is a good time to check the sites since the older and largest 
pond is developing suitable shorebird habitat.  The dropping water 
conditions, which are exposing mudflats, is because of the way 
water is managed at the ponds.








Paddle Creek Ponds are not in one ownership.  The older pond is
what we formally called Crumley Pond until the upper ponds, shown
above, were built in 2006.  The land in this photo was purchased
from the Crumleys in May 2005 by Chad Baker.  The new ponds
have been undergoing various stages of reconstruction since 2006.
In October 2006, we began to call these sites collectively as
Paddle Creek Ponds.  It seemed to have more clear identification
due to the name of the road and creek along the road.  All of the
ponds are on an unnamed small tributary of Paddle Creek.

The older, or lower 
pond, is owned by the
Crumley Farms Inc.,
a few family members
who grew up on the
land, and it has been
in that family for at
least 65 years.  Family members continue to live and farm there.

When Baker purchased and built the new upper ponds, he made
arrangements to establish a pump system that allows for water
to be pumped from the lower pond to the upper ponds.  This
pump system draws down the lower pond and creates the good
shorebird habitat at this season of the year. This is what you 
might call a "habitat pump storage" system but not for hydro 
electric purposes.  Baker uses the upper ponds to train national
champion quality Black Lab dogs and manages for that purpose.

 Water is presently being pumped between
the ponds and the PVC pipe, shown at the
left, is thought to be evidence of the flow.
Baker said Saturday evening that he will
be pumping water up from the older Crumley
pond for another four to five days.  The 
Baker ponds had exposed shorebird
areas during the past week but they are
now beginning to be submerged.

When the pumping is shutdown, the lower pond will again begin
to fill from rainfall on nearby lands.  As time passes, the Baker
ponds will begin to drop due to evaporation and perhaps some
draining to keep the water fresh.














 The "Crumley" pond is at about 1480 feet elevation.  It has a
 shoreline of approximately 1700 feet with the pond being 850 feet
 long and 250 feet wide.  The best habitat is at the upper and most
 narrow end where mudflats are exposed.

 The "Baker" ponds are about 950 feet long and 300 feet wide.
 There are several ponds connected by flow pipes.  The elevation
 is about 1600 feet elevation. This pond is good for sea and bay
 ducks wintering here due to the depth and small fish.  The lower
 pond is better for waterfowl that need more shallow water.
 

Crumley Farms Inc. is
a private company 
believed to have been
established in 1943 
and incorporated in 
Tennessee.  The farm
was subdivided from
the John I Cox Farm.

John I Cox (1855-1946) was Governor of Tennessee from 1905 
to 1907 and a former postmaster at Bristol.  He is an uncle of BBC 
members Lois Cox and Wilma Boy.

Betty Crumley, one of four daughters in the family which lives in 
the brick house along the driveway leading back to the pond, 
worked with Wallace Coffey.  She told him about ducks coming 
there and invited him to visit the pond. That was in the late 1990s.  
The daughters are grown and live elsewhere.

On 17 Jan 1999,  Coffey and Rick Knight saw the sprawling pond 
below an aircraft they were in which was passing very low over 
the river area to survey for wintering  Bald Eagles in the region.  
They were impressed with its size.  It was a few years until
Coffey connected the Crumley family and the ponds as a regular
birding site and asked permission to bird there.

One of the earliest reports of birding at the site was 5 Mar 2003
when Ed Talbott, Roger Mayhorn and Coffey birded there.  Two
days later, Coffey and Dave Worley reported birds from the 
location.






   The family of John I. Cox, 
Crumley Farms Inc is a private company categorized under Tobacco and located in 
Bristol, TN. Our records show it was established in 1943 and incorporated in 
Tennessee. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of 
$130,000 and employs a staff of approximately 3.
[Bristol-Birds] Background information for Paddle Creek Ponds

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