Spring 2013
Sometimes, You just have to fish it! 10 Questions with Senator Alexander Managing Deer for the Public Good
$5.00
Learning What’s Great About the
Great Outdoors! on page 16
Tennessee Wildlife Federation 2013-2014 Board of Directors
Dr. John O. Gayden (Jack)
Bob Freeman
Frank Duff
Peter Schutt
Richard Speer
R.B. “Buddy” Baird III Monty Halcomb Rogersville, TN
Wartrace, TN
Robert Lineburger
Allen Corey
Mike Chase
John Jackson
Chairman, Memphis, TN
Vice President, Memphis, TN Treasurer, Brentwood, TN
Nashville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Nashville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Knoxville, TN
Dan Hammond Brentwood, TN
Sam Mars III
Middlesboro, KY
Tami Miller
Franklin, TN
Dickson, TN
Terry Lewis
Secretary, Knoxville, TN Chris Nischan, Sergeant at Arms, Nashville, TN
Publication Design by: Lori Neely ~ klstudios@comcast.net
Advisory Board Albert Buckley, Jr.
Nick Crafton
Jean Maddox
Bill Cox
Jim Byford
Paul Grider
Tom Rice
Phillip Fulmer, Sr. Jim Maddox Knoxville, TN
Nashville, TN
Charles Chitty
Mark Ingram
Ric Wolbrecht
Alex Grisanti
Brian Sparks
Franklin, TN Martin, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Kendall McCarter, Executive Editor Jay Sheridan, Editor, Sheridan Public Relations
Memphis, TN Bolivar, TN Maryville, TN
Nashville, TN Nashville, TN Memphis, TN
Jim Candella
Brentwood, TN
Collierville, TN
Germantown, TN
Mike Kelly
Nashville, TN
Collierville, TN
Contents
Out-Of-Doors tennessee
Spring 2013
Features
4 Adventures with Amphibians Singing Toads Herald a New Spring 8 Small Water Fishing Southern Style Sometimes, You Just Have to Fish It!
12 10 Questions with Senator Alexander Our Senior Statesman’s Perspective Programs & Events 15 TNSCTP Davis P. Rice Events Introducing Athletes to Hunting 16 Great Outdoors University Partners are Making it Possible Statewide 20 Hunters for the Hungry Managing the Resource for Everyone’s Benefit Departments TWF Staff Michael Butler, Chief Executive Officer Kendall McCarter, Chief Development Officer Karen Vaughn, Director of Grants & Special Projects Chad Whittenburg, Director of Mitigation & Ecological Services Sonya Wood Mahler, GOU Manager Andrew Peercy, TNSCTP Manager Denise Cimeley, Finance Manager
Mark Johnson, Director of Communications Matt Simcox, HFTH Coordinator Cameron Mitchell, Development Officer Kate Friedman, GOU Coordinator Amy Colvin, GOU Administrative Assistant Tony Lance, GOU Program Assistant George Oswalt, Office Assistant Jay Sheridan, Communications, Sheridan Public Relations Greg Young, Legal Advisor, Stites & Harbison, PLC
Tennessee Out-of Doors Magazine is the official publication of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. Printed materials include natural resource and conservation news, outdoor recreation news and articles on pertinent legislation. All submissions are subject to editing or rewriting. All editorial, advertising and subscription correspondence should be mailed to: Tennessee Out-Of-Doors 300 Orlando Avenue, Suite 200 • Nashville, TN 37209
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Chairman’s Corner From the Chief Executive Officer Partners in Conservation Public Policy Conservation News Board Member Spotlight
24 TWF News: Cameron Mitchell and Mark Johnson
Memorials and Honorariums 24 Samuel Ricky Avent
Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 1
C h a i r m a n ’s C or n e r
Progress Points Toward a Bright Future for TWF It means the world to me to be in a position to take the reins as Chairman of the Board of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. Let me tell you why. First, the organization I have loved for so many years has perhaps never been in better shape, thanks to outgoing Chair Dan Hammond, the Board and the staff. What you’ll read about in these pages is nothing short of incredible progress. I’m particularly proud of the Federation’s growth and development over the last several months. We’ve recently added a full-time communications director, as well as an East Tennessee development officer. If you know TWF, you understand how significant those two positions will be to our future advancement. And then there’s the growth of our programs: the expanding list of partners and the smiles on the faces of the children who are seeing the natural world for the first time through our Great Outdoors University. How Hunters for the Hungry is beginning to have landscape-scale impact, and how we’re working with the state wildlife agency to grow the program. Our friends at the Quality Deer Management Association get it, too – there’s virtually no limit to how many mouths we can feed by helping manage the deer population for better hunting opportunities.
The piece written by a new TNSCTP athlete who just had the chance to become a duck hunter, thanks to the work that the Rice family, TWF and dozens of volunteers have put into the Davis P. Rice Memorial Youth Hunts. Clearly, this event had an impact on the young man’s life, which is what it’s all about. Just last month, one of our advisory board members, Ric Wolbrecht, single-handedly put together a Hunter Safety course for more than 80 kids and their parents. These kids we’re getting involved are black and white, male and female, from every walk of life you can imagine. Earlier this year, I was party to a trap shooting competition between the all-girls St. Mary’s and the all-boys Memphis University School—that’s not something you hear every day. But it’s a sign of incredible progress. For me, having just recovered from a lung transplant, it’s deeply rewarding evidence of the way in which the Tennessee Wildlife Federation is meeting and exceeding its mission, every day. These experiences have taught me something about what really matters in life. To our supporters, I want to thank you, for having the courage and the passion to offer your resources in making it possible. Best regards,
Dr. John “Jack” Gayden Chairman of the Board
F rom the C hief E xecutive O fficer
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation
Your Gateway to the Great Outdoors Recently I took some time to reflect upon the conservation community in Tennessee, and the different roles that several of the organizations play. We are fortunate to have in our state a number of highly effective groups that focus on specific aspects, and that they typically complement each other to provide broad-based partnerships and success stories. For example, no one does large land conservation better than The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund—these two have perfected the methodology in that area. No one was more instrumental in the restoration of the wild turkey in Tennessee than the National Wild Turkey Federation, and no one has done more to preserve the state’s amazing waterfalls than the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. So where does your Tennessee Wildlife Federation fit into this community? The Federation operates from the philosophy that if our land, water and wildlife are conserved, well managed and used wisely, then these actions have set the renewable stage upon which Tennesseans can actively hunt, fish, camp, hike, bird watch and engage Tennessee’s great outdoors forever. By conserving our natural resources, these activities can take place indefinitely and support rural economies in the process. As the gateway organization, TWF’s work fits into three unique and distinct areas that are critical to wildlife, their conservation and the greater needs of Tennessee’s outdoors, and our society as a whole: public policy, youth engagement, and habitat restoration and management. We provide leadership in these three areas, and we partner with like-minded organizations to ensure significant achievements for wildlife and conservation in our state. In the arena of public policy, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation has led the grassroots conservation efforts for land, water and wildlife for more than 67 years. Our successes have defined public policy conservation during this time, resulting in landmark events such as the passage of Tennessee’s model fish and game law in 1949, establishing municipal waste-water treatment facilities across our state during the 1950s, passing Tennessee’s water pollution control act in the 1970s, stopping the destructive practice of river channelization in west Tennessee during the 1980s, passage of the wetlands acquisition fund, passage of the Tennessee municipal solid waste act, restoration of wild elk in Tennessee, passage of Tennessee’s no-net-loss of public hunting lands legislation in 2007, as well as leading the successful effort to amend Tennessee’s constitution to create our individual right to hunt and fish.
