[Bristol-Birds] Gabby Call heads up Shady Valley TNC Program Office
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:49:41 -0400
The Tennessee Nature Conservancy is significantly raising its
profile in Shady Valley, TN and has restructured its operations
there in a continuing effort to manage its land holdings,
wetlands restoration, bogs and other conservation activities.
Gabby Call, who for 15 years, has been the non-profit group's
point person for all kinds of initiatives, projects and lobbying,
both at the state and national levels, has moved to the area and
now maintains an office in Shady Valley. She is living near
Mountain City.
Call steps back from her position as the state chapter's Associate
State Director in the Nashville headquarters. From that position
she has, for most of her tenure, been deeply involved in the
wetlands acquisition and restoration. Gina Hancock has assumed
the duties of Associate State Director in Nashville.
TNC now has four program offices across the state with the
newest being the Shady Valley Program Office, 10537 Hwy 421 N.
You will soon see a Tennessee Nature Conservancy Program
office sign at that location.
Effective May 5th, Call was assigned to the TNC's Shady Valley office
and, on May 12, began working out of her new office, serving in as the
TNC Chapter's East Tennessee Conservation Manager.
She now becomes the top on-site person in Shady Valley. Charles McQueen,
who for years has been the Shady Valley Preserve manager, is still working
in Shady but is now Southern Blue Ridge Program Manager. His
wife, Helen McQueen is the Southern Blue Ridge Secretary for that
office.
TNC had earlier last year filed a federal law suit in the United State
District Court at Greeneville, TN to prevent a handful of local landowners
in the valley from interrupting their programs and watershed management.
A favorable out-of-court settlement has been arrived at and is soon
expected to be signed by the local group. It has been an extremely
controversial situation between the parties and with the county
government.
Birding and other nature study activities in Shady Valley will now find
access near normal. The gate put up at Quarry Bog will likely remain
but not locked. Birders who need to enter there can, if they wish, open
the gate and enter but should close it. Quarry Bog will continue
to be posted until the settlement is signed by all parties. It is, however,
open for nature study and birding. You will note no restrictions at
Orchard Bog. You will notice a new cranberry nursery near the
equipment and storage shed.
Gabby Call's background and experiences are diverse and valued in
TNC. She has served as the Director of Protection for the state and
Conservation Projects Manager for the state chapter.
Gabby has a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has been employed
by TNC since 1993 and specializes in private lands conservation,
landowner contact and education, and grants and contracts
administration. She has become known at a national level for
managing TNC's Tennessee Caves Initiative, a project that prioritizes
for conservation work biologically significant caves according to
their species, threats, and current level of protection.
She will continue to be the TNC chapter's point of contact on current and
pending land transactions and landowner negotiations. Rob Bullard, the
Nashville office's Conservation Coordinator, will be the contact for any new
land protection/stewardship issues that may arise. Marie Stringer Yeagle,
who joined the TNC Nashville team in January, now oversees TNC's statewide
government relations and lobbying efforts.
In her role with cave work she has worked closely with Roy D. Powers, Jr.,
Assistant Professor Mountain Empire Community College at Big
Stone Gap, Va who has become prominent for his designs and
constructions of air flow gates at some of Tennessee's largest and
most significant bat caves.
Gabby Call is very familiar with birding and her knowledge of birds
in the region is more than entirely casual. She was the point person
for The Nature Conservancy's funding of the Bristol Bird Club's
Bird Study in Shady Valley, Tennessee published by the club in
1999 and authored by Wallace Coffey and John Shumate.
Birders from throughout the region will be glad to see the controversy
over TNC lands and management in Shady Valley subside and birding
the way it ought to be.
Let's go birding......
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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