[Bristol-Birds] Excellent 30-year celebration in Shady Valley

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 20:21:27 -0400
Birders from across a wide area came to Shady Valley,
Saturday, to join in the celebration of The Nature
Conservancy's presences, protection and preservation
of some of the Southern Appalachians' most ecologically
important areas.

The Bristol Bird Club led the way in August 1979 to get
TNC to purchase what is today the Jess & Nelle Jenkins 
Cranberry Bog.  It was the Conservancy's first project in
the valley and, today, they own four preserves and 706 total
acres in Shady.  Some 237 acres are on the valley floor.
The Jenkins Cranberry Bog was turned over to ETSU biology
department in late 1979 and the university has maintained
the area since the beginning.

BBC initiated today's celebration of the anniversary, using
a theme of "30 years of saving 10,000 years of habitat."

Valley residents and out-of-town visitors joined with a
great turnout of naturalists and birders to carry on a 
10-hour event with many of the birders being in the valley
and in the field for as much as 12 hours.

Among the naturalists taking part were:  John Hay, Rob
Biller, Chris O'Bryan, Fred Martin, Janice Martin, Nora
Schubert, Kathleen Britts, Wilma Boy, Lois Cox, Bill
Grigsby, Brookie Potter, Jean Potter, Rick Foster, 
Charlie Powell, Roy Knispel, Wallace Coffey, Carolyn
Coffey, Gabby Call, Merrill Lynch, Lisa Tyler, Joe Ortola,
Rick Knight, Larry McDaniel, Tom McNeil, J.T. McNeil,
Jannah Baker and Todd Eastin.

Several gathered at 7 a.m. to have breakfast at the
Raceway Restaurant before the field trips got underway
at 8 a.m.

Many of the birders came as a gesture of appreciation
to the Tennessee Chapter of TNC for the many years of
providing some of the most unique and best birding
habitat in the area.  In 1999, TNC funded most of the BBC's
book about bird study in Shady Valley.  TNC also has
provided a bird banding station which Rick Knight operated
 for several years at Quarry Bog.

TNC also had a gorgeous poster promoting the bogs and 
birding, providing the BBC website and information about
BBC.

Janice Martin, Fred Martin, Gabby Call, Wallace Coffey,
Carolyn Coffey, Joe Ortola and Lisa Tyler provided
refreshments and spent most of the day greeting birders 
and the public at the stone house in Orchard Bog.

Merrill Lynch, Rich Knight, Larry McDaniel, Chris O'Bryan
and Tom McNeil were leaders of field trips.

Lynch and Knight led morning walks at Orchard Bog.  
McDaniel had a group of seven to the Dickey Preserve.
O'Bryan had 10 join him on herp trips.  McNeil led a
late-evening walk in the bog from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There
were side trips to Backbone Rock, Sink Mountain Rd.
and others who just went afield on their own.

More than a dozen had lunch at the Raceway Restaurant.

The Bristol Bird Club provided a four-page event flyer
as a handout to members and visitors about the "30 years
of saving 10,000 years of habitat."  BBC also rolled out
it's new 12-panel, full-color, brochure about the club which
was distributed at the event.

BBC also sold Rick Knight's book, "The Birds of Northeast
Tennessee - Second Edition."

Visitors were on hand from as far away as Madisonville, TN
and Northern Virginia.

At last report, a Least Sandpiper seen by Merrill Lynch was
one of the best birds of the day.

Let's go birding . . . .

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
[Bristol-Birds] Excellent 30-year celebration in Shady Valley

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