In contrast, much of our public policy work is focused on stopping bad ideas from being implemented. In this issue of Tennessee Out-of-Doors, you will notice that we have been working closely with a partner of many years, Lamar Alexander, our state’s senior United States Senator, to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from needlessly taking away fishing access from local anglers, as well as fighting for hatchery funding for our critical mitigation fish hatcheries located in east Tennessee. These efforts—and the dozens of harmful pieces of legislation we have helped defeat over this same time period—are things we work to stop before they can have a negative effect on our state’s wildlife and natural resources. As our public policy program has worked to conserve our publicly owned lands, water and wildlife, our youth engagement programs focus on ensuring that the next generation of ardent outdoorsmen and women and conservationists are exposed to the natural world in life-changing ways. Through our Great Outdoors University and Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target programs, TWF is evangelizing our great outdoors to more than 5,000 youth each year. Lastly, our habitat restoration and management programs fill a specific niche by working with private landowners to develop and restore wildlife and wetlands habitats across Tennessee. While these are the newest programs in the TWF suite, our first projects are underway and will be among the best of their kind. As your chief executive, I am proud of our wonderful staff and the hard work and dedication they put in. We are strong and growing, and we greatly appreciate and value your support. Please take a moment to tell your friends about Tennessee’s gateway organization to the outdoors, and ask them to support the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
Michael Butler, CEO
Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 3
Adventures
4 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
with Amphibians Spring has arrived when the toads begin to sing… I By Carol Reese
t was still January, during a mild spell, when I heard the first toads of spring 2013. Last year there was a group of them that stayed near my garage, lured there by the insects attracted to the light shining through my back door. One of them was exceptionally loud. I have always thought of the song of the American toad as a soft trill, but this one had incredible capacity, with a ringing quality that was so penetrating I called friends and made them listen to him over the phone. I knew it was a ‘him’ since only the males sing, and they do so to attract females during mating season. Research has shown that the females are definitely attracted to the most powerful singers, so this guy is likely to be getting plenty of business. I was elated to hear the loud toad again, and it occurred to me that I had no idea of a toad’s life span. Paradoxically, seated in front of a computer is a fabulous way to learn more about nature. While most toads do not survive their first year, the ones that do may live for several years, with 10 years being the oldest documented in the wild. In captivity, the American toad longevity record is 36 years! On the ridge south of me, I found more evidence of toad romance. A shallow puddle made by logging ruts several yards long held strands of toad eggs. Female toads lay their eggs in two simultaneously emerging strings. These long, jelly-like strings are curled like ringlets of hair in order to catch on sticks or vegetation to keep them in place, and can contain several thousand eggs. Frog eggs occur in gelatinous balls that may also be attached to vegetation. The toad eggs I found had me worried. The shallow puddle is one I pass frequently with the dogs on my rambles, and I knew that it often freezes on cold nights. It also dries out quickly if we go a few days without rain. Toad eggs can hatch within a few days in warm weather, but cold weather slows them considerably. After hatching, it can take the tadpoles up to two months to become tiny toads and leave the water. I almost wish I had not seen the eggs, as I could not stop checking on them. At one point, when the puddle was dangerously low, I visited with a bucket, intending to scoop up as many eggs as possible and transfer them to a deeper pool down the hill. It did not go well. The strands broke apart and the water muddied until I could not see what to do. With no water source nearby to replenish the puddle, I decided I had to let mother nature take her course.
Rains came, and the eggs hatched. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for regular rain events. If the eggs or tadpoles should be lost, I wonder if the female toad that produced them will have to wait another year before forming more. Since she lays thousands of eggs at one time, it is difficult to imagine that she could produce another batch quickly. This time, the Internet failed me, and I could not find the answer to this question. I did order a couple of books, though ordering books on the Internet is a gamble. I always hope for a book that answers intimate questions about a particular species. Field guides are usually just that—good for identification but little else. There is nothing like being able to pick up a book and thumb through it to get a feel for the author’s style, and I dislike a dry clinical approach. On a few sites, you are able to “look inside” some books, but not all. I like to read reviews, clicking on the ones that give the book a low rating as well as the ones that rate it highly. One book I ordered comes with a CD of the songs of frogs and toads, which is a terrific identification tool. At my house this
American toad eggs in a garden pond.
Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 5
spring, I have already heard southern leopard frogs, upland chorus frogs, spring peepers and of course, toads. You can also find sites online that allow you to listen to the songs, which is enlightening entertainment. Some of these songs, such as the one made by the cricket frog, sound like insects. Another book I am particularly excited about is a very recent one published by the University of Tennessee Press called The Amphibians of Tennessee. A pair of young, gung-ho herpetologists set out across the state to get their own photos for this book, and it includes stories of their searches. It also includes a chapter on “how-to” if you, or a budding naturalist in your family, wants to learn about likely habitats and how to search for the various species.
I wonder how many readers of this column have ever seen the largest Tennessee salamander, the hellbender? If you go to amphibiansoftn.com, you will find a short video that shows these two young men capturing one. I had no idea the hellbenders were local and plentiful until I walked along a flooded roadway a few years ago in the Luray bottoms in Chester County, and found them thrashing in the flooded grasses that lined the pavement. At first I thought they were freshwater eels, until I saw the huge flattened head and the feet. While they are certainly one of the ugliest creatures I have ever seen, they also rank as one of the most fascinating. Carol Reese is an Ornamental Horticulture Specialist with the UT Extension Service in Jackson, Tenn. She writes a weekly gardening and nature column for the Jackson Sun and contributes to a number of gardening magazines. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture from Mississippi State University. Hellbender photo courtesy of Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Support Tennessee’s wildlife by purchasing one today, as a significant portion of the proceeds supports TWF.
Don’t see it displayed at your clerk’s office?
Be sure to ask for it!
P a r t n e r s i n C o n s e r vat i o n
Tennessee’s State Gamebird to Benefit from Quail Forever’s Three New Employees Positions include new state wildlife biologist and two Farm Bill wildlife biologists
Q
uail Forever has added three positions to focus on quail education and restoration in Tennessee, including the state’s new Quail Forever regional representative, Andy Edwards, and two farm bill wildlife biologists, Kevin Edge and Brittney Viers. Edwards will work with chapters and volunteers to further Quail Forever’s grassroots model, while Edge and Viers will work with farmers and landowners to bring back Tennessee’s state gamebird —the bobwhite quail. Edwards, a Tennessee native and former Quail Forever field representative, will be leading the team. Originally from Pulaski, he grew up on a beef farm where he learned to appreciate the state’s wildlife. Graduating from the University of Tennessee, Edwards went on to get his master’s in bear research. He knows the importance of conservation on Tennessee’s landscape, and of getting the next generation involved with land ethics. “I grew up experiencing all that Tennessee had to offer and am excited to help work with our chapters and members to restore the state’s upland populations,” he said. “Getting youth involved with the outdoors and hunting is a large component of Quail Forever and my personal mission. Without them, we will lose our state and country’s most vital conservationists—hunters.”
