The freshmen Tucker River fellows went on an overnight kayaking trip through the
Tennessee River Gorge. We put in at Suck Creek and kayaked for 4 hours. We had two women from Outdoor Chattanooga with us named Candice and Terri. Terri Chapin actually was the outdoor program director at GPS several years ago. They taught us how to use the kayaks and paddles.
While we were kayaking through the Tennessee River we saw and heard many animals such as snakes, turtles, deer and different birds. Along the way we stopped to observe the animals and to play on rope swings and in the water.
Finally, we arrived at the cabin and we were first greeted by a snake! We stayed out of its way and put the kayaks up.
Later that afternoon, Rick and Mariah from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust came and talked to us about what they do. Rick is the executive director for the non profit and he is very familiar with birds. He uses his knowledge about birds to find out information about a certain area of land. For example, a team of scientists catch a type of bird called the Louisiana Waterthrush. They put a small geo-locator on the bird and let them go off to migrate. This bird is very territorial so every year the bird usually comes back from migrating to the same place. If the bird goes somewhere else, then the scientists can tell that something about the environment has changed. From there they run some tests and fix the problem.
Mariah is the community director for the non profit. She works with the people and finds ways to get them involved with the land they have. Her job can be tricky because she has to find the balance of keeping the land accessible for the people but not commercialized. We then moved on to talking about us as individuals and what we have to do with the environment. One of the things mentioned is about what our choices as future adults affect. He said that everyone is connected to the environment. That means when we make choices about the environment, we are going to affect all people.
Rick ended his talk by speaking about if conservation is a privilege or a responsibility. We were supposed to think about how we feel about it because each side has valid points.
The next morning, we got up and went back out to kayaking.
We didn’t kayak for as long as the day before, but we saw many more animals and places because it was more secluded in the woods. We saw birds, fish, and a beautiful place for climbing. The part of the river we were on this day had beautiful scenery that took your breath away!
We also passed by Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant. This place pumps water, at periods of low demand, to the top of the mountain. Then, at periods of high demand, the water is let free down the mountain to drive the generators to make electricity. Mrs. Couch said that there were very few plants like these in the United States, so it is cool that we are right next to it. Right next to the plant we put out and made it back to GPS safe and sound!
Tennessee River Gorge. We put in at Suck Creek and kayaked for 4 hours. We had two women from Outdoor Chattanooga with us named Candice and Terri. Terri Chapin actually was the outdoor program director at GPS several years ago. They taught us how to use the kayaks and paddles.
While we were kayaking through the Tennessee River we saw and heard many animals such as snakes, turtles, deer and different birds. Along the way we stopped to observe the animals and to play on rope swings and in the water.
Finally, we arrived at the cabin and we were first greeted by a snake! We stayed out of its way and put the kayaks up.
Later that afternoon, Rick and Mariah from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust came and talked to us about what they do. Rick is the executive director for the non profit and he is very familiar with birds. He uses his knowledge about birds to find out information about a certain area of land. For example, a team of scientists catch a type of bird called the Louisiana Waterthrush. They put a small geo-locator on the bird and let them go off to migrate. This bird is very territorial so every year the bird usually comes back from migrating to the same place. If the bird goes somewhere else, then the scientists can tell that something about the environment has changed. From there they run some tests and fix the problem.
Mariah is the community director for the non profit. She works with the people and finds ways to get them involved with the land they have. Her job can be tricky because she has to find the balance of keeping the land accessible for the people but not commercialized. We then moved on to talking about us as individuals and what we have to do with the environment. One of the things mentioned is about what our choices as future adults affect. He said that everyone is connected to the environment. That means when we make choices about the environment, we are going to affect all people.
Rick ended his talk by speaking about if conservation is a privilege or a responsibility. We were supposed to think about how we feel about it because each side has valid points.
The next morning, we got up and went back out to kayaking.
We didn’t kayak for as long as the day before, but we saw many more animals and places because it was more secluded in the woods. We saw birds, fish, and a beautiful place for climbing. The part of the river we were on this day had beautiful scenery that took your breath away!
We also passed by Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant. This place pumps water, at periods of low demand, to the top of the mountain. Then, at periods of high demand, the water is let free down the mountain to drive the generators to make electricity. Mrs. Couch said that there were very few plants like these in the United States, so it is cool that we are right next to it. Right next to the plant we put out and made it back to GPS safe and sound!
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