NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has issued a boating safety advisory for Douglas Lake due to flooding from Hurricane Helene in the North Carolina mountains and parts of Tennessee.
A large field of floating debris has accumulated in Douglas Reservoir in Sevier and Jefferson counties, which is the inflow point from the Nolichucky, Pigeon and French Broad rivers and other watersheds. The debris field on Douglas is approximately one square mile in size.
To help contain the debris, TVA has deployed a one-mile-wide boom across Douglas Reservoir above the town of Dandridge. The boom extends across the entire lake surface at Mile 11 at Swanns Shoals upriver from downtown Dandridge and will be in place until further notice. A boom is a floating barrier that captures surface and submerged debris in bodies of water.
Debris can be hazardous, with the potential to cause injury or death. For the safety of the crews involved in debris cleanup as well as the safety of boaters, the public is advised to stay off the lake until further notice.
In addition to debris fields in the lake, The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has issued a temporary water contact advisory. Members of the public should avoid all contact with waterbodies affected by the extreme flooding in East Tennessee.
The advisory applies to all surface waters in the Nolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe and Watauga River watersheds as well as any other waters affected by the flooding. TDEC plans to resume water quality monitoring in these watersheds as areas become safely accessible and conditions have improved. TDEC will lift the advisory when appropriate.
Potential fishing or recreational event organizers should strongly consider postponing events for the safety of participants until debris and contaminant levels are at a safer level.
TVA Police along with officers from the TWRA will be on the water patrolling to help ensure safety, and signage will be set up around the area of the boom.
Criminal threats spark partial closure at Franklin State Forest
NASHVILLE — Effective immediately, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry (TDF) is suspending public access to the eastern half of Franklin State Forest in Franklin and Marion Counties. This step follows serious threats against the safety of visitors and to professionals working within the forest.
This week, criminals claimed to have spiked areas of the forest where loggers are conducting a harvest operation. If areas have been spiked, this poses a very serious threat to the safety of forest visitors, state forest management staff, and logging crews, as well as locals employed at sawmills.
Spiking is a form of forest industry sabotage where a metal rod or other material is hammered into a tree trunk either near the base of a tree where a logger or firefighter might cut, or higher up where it would affect a sawmill. Contact with the spike damages saw blades, can cause flying metal and wood pieces, and make chainsaws kickback, which can result in serious injuries or death to workers or wildland firefighters. Spiking also negatively impacts tree health by creating a pathway for pests and infections to enter the tree.
“Due to these dangerous criminal activities, we must once again restrict access to Franklin State Forest to protect visitors and professionals on the forest,” State Forester Heather Slayton said. “Tree spiking poses a serious risk of injury or death during both harvesting and processing. If those responsible for the threats have placed spikes, they are endangering lives, which is absolutely unacceptable.”
The Tennessee Agricultural Crime Unit (ACU) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are conducting a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
TWRA accepting public comment on new rules
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is accepting public comments on regulations governing license and permit fees, boating certificates, migratory bird hunting, refuges, wildlife management areas, and public hunting areas.
Written comments will be accepted through the Public Comment Opportunity section of the Agency’s website (tnwildlife.org) through Nov. 30, 2024.
The rules are posted for viewing on the Public Notice section of the website. Members of the public may respond to the form fields however they choose, as no fields are mandatory. The form includes a generic comment area (by selecting “other”) so participants may include topics of comment that may not have been addressed in the structured area of the form.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will conduct a Rulemaking Hearing on Dec. 6, 2024, at its regularly scheduled meeting. The December meeting will be held at the Ducks Unlimited headquarters in Memphis.
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