Kevin Edge, a Navy veteran, will be stationed in Brownsville at the USDA Service Center, covering Haywood, Madison, Crockett, Lauderdale, Tipton, Fayette, and Hardeman counties. In his new role with Quail Forever, he hopes to develop programs and implement habitat that will improve coexistence with wildlife in the state. He holds a wildlife biology degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Prior to joining Quail Forever, Edge was a biological science technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Having worked with various state and non-government, habitat based agencies, Brittney Viers’ primary goals are to restore and/ or improve Tennessee’s early successional habitats, such as native grasslands, fallow fields with patchy shrubs, and wetlands. Her focus has been and will continue to be restoring the populations of bobwhites, grassland songbirds and other species of conservation concern. She will be stationed in Huntingdon at the USDA Service Center and will cover 12 counties. Viers received her bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and master’s in biology from Murray State University.
Kevin Edge
Brittney Viers
Edge and Viers’ Farm Bill wildlife biologist positions were made possible through a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The Farm Bill wildlife biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners about the benefits of conservation programs, as well as assist those landowners after programs have been implemented. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 7
Small Water
Fishing Southern Style
By John Jackson
8 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
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can see the headline now: “Fender-bender on the Duck River Bridge caused by motorist being distracted by a suit-and-tie clad man wading in the water.” This particular accident didn’t happen but I am quite sure it could have occurred numerous times over my career.
• N ever discard monofilament fishing line into a creek or creek bed. Put it in your pocket and carry it out.
I am what you would call a “spontaneous small water fisherman,” an affliction almost as obsessive as turkey hunting. Those of us who are bitten by the bug are known to slam on the brakes when we happen to spy a small bend of water through the trees at roadside, leap out of our vehicles, and rush to water’s edge with ultralight rod in hand, even if we were in route to a business meeting i.e., business suit and rolled up pant legs.
• A lways ask permission to cross someone’s land to enter the water. They will appreciate you for it and will usually allow you to come back.
Many years ago, I gave up on sporting activities that presented too great of a hassle factor. This included selling my bass boat and giving away most of my large tackle. It was just too time consuming and costly for me to have to drag out the boat every time I wanted to go “wet a line.” I won’t say that boating and large tackle are bad things; quite the contrary. I just decided they weren’t for me. My small spinning rods usually have between four and sixpound test line on them and my lures are the smallest floating crank baits that I can find, usually with a reddish/brown crawfish pattern. My fishing buddy would always use a 4-inch sinking worm. Between us we would catch more fish than we could count in a season. We had a slogan about our recent season, “two ordinary guys, two tiny little fishing poles, more than 20 species of fish.” When asked, we would always say our goal was to catch smallmouth bass but the reality was we were anxious to catch anything that would bite our lures. We religiously practiced catch and release. Our rationale was that these small waters had limited quantities of fish living in them. We just decided to return them all to the water; even once what I was later told was a state-record Redeye. There is nothing better than catching fish of all sizes when wading down a creek, but it is exciting to have a deer walk out to the middle of the stream with you for a drink. It is a great place to commune with the outdoors, share in the environment, and even learn about our aquatic habitats. Sure, you have to cope with mosquitoes from time to time, and the reptilian residents of some waters, but those are things we take in trade for the experiences. There is a thrill to wading down a creek and having the next step of water plunge fifteen degrees because you just walked through a spring outlet. There is a magic in listening to water rippling over rocks, birds singing, and a bronze-colored smallmouth splashing as you release him back under his tree stump hideaway in a few feet of water. There are no secret techniques or miraculous equipment combinations, but there are quite a few rules that I live by when small water fishing.
• N ever leave trash behind. If anything, take out more than you bring in. It’s the responsible thing to do.
• Practice catch and release, or just keep one to eat. • B ring a quality zip lock bag for your phone and wallet. You will fall in at some point... count on it. • Renew your fishing license! That revenue to the TWRA goes a long way toward keeping our resources available to us. People always ask me where the best place to fish is and my response is, “Anywhere you find naturally occurring water.” As a rule, if I can smell the water I won’t fish there. Stagnant pools are not well known for producing favorable results. Other than that, fish can be found many places. Even in the cities you can find fish. Rivers and lakes are obvious but small creeks still flow in some suburban areas. Many of those have fish in them, even if they aren’t wall-hanging size. Spring is here and will bring with it increasing water temps and the return of fish to their holes from deeper water. I will be waiting with my pant legs rolled up, tie loosened, and rod in hand. Even as I write this, I’m secretly planning to stop by a creek I saw on the way to work this morning. A publisher that I deal with is based in Queensland, Australia, and he reminded me how fishing-crazy those Aussies are there. Being a Southerner, I couldn’t avoid offering the cordial, “If you, or a friend, are ever in this area, look me up and I’ll take you fishing.” Last summer, I got a call from the publisher telling me an important client of his was going to be in Nashville with about a ten-hour layover at the Airport. He wondered if I would be willing to take him fishing for a few hours. I was happy to! It meant I could go as well. I met up with Mr. Willoughby at the pickup lane of the Nashville Airport in my 4-wheel drive and made quick introductions. We quickly went to a local retailer and purchased him a pair of cargo shorts, some wading shoes and a fishing license. In route to the secret fishing hole I had picked out, we greatly enjoyed each other’s accents and shared fishing stories. The sun was high and the sky was clear. You could feel the tension just flowing out of this obviously stressed business man as the day progressed. His stoic and business-like demeanor changed to frequent laughter. We spent several hours catching numerous perch, bass and an errant catfish (yes, on crank bait). We reveled in the experience and finally finished the day by sitting on the tailgate of my truck eating bologna and hot sauce on crackers and drinking a local soda. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 9
He did marvel at the safety of stream fishing here in Tennessee. When I inquired why it was unusual versus Australia, he answered in one word: “Crocs.” The creek inhabitants in Australia are well known for attacking humans.
John Jackson is an outdoor writer and photographer, appearing in a variety of publications in several countries. A lifelong outdoorsman and a member of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation Board of Directors, he is an advocate of clean water, catch and release, and effective stewardship of natural resources. “Leave something for our grandchildren to enjoy.”
Reluctantly, we returned Mr. Willoughby to the airport to catch his connecting flight to whatever business center he was headed to. He was stunned when I refused payment and offered him one of my “fishing hats” to take back to Australia with him. He has contacted me several times since and extended the same offer for his homeland. One day I may just take him up on it, crocs and all.
Ingredients: ~ 1 fresh smallmouth bass fillet (boneless/skinless) ~ 2 oz. olive oil ~ 3 oz. minced shallots ~ A pinch of dry thyme ~ 4 oz. Cremini mushrooms ~ 3 oz. yellow onion ~ 4 oz. Sherry ~ 3 oz. cold salted butter ~ 4 oz. Brie cheese ~ Salt and pepper to taste Smallmouth Bass: ~ Remove guts and filet each side of bass, removing rib bones and skin. ~ Rinse boneless fillets under cold water. ~ Refrigerate. 10 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
Stuffing: ~ In a hot sauté pan, combine olive oil and minced shallots and cook until clear and soft. ~ Quickly add thinly sliced Cremini mushroom caps, a pinch of thyme, and sliced yellow onion; sauté until mushrooms are tender. ~ De-glaze pan of mushrooms with Sherry, and allow to gradually reduce. ~ When reduced by half, remove from heat and swirl in cold salted butter. ~ Add salt and pepper as needed.
Baking: ~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. ~ Grease an oven baking pan with olive oil or non-stick spray. ~ Place single fillet of smallmouth bass on baking pan. ~ Cover filet evenly with thinly sliced Brie. ~ Add mushroom/onion/shallot mixture lightly over Brie, saving sauce for later. ~ Place second smallmouth filet on top and bake for 10 minutes. ~ With spatula, carefully flip entire stuffed fillet portion and bake for an additional eight minutes {larger filets may require more cook time}. ~ Plate and add any excess sherry-shallot sauce over the stuffed bass. Enjoy with great friends!
Recipe and photo by Chef Cameron Mitchell
Building Your Legacy With TWF
Our Mission Statement: Leading the conservation, sound management, and wise use of Tennessee’s wildlife and great outdoors.
For more than 65 years, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation has been leading the conservation movement in our state. Hunters, fishermen, hikers, paddlers, birdwatchers – these are the people who love wildlife, and these are our supporters. We couldn’t have accomplished so much without you. Have you considered TWF and our programs in your estate planning? We can help shape your life’s work into a legacy for generations to come.
For more information, call TWF Chief Development Officer Kendall McCarter at (731) 868-1346, or contact him via email at kmccarter@tnwf.org.
Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 11
10 Questions with Sen. Lamar Alexander
he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has pushed to spend T unbudgeted dollars to close the world-class tailwater fisheries below several of their dams. You have led the effort to block this unnecessary action, going as far as introducing legislation to prohibit it. What happens next, and when can we expect the issue to be resolved?
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is being absolutely unreasonable in trying to keep fishermen from doing what they’ve always done below the 10 dams on the Cumberland River since the dams were built–and that is to fish in the tailwaters. It is 12 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
some of the best fishing in our area and many people come from all over the United States to enjoy this. It’s a first-class recreation opportunity and it produces a lot of jobs. Everybody understands that you’re not supposed to be fishing when the water’s spilling through the dam. According to the Corps’ own statistics, that’s only 20 percent of the time. Closing off the tailwaters 100 percent of the time would be like putting the gate down over the railroad crossing 100 percent of the time–the tracks aren’t dangerous when the train’s not coming, and the water isn’t dangerous when the water isn’t spilling through the dam.
Public Policy I have taken a number of steps to stop this. We’ve held two major rallies, one at Old Hickory Dam in Tennessee and another at Barkley Dam in Kentucky. I’ve met with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh and Lt. Col. James DeLapp. I’ve introduced legislation and the Senate unanimously passed my resolution to allow Congress to pass legislation prohibiting the Corps from enacting its plan. U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) has been a real leader in this area, as have the county judges in Kentucky. And we’re fortunate to have strong support from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) As our state’s senior senator, a former two-term governor and president of our flagship university, you have uncommon perspective on the importance of conservation to the economy and quality of life in Tennessee. What would you count as your greatest conservation achievement on behalf of Tennesseans? I was lucky enough to grow up hiking and camping in the outdoors in East Tennessee. And I’ve spent most of my life trying to make sure our outdoors are clean and available for the same opportunities for future generations. Over the years, I suppose I’ve spent more time working on clean air than any other subject. Our state has a big problem with air pollution, because so many states border us and dirty air blows in from other states. So all of our major metropolitan areas are challenged–that’s bad for our health, it discourages companies from locating plants here and it makes the Great Smoky Mountains National Park a less attractive destination for tourists, which hurts jobs. Sevier County Chamber of Commerce members have told me that their number-one priority is clean air because they want tourists to come see the Great Smoky Mountains instead of the Great Smoggy Mountains. I’ve worked for clean air both in Tennessee government and in the U.S. Senate. In the Senate another example is an amendment I cosponsored with former Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) that became law, which takes a portion of federal government revenues from oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and uses it through the Land and Water Conservation Fund for local parks across the country.
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cooperation between government, academia and the privatesector on recreation opportunities; 4) the creation of a nonprofit outdoors institution; 5) broader coordination of outdoor policy on many levels; and 6) the establishment of a trust dedicated to recreational facility development and rehabilitation. There was also a Tennessee-based commission, Tennesseans for the Outdoors, which followed up on the effort.
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hrough the President’s Commission you worked closely with T the Tennessee Conservation League, now the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. In your view, what unique value does the Federation offer to our state’s wildlife, wild places and the people who enjoy them?
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation is leading the effort to preserve the right to fish below the Cumberland River dams. That’s just one example of the many ways the Federation champions conservation and outdoor opportunities, and it’s a tremendous asset to Tennesseans.
ou’ve called for a new national commission on the outdoors Y that would collect ideas and information, find innovative ways to protect natural resources and help unify outdoor recreation and conservation interests. How best can Tennesseans support such an effort?
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It was 2007 when I called for the establishment of a third President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors, and Ken Salazar, former Secretary of the Interior, did just that. A whole generation had passed since the last commission and there were
arly in your political career, President Ronald Reagan E appointed you to serve on the Presidential Commission on Americans Outdoors, which had far-reaching impacts on numerous wildlife and conservation-related initiatives. What did that effort mean to Tennessee, and looking back, what sort of legacy has it left?
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The legacy of the Presidential Commission on Americans Outdoors was that most of the recommendations we made were not for federal legislation, but to inspire communities to focus on what we need to enjoy the outdoors in the next generation. Our recommendations, some of which have become very popular, included: 1) the local creation of greenways; 2) the organization of community coalitions for action; 3) the encouragement of Sen. Alexander (front) with his son, Drew, and legendary crappie guide Steve McCadams on Kentucky Lake a “few” years back. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 13
Public Policy both new challenges and new opportunities. The commission supported many similar ideas to the previous commission, and I still feel the best thing we can do is to inspire communities to focus on what we need to enjoy the outdoors in the next generation. I hope this commission can inspire communities in Tennessee and around the country to take a leading role, to tell our country what we need to do to create places for us to enjoy the outdoors.
he U.S. Forest Service is currently completing the acquisition T of the last 1,200 acres of the 10,000-acre Rocky Fork area in upper East Tennessee, which will become Tennessee’s 55th state park. You’ve been a big advocate of that project. Why was this particular piece of land important to you, and what does it say about federal-state partnerships that work toward a common goal?
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One of the most important federal contributions to the outdoors in Tennessee during my time in the U.S. Senate has been supporting the effort to purchase 10,000 acres in Rocky Fork in Greene and Unicoi counties. Gov. Haslam has now designated 2,000 of those acres as a new state park, which will attract more visitors and provide a major boost to the local economy. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service operates fish hatcheries in Tennessee that help ensure the perpetuation of the incredible fishing available on our lakes and rivers. The funding for the hatcheries comes from the mitigation settlement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the impact of dam construction on those natural resources, and the funds are supposed to be available in perpetuity. In these fiscal times, the Corps has looked for ways to cut these hatcheries from the budget, and you’ve gone to bat for Tennesseans. What is the status of the hatcheries, and what does the resolution of this issue mean on a larger scale? Keeping the Erwin and Dale Hollow fish hatcheries open has been a major priority of mine. I received assurance from thenSecretary of Interior Ken Salazar that these hatcheries would stay open until we could find a long-term solution. I’ve been working with the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to find a solution that will keep these hatcheries open. About 900,000 Tennesseans bought fishing licenses last year. That’s more than voted in the Republican primary for governor in 2010. Tennesseans like to fish, and closing these hatcheries would have serious consequences for Tennesseans and for all Americans who like fishing and the outdoors. I am hopeful that we will find a solution that will keep both of these hatcheries open.
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From Memphis to the Smoky Mountains, Tennessee is one of the most bio-diverse states in the Union. The intrinsic value to Tennesseans and to the state through tourism and other economic impacts is clear. But what do those assets mean to the United States of America, and why is it important that the federal government play a role in their cultivation and management?
Italy has its art, Egypt has the pyramids and our country has the Great American Outdoors. It is a part of who we are, it is a part of our heritage–enjoying the wide open spaces and city parks is part of the American character and our pioneer spirit. And in addition to that, the national park system has been called our best idea and has been copied by countries all around the world. And on top of all that, the Great Outdoors attracts visitors from all over the world, generating money and creating jobs.
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ow has your view on the Great Outdoors been affected by H your work as a United States Senator? What lessons could organizations on the ground here learn from your experience in Congress?
Persistence is a good characteristic to have in Congress, and if you want to get anything done it’s a good lesson on the ground. As an example, the Tennessee Wilderness Society has been a model of persistence over the years in supporting the Tennessee Wilderness Act. Adding anything to the Wilderness Act is a long process, and they’ve been patient and persistent and done a good job of talking with Tennessee landowners and others to reduce objections and support members of Congress who support their objectives.
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s we look toward the future, is the North American model A for wildlife conservation alive and well? Will our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities that we did to enjoy the outdoors?
The challenge we have is not so much making sure that our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities that we did, but persuading them to enjoy them. Today children spend several hours per day sitting in front of a screen, when one or two generations ago they spent time playing and camping and hiking and fishing in the outdoors. So I think the responsibility of our generation is not just to make sure that we keep the outdoors in good shape, but that we expose our children and grandchildren to the joys of the Great American Outdoors. I know that in my own case – and my children’s case – that if you grow up experiencing the outdoors it will last with you for the rest of your life.
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TWF CEO Mike Butler with Sen. Alexander after speaking below Old Hickory Dam in February.
TWF Programs
New TNSCTP Athlete Becomes a Duck Hunter Through Davis P. Rice Youth Waterfowl Event By Preston Bouler
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hen I started shooting on the T County Clay Busters trap team, I had no idea how fun it was going to actually be. I had shot skeet before when I lived in Mississippi, but it wasn’t nearly as challenging as shooting trap. I had only been shooting for about two weeks when I was told that I had been drawn for the Davis P. Rice youth waterfowl hunt. I had never been duck hunting before, and I asked my cousin Walker if he liked duck hunting. He told me that it’s an experience I would never forget and that it would be a load of fun. Once I heard that, I knew I was going have a blast! I have had some of the best times of my life while hunting, and I’ve always loved hunting with my family. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do than hunt and fellowship with my Uncle Wayne and Walker. But I’ve really developed a love for shooting trap. I like the challenge of the sport, and the fact it is part physical and also part mental. When I first saw our Varsity team shoot, I decided I wanted to be as good as them, whatever it takes. Trap requires dedication, and I’m working hard to get better every practice. My Uncle Wayne watches me shoot, and when I get done he tells me that I did great and pats me on the back. As the DPR Hunt approached, I started getting excited. I have made some friends while shooting, but hadn’t had a chance yet to make any close friends. I hoped that the youth hunt would help me get closer with some new friends on the team.
And I figured that shooting a duck was just like shooting a clay target! The Friday of the banquet, I really didn’t know who else from the team would be hunting with me. When I got there, I met Jake, Anthony, Mikey, and Chandler. They all gave me a handshake and we talked for a while. After us joking around for about 15 minutes, the banquet started and we debated whether one of us was going to win a prize. I won a hat and Jake won a Drake hunting bag. We met our guide afterward, and he seemed awesome! He told us he had seen a bunch of ducks at the blind recently and we were going to limit out. I was pumped up and ready to go! We went to the hotel room and tried to sleep, but I was too fired up to fall asleep… I bet I only slept an hour that night. When morning finally came I was ready to shoot some ducks! We got some breakfast and headed to the duck hole. When we got there, all we could hear was ducks on the water! The boat ride in the dark to the blind seemed like it took days! When there was finally enough light to see and it was legal hunting time, we set up and got ready to start shooting some ducks. When the guide started calling in ducks I was so excited I could barely contain it! When he got the ducks close enough to shoot, he yelled “ Take ‘em!” We all popped up and started
shooting, but we didn’t hit anything. Everyone looked at each other, and I quickly realized that shooting a duck was a whole lot more challenging than shooting a clay target. After about two hours of not hitting any ducks, we moved to another blind where the ducks got closer and easier to shoot. But we STILL couldn’t hit any ducks! Regardless, I had actually grown quite fond of duck hunting by that point. I loved the challenge, and that a duck reacts to the surroundings in a way that makes it much harder to hit. We had a really great time, and when the day was over, nobody was sad because they didn’t kill a duck. We were all so fired up just to have had an experience like that. That day, I realized that the fun of hunting for me wasn’t necessarily about killing something. It was the experience, of creating unforgettable moments and enjoying fellowship with friends and family that you love. That’s what hunting is all about.
Preston Bouler is a rising sophomore at Munford High School in Tipton County, where he shoots junior varsity trap for the T County Claybusters. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 15
TWF Programs
Where do we find those GREAT kids in the GREAT Outdoors University? Story and photos by Sonya Wood Mahler, Manager of GOU
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t the Great Outdoors University (GOU), our targeted audience is kids who, because of their low-wealth, do not have the same opportunities to explore and enjoy the outdoors as you and I had when we were kids. In 2012, GOU reached 2,630 youth, adult, and partner participants statewide and coordinated 3,203 total experiences for our participants! We led 110 field trips to more than 30 destinations across the state. Our work would not be possible without our incredible partner organizations in each region of the state. These partners focus on the concerns of today’s youth, including attention deficit disorder, childhood obesity, and violence in our neighborhoods. Research shows that spending time outdoors in unstructured play is an important part of a healthy, happy childhood. Our partners have discovered that GOU is their ticket to ride! We can help them get kids outside, immersed in nature. Our mission is to connect 16 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
kids with the great outdoors in meaningful, long-lasting, and life-changing ways. Each GOU field trip is intended to positively impact the total health of the child: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. We partner with organizations which offer programming for lowincome communities. Partners provide the kids, staff and volunteer chaperones, and the first point of contact for discipline and medical emergencies. GOU provides experienced and enthusiastic naturalists, well-researched field trip destinations, transportation when needed, healthy meals and snacks, equipment and program supplies, and the opportunity to have fun outside and unplugged! Our very first partner in Nashville in April of 2009 was the Oasis Center, a youth organization that helps young people overcome serious challenges that could easily prevent them from
TWF Programs
Niki and some Girl Scouts visit the Bell’s Bend vegetable garden.
Pack hiking with a llama named Pearl.
transitioning into a healthy adulthood, including homelessness, violence, depression, low self-esteem, and disconnection from caring adults. Vanessa Lazon, a Youth Engagement Specialist at Oasis Center in Nashville, wrote to us at the end of last year: “Thank you for everything! We truly love GOU and our teens enjoy every trip so much! I’ve already been asked to plan four overnight trips. That’s how much the teens love it.”
nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles. Lauren wrote to GOU: “Our matches love these events! It’s so nice that you plan everything, feed the kids and teach them about nature! Your staff members are very knowledgeable and are great with the kids. Everything is always so well organized.”
Another long-time partner is the Boy Scouts of America through their program called Scoutreach. This program develops troops in under-served neighborhoods where traditional troops with volunteer adult leaders are not present. Oscar Ramirez, the Scoutreach Director in Nashville, tells us that he could not do it without GOU. Together we have provided strenuous hikes, cast iron cooking, tent camping, summer day camps, opportunities for the Scouts to mentor younger kids, and community service projects like creek cleanups and tree plantings.
Preston Taylor Ministries (PTM) is the very heart of the Preston Taylor housing development in west Nashville. PTM was founded in 1998 to confront many of the problems in this public housing area, problems like gang involvement, teen pregnancy, illiteracy, and poor school performance. Chan Sheppard, executive director at Preston Taylor Ministries, wrote to us that “Children at PTM were able to experience environments and thoughts that are not common for them. These trips helped to expand their confidence and outlook.” In the past year, GOU has begun partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, focusing on the low-income rural communities of Pulaski, Tennessee and Madison County, Tennessee. In every community, boys and girls are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Boys & Girls Clubs are a safe place to learn and grow, instilling a sense of
Youth Villages serves children with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical or sexual abuse, substance abuse, or risk of suicide. In Nashville, Youth Villages operates two group homes for boys and one for girls. Carlos Hawkins works with the group homes at Youth Villages of Middle Tennessee. He wrote to us: “The GOU trips provide our youth with wonderful recreational and educational opportunities that we would not be able to offer them.” Lauren Gilpin coordinates match activities and outreach at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. Big Brothers Big Sisters uses oneto-one adult-to-child mentoring to improve children’s odds for succeeding in school, behaving
These girls had a chance to camp out at Hickory Creek in the fall. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 17
TWF Programs
GOU Parters in Memphis: Boy Scouts of America Scoutreach since January 2006 Girls Inc. since September 2006 St. George’s Independent School - Memphis Campus since October 2007 BRIDGES since January 2008 Girl Scouts Heart of the South since February 2012 Kids from Preston Taylor Ministries creating edible campfires.
Wes helps a Boy Scout tie a line on a hook at Yellow Creek Farm.
competence, usefulness, and belonging. So far, the favorite activities for Boys & Girls Club kids on GOU trips are fishing and creek crawls.
Recreation Area, Mammoth Cave National Park, Obed National Wild & Scenic River, and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
We have a new relationship with Dan Alexander, Curtis Sullivan, and Franktown Open Hearts in Franklin, Tennessee. This Christian organization works with Williamson County’s inner-city youth, offering tutoring, life skills workshops, community service projects, sports activities, and a hunting and fishing club. Great Outdoors University will coordinate fishing trips for Franktown Open Hearts to several private farms and metro parks and lead them in two overnight trips.
Partnerships are critical to the success of Great Outdoors University. In the years since its beginnings in 2005, we’ve found that both GOU and our partners grow stronger and enrich the lives of more kids through the relationship between our organizations. We are thrilled to work with such dedicated and caring people!
Our most unique partnership is with Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Stones River has adopted the McGavock High School Class of 2016. These students are freshmen this year. Through a grant from the National Park Service, GOU will work with Stones River to offer the Class of 2016 two field trips each fall. One will be a day trip to Stones River National Battlefield, with activities like hiking, rock hopping, campfire cooking, tent pitching, and kite flying. The other will be an extended trip to one of the four closest national parks, recreation areas, or rivers in our region. These extended trips will take the teens to Big South Fork National River & 18 | Spring 2013 | www.tnwf.org
Boys & Girls Club of Jackson-Madison County since January 2013
GOU Partners in Nashville: Oasis Center since April 2009 Boy Scouts of America Middle Tennessee Council Scoutreach since Summer 2009 Metro Parks Community Centers since September 2009 Youth Villages, Middle Tennessee since October 2009 Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee since December 2009 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee since March 2010 Preston Taylor Ministries since September 2011 Boys & Girls Club of Pulaski since June 2012 Youth Villages, Cookeville since July 2012 Franktown Open Hearts since January 2013 Stones River National Battlefield since January 2013
GOU Partner in Knoxville: Foster Chapel Baptist Church since April 2012
C o n s e r vat i o n N e w s
Todd Weaver (center) holds his certificate noting his honor as the Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year. Dr. Jack Gayden, SSCI representative of Memphis (far right), made the presentation at a meeting of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission. Also pictured (from left) are TWRA District 22 Lt. Jeff Skelton, Boating and Law Enforcement Division Chief Darren Rider and District 22 Cpt. Chuck Borum. Weaver received his honor for service in Hickman County, and recently transferred to Johnson/Sullivan counties.
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Todd Weaver Named Tennessee Wildlife Officer of the Year
ennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officer Todd Weaver has been honored by the Shikar–Safari Club International as its Tennessee Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Weaver currently serves in Johnson and Sullivan counties. The annual award from the conservation-based organization honors the officer whose efforts during the year display outstanding performance and achievement among TWRA law enforcement personnel. In addition to a number of cases and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, Weaver is very active in various public outreach activities. He taught and assisted in hunter education classes, which helped certify more than 200 students this past year, and he spoke to various youth, school and civic groups and supported agency programs by serving as a judge and safety officer at a range of events. TWRA Director Ed Carter says he first met Todd when he was working part-time processing quote hunt applications a few years ago, and that his ability to communicate with the public and work as a part of a team—often under stressful timelines—was a clear indication that he would do well. “It’s quite unusual for an officer to be selected for this honor so early in his career but, again, it’s indicative of Todd’s desire to go beyond what is expected and to strive to achieve the next level in
every aspect of his job,” Carter says. “We are very fortunate to have a cadre of dedicated officers who go above and beyond every day. To be selected as the Shikar Safari Officer of the Year from such a worthy group of applicants is an honor in itself.” According to a profile in the Kingsport Times-News, Weaver’s hometown paper, his superiors applauded his “relentless” law enforcement efforts. For the year, he issued 157 hunting and trapping citations—including 50 for big game violations—and 28 warnings. He was no less aggressive pursuing fishing and boating violators, the article said, and would routinely hike two miles or more through rough terrain in order to make a surprise inspection. His efforts lead to more than 100 cases on the water. “It’s important to get folks to realize that they need to have a license to fish legally,” Weaver told the paper. “People go fishing without one thinking they’re in such a remote location that nobody else could be around. And then, there I am.” Shikar-Safari Club International was founded in 1952 for the purpose of advancing knowledge concerning wildlife of the world, independently and in cooperation with zoological societies, universities and museums. Each year, the club sponsors an award for the Wildlife Officer of the Year in all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 19
Quality Deer Management and Hunters for the Hungry: Different Objectives
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he Internet has created a more sophisticated set of Tennessee sportsmen and women. Sites like TNDeer. com have assembled tens of thousands of deer hunters— from weekend warriors to state biologists—who talk about their passion online 24/7/365. It’s an incredible, no-cost virtual community where knowledge is shared freely, facilitated by technology. You can bet that some users are posting on TNDeer even from the deer stand! Much of the discussion these days is focused on how best to manage Tennessee’s thriving white-tailed deer herd, and how to grow bigger bucks. And that’s where the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) and TWF’s Hunters for the Hungry intersect. Nick Crafton, a TWF Board Member and QDMA program advocate, owns a farm in Haywood County that’s been in his family since 1835. That 668 acres has for generations been used by brothers, cousins, children and friends who enjoyed the camaraderie of the hunt—initially quail, and now primarily deer. “Bird hunting was a real passion growing up there, because there were no deer,” Crafton says. “There were four of us boys, and dad put us through voluntary hunter education in Memphis in
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Create Kindred Spirits 1972. That was right about the time the deer were being restored.” The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency started stocking whitetails in Haywood County in the 1960s, and the boys started deer hunting. Crafton says it’s the perfect place for the life of a deer: some of the hill ground, agricultural row crops, wood lots, river bottoms and swampy areas. It’s great habitat for bedding, browsing, feeding, loafing and resting. The deer took to the land accordingly. DECAL- HFTH-FINAL TENNESSEE WILDLIFE FEDERATION JULY 27 - 2012
In 2001, he started reading about the Quality Deer Management Association, and heard a presentation from Mike Black in Sequatchie County. Black had been collecting data, aging deer by tooth wear and weight and other factors. The concept was intriguing. That next fall, Crafton found a nice eight-point victim of roadkill and it prompted a thought. “I called the game warden and made sure it was okay, and I pulled his jawbone,” he says. “We had just had the juvenile hunt the weekend before, and they had killed four young bucks. I thought it made sense to see if we could grow another age class of deer, to increase the potential.”
TWF Programs The group that hunts the farm—and eventually other landowners in the area—started weighing each deer, pulling the jawbone, thinning does from the herd and passing up bucks. It would be a long-term project, but they started putting in food plots to make the farm’s food sources last longer and to reduce the pressure on the cash crops. “The farmer says the first 16 rows of beans anywhere next to woods are for the deer,” Crafton laughs. “We’re all volunteers, and you get out of it what you put in. A guy may have passed on a buck three or four times, and you get to where you know the individual deer. There are no hard and fast rules, but we know when we’ve earned the right to take a trophy buck. We’d never want to tell a kid he shot the wrong animal.” They’ve focused their energy on balancing the herd, and understanding the lifecycle of the farm. In 2004, they took 47 does off of that 668 acres. Now, it’s more like 25 per year. All of those jawbones, weights and other data have helped Crafton’s group understand over the years what the herd dynamics look like, and how they can be optimized. He says that in 2005, after removing so many does, their total number of deer sighted during the season dipped slightly, but that the mature buck sightings went up. There’s more competition for does, who started having twins more often in response to the environmental conditions.
could be doing thousands more than we are now,” Simcox says. “You start to think about the county-wide impact it could have, on agriculture, on deer-car collisions, on economic development based on better hunting and more hunters. It’s entirely scalable.” And that’s saying something, considering where we are today. Last season, the Hunters for the Hungry program brought in nearly 70 tons of venison, more than 136,000 pounds of meat that provided about a half-million meals for Tennesseans in need.
How do they know? Because after the first of the year, in the last days of the season, detectable embryos can be found in harvested does. Those tiny fetuses can be measured and backdated to determine when they were conceived, and would be born based on a normal gestation cycle.
Middle Tennessee QDMA Chapter President Chris Anderson says his group has come to the conclusion that Hunters for the Hungry’s goals not only align with their own, but that it’s a great way for hunters to give back something to the community.
“The jawbone helps correlate the rest of the data, whether the doe had lactated (had fawns the year before) and her body weight versus health,” Crafton says. “On the rare buck we do kill, it’s rack size versus age of the deer. We’ve confirmed that a buck on this property has to be three and half to get to 130 inches, that we’re going to have a very intense rut the third week of November and that fawns will be born the first week of June.”
“A lot of folks hesitate to kill as many does as they should because they can’t eat that many or they don’t have the money for processing, which is totally understandable,” Anderson says. “Our hope is that we can help educate our members and others in our circles that this is a bona fide option where people can feel great about meeting their management objectives while helping others. We’d love to be able to help on the fundraising side too.”
It’s a fascinating level of detail, and the results are clear: a deer taken today is significantly healthier than when they started in 2002, as a result of more per-capita habitat and more breeding competition, which means the fawns are born earlier and have more time to put on weight before the green browse is killed off by the first frost.
For Crafton, it’s all been a deeply rewarding experience, adding another dynamic to the hunt that continues beyond the season.
And all those does being taken means that a lot of hungry people are the ultimate beneficiaries. Those 25 does removed each year from the Crafton farm represent 4,000 meals at soup kitchens across West Tennessee. Hunters for the Hungry Program Coordinator Matt Simcox says it’s a perfect illustration for how effective property management and hunger relief efforts can work together. “We’re only limited by the amount of money we can raise to pay for processing. If these clubs and individual hunters know they can simply drop off a field-dressed deer at a participating processor, we
“We all enjoy it, including the kids, and it enhances the quality of the hunt and our understanding of the resource,” he says. “We see a lot more mature deer now, and get to watch big bucks spar and compete during the rut. It’s a much more natural situation based on the farm’s optimal carrying capacity, and it adds a whole new dimension of detail for us that’s really gratifying.”
Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 21
T W F Bo a r d M e m ber Sp ot l ig h t
RICHARD SPEER TWF Board Member Richard Speer and his son, Stoll, double up on Eastern wild turkeys.
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ichard Speer grew up in the Tampa, Fla. area, where you could usually find him doing something outdoors—fishing off-shore, skindiving and playing golf. He’s traveled the world chasing big game fish, but it wasn’t until he moved to Nashville that he began to develop a love for “Tennesseestyle” outdoor pursuits. Richard’s family was in the media business, so the eventual move to Nashville made sense. The Speers started the Home Shopping Network in the late ‘80s and took it public before selling it in 1993. They were able to secure approval to build a new television tower in middle Tennessee, which facilitated the launch of WNAB, Channel 58—known today as the WB—which remains one of Nashville’s most popular television stations. But Richard really started making his mark when he and music legend Mike Curb purchased Magnatone Publishing from Richard’s father. Curb, who has to his credit 300 #1 songs and stars on both
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the Hollywood and Nashville walks of fame, ultimately took full ownership of the company. Richard met his wife, Christi, a songwriter, through the music industry, and therefore believes he got the better end of the deal. “Mike was always a gentleman to deal with, and there isn’t a facet of the music business that he hasn’t touched,” Speer says. “But the market conditions meant the time was right to start shifting my focus back toward real estate development.” He and his dad have worked together on commercial and residential development companies and projects for 30 years or more. “From individual houses and subdivisions to retail centers and mixeduse developments, we’ve done it all, and all over the Southeast,” he says. “My first job out of college was in property development, and it’s always been in my blood. We never stop looking at prospects.” That mindset, perhaps, is what got Richard involved in what would become the very successful Nashville Zoo. While serving on the Board
T W F Bo a r d M e m ber Sp ot l ig h t of the Nashville Symphony and helping to lead a $2 million capital campaign, Speer developed a reputation for non-profit volunteer leadership, while expanding his own professional network. “I was reading the paper one day and saw that the Grassmere facility (a former 200-acre wildlife park in Nashville) had basically shut down. We had just sold Speer Communications, dad had retired, and the ‘Nashville’ zoo was out in Cheatham County. The prospect intrigued me,” Speer says. “So I reached out to the Zoo folks, and said it looked like we had 200 acres in Nashville where we could build a 21st century facility from scratch. They didn’t know me from Adam.” Leaders in the zoo community here had relationships with their peers at the Bronx, Cincinnati and San Diego zoos, among others, and Richard envisioned utilizing the latest technology to build habitats that would create a win-win scenario for the people of Nashville and for the Zoo. Then-Mayor Phil Bredesen gave him his blessing, and soon Richard was on the Zoo’s Board of Directors. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Nashville’s Zoo at Grassmere is respected as one of the best in the region, with state-of-the-art exhibits that make visitors feel a part of the habitat. He’s also been heavily involved with the Nashville Rescue Mission, which introduced him to Hunters for the Hungry, and by extension, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. “I first met Mike Butler at the TWF dove hunt, then got involved with the planning committee and with selling tickets. I got to know the organization, the people and the mission and wanted to get more engaged in the outdoor side of things,” he says. “I’ve never been a big hunter—I grew up an ocean guy—but living here I’ve traded that for the forest. I just love being outdoors doing something!”
our whitetail deer herd. It’s far more satisfying to grow them naturally, and I can tell you that a mature buck is particularly challenging to kill in the wild, especially with a bow.”
Speer says there’s no other organization in Tennessee doing more for the sportsmen and women of our state, no one with a stronger voice or any group doing more to support the outdoor future than the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. He recently helped shape TWF’s five-year strategic plan that will guide the youth engagement programs, resource management and public policy efforts moving forward. “I hope to be able to help make TWF a self-sustaining organization, to be there as an advocate and grow these phenomenal programs,” he says. “My son (Stoll, 13) starts high school next year, and I’m excited to get him involved in the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program. The outdoors have become a big part of our lives (along with Christi, son Grant, 10, and daughter Sophie, 8).” The Federation is pleased to recognize Richard Speer’s contributions, which will continue to make a tremendous impact into the future.
Since getting married—his wife’s side of the family got him hooked—he’s jumped head-first into duck, deer and turkey hunting, even helping to put together a Quality Deer Management program on 4,000 acres in West Tennessee. He says he’s mostly a bow hunter—“It’s like catching a 15-pound snook on ultralight line”—and he just took his first turkey with a bow this spring. It’s all been an enlightening, and rewarding, experience, he says. “I’m a firm believer in what TWF believes: the responsible use of our wildlife and natural resources is the best way to ensure their protection and enhancement. It belongs to all of us, and we have a responsibility to take care of it,” Speer says. “Only through TWF, for instance, did I understand why deer farming is a bad idea for the future of Tennessee Out-Of-Doors | 23
TWF News
Development Staff Adds Two Key Positions Communications Director, East Tennessee Officer Join the Federation
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he Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) has added Mark Johnson as director of communications and Cameron Mitchell as East Tennessee development officer. Johnson comes to TWF after a 10-year stint as assistant editor of the Tennessee Cooperator, the statewide membership publication of the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, a farm-supply company. “We’re excited to have Mark on board,” says TWF Chief Development Officer Kendall McCarter. “He brings a wealth of experience in writing about Tennessee’s people, history, and natural resources.
Cameron Mitchell
“We expect his addition to help enhance the TWF brand and bring our mission of conservation, sound management, and wise use of the state’s wildlife and great outdoors to a wider range of Tennessee residents.” Johnson will serve as editor of TWF’s Tennessee Outof-Doors magazine and will coordinate the nonprofit’s communications and marketing efforts. He was raised on a Christmas tree, tobacco, sorghum, and strawberry farm in North Carolina’s northern Appalachian Mountains, near Jefferson, N.C. As a teenager, he was an avid fisherman and squirrel and grouse hunter.
Mark Johnson
“In the fall, if I wasn’t working in Christmas trees, I was usually in the woods,” says Johnson, a selfdescribed Davy Crockett “fanatic.” “I’ve always looked for any reason to get outside. As a kid, I was probably more enthusiastic than effective as a hunter. The squirrels had something to worry about, but I was little more than a passing concern to the grouse!” He earned a degree in English from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., in 1990, shortly before moving to Nashville. Johnson currently resides in Murfreesboro with his wife, Holly, director of the Tennessee Office for Refugees, and their children, Sam, 12; Ava, 11; and Pete, 5.
Cameron Mitchell of Chattanooga is the organization’s east Tennessee development officer, responsible for raising awareness and funds in support of the Federation’s mission to conserve our state’s great outdoors. Mitchell worked previously as an executive chef and personal chef in locales including McAllen, Tex., Scottsdale, Ariz., Vail, Colo. and the Outer Banks, N.C., before joining Covenant College on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga as food service director. He is a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. As a heavily engaged volunteer with Ducks Unlimited, Mitchell served as area chairman in Chattanooga for two years and was recognized as Area Chairman of the Year in 2006. During his term as AC, the Chattanooga chapter received a Bronze Presidential citation for conservation excellence. The chapter was also inducted into the 500 Acres Club for grossing $125,000 for conservation. Mitchell was honored with the DU Distinguished Service Award in 2007, and went on to serve as the Tennessee state recruitment chairman until 2010. “Cameron has shown that he can engage others with his passion for the outdoors, and make a big impact,” says McCarter. “The Tennessee Wildlife Federation was founded in Chattanooga more than 65 years ago, and we have a long history in east Tennessee. We’re looking forward to Cameron introducing even more sportsmen and women to our work across the state.” Since 1946, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation has been a champion for our great outdoors, working to conserve Tennessee’s wildlife and natural resources for current and future generations. To learn more, visit www.tnwf.org.
Gifts in Memory of Samuel Ricky Avent
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David Breshears ~ Pine Bluff, AR
Vernon Nuckolls ~ Bolivar, TN
Billy and Sue Coleman ~ Frankford, MO
John B. Philip ~ Germantown, TN
Boyette and Melissa Denton ~ Toone, TN
Barrett and Diane Stevens ~ Bolivar, TN
Tommy McGee ~ Franklin, TN
Margaret D. Whitenton ~ Bolivar, TN
Nonprofit org U.S. Postage
Tennessee Wildlife Federation 300 Orlando Avenue, Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37209
PAID
Nashville, TN Permit No. 3731
Key Program Funding Provided By The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
· Founded in 2001
· Tennessee has produced 10 Junior Olympians
· Boys and girls compete head-to-head, ages 9-18+ · TNSCTP has awarded more than $75,000 in scholarships · More than 3,000 participants on 100 teams in 60 counties in 2012 · Universities in Tennessee and more than 30 nationwide offer scholarships · TNSCTP has brought home for competitive shooting sports 27 national championships over the years, including 13 of 15 in 2012
Experience the TNSCTP State Championships June 18-22 at the Nashville Gun Club
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