Serve and Protect Luncheon 2019

  The Tucker River Fellows were invited to the Serve and Protect luncheon in the IMAX. We left school and arrived at the IMAX. We grabbed our food which was amazing and headed to the theatre. The food included with a fish hot dog, delicious scallops, pasta, salad with berries and peach cobbler.

On September 19th, the Tucker River Fellows went to a Serve and Protect luncheon in the IMAX. We arrived at the IMAX from school ingot in line for the food. We could already smell the food when waiting in line. The food included with a fish hot dog, delicious scallops, pasta, salad with berries and a peach cobbler.

  Then we grabbed our drinks and entered the theatre. At first, a lady showed how Asian Carp (Silver Carp) were an invasive fish and were eating all of the home fish species’ food. She said to decrease the amount of Asian Carp/ Silver Carp, we can eat them. There were two chefs in the cooking show. One was Chef Michael Gulotta and the other one was Chef Ricky Moore. They were both really funny and made great commentary during their cooking. There also was a band called The Sustainables and they were funny with their songs. The cooking show was really informational and fun.

TNACI

TNACI 

During our time at TNACI (Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute), we learned about a specific species called the Appalachian Brook Trout. This species is endangered so the goal of our excursion was the see the process of sperm and eggs being taken out and put together to create more fish in order to try to save the fish. When we arrived we gathered around to see all the fish. They were first put into water with steroids so the process would be less painful for the fish. 

Next, the female trout were first and the TNACI reintroduction biologist pushed the eggs out of their lower body into a bowl being careful that everything stays dry. The eggs were placed in a dark area for around 15 minutes. They were then placed in a bucket of water and after all the female fish went then came the sperm of the male fish. The same process was repeated to the males. The sperm was then placed over the eggs. Unfortunately, by this time it was time to go. 

Green spaces tour blog: October 1, 2019

On September 26, 2019, the freshmen Tucker River Fellows took a short tour of Green spaces! Green spaces is located downtown and it was started as a project to help conserve the natural environment of Chattanooga in 2007. Their main focus is to help spread awareness about waste and other things harmful to the natural world. They also work to keep building green as they often work with architects or developers. Their building is LEED certified which means their building is nationally recognized for working to  use strategies that benefit the health of the public and the environment. Green spaces encourages, and uses themselves, a gray water system which preserves drinking water. It treats water that needs to be used for other purposes that don’t require the water to be potable such as toilets, water plants, cooling towers etc. They also speak to businesses about switching to a green roof which uses plants to absorb water, treat the air, provide insulation etc. 

TNACI (Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute) - sturgeon tagging 8/29/19

Thursday, August 28th we took a bus over to TNACI, on Baylor’s campus, during our meeting time.
When we got there, the employees were working on tagging young sturgeon.
It’s kind of like a microchip, only it goes through the tip of the sturgeon’s nose.

In order to do this, TNACI needed a group of sturgeon separated into a smaller container,
closer to the equipment. The sturgeon were being held in “racetracks,” separated by size.
Our job was to use little nets to move some of the bigger sturgeon into a smaller tub.

It was really cool! After that, we spent the rest of the time learning about the baby sturgeons, and
we got to pick some of them up. When the babies are hungry, they do this thing called
“porpoising,” where they come about have way out of the water! That was super cute to see.

With our last few minutes, we walked over to some of the other tanks to learn about some
different fish species, like trout. We got to feel the water and learned that trout need very
cold habitats in order to survive! The very last thing we did was learn about how they were
going to tag the sturgeon and what equipment they use.

Summer recap- Thursday, June 13

On our fourth morning of Tucker River Fellows, we almost immediately got on the bus

and rode over to TNACI (Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute) on the Baylor campus.

We toured the facility and were amazed by the many different fish, the sustainability of the building,

and the beauty of the surrounding environment.

The tour only made us more excited for our many visits that will occur in the fall. After the tour,

we hopped back on the bus and rode to a mill on South Chickamauga creek. We put on some very

rubbery waders and headed down to the creek. We were taught how to seine fish and then we got to

try it ourselves. We started out in the more mellow part of the creek where we caught lots of medium

sized fish and a few larger ones.

We then had our lunch break and then we headed down to the part of the creek with more current

and we caught lots of small fish.

Overall, we caught 26 different species of fish. After fishing, we took off our waders, got on the bus,

and headed over to Camp Jordan. There, we met a representative from South Chickamauga Greenway

Citizens Alliance. We learned about citizen concerns about potential flooding and the wetlands

affected by the proposed Red Wolves stadium near Camp Jordan.

Ocoee Dam and TVA archeology- summer recap - Wednesday, June 12

Wednesday morning, June 12, we began by meeting in the Tucker River Fellows room bright and early.

Mrs. Couch explained we had a long day ahead of us. Our first action was to leave for the
Ocoee Dam for a tour. On the bus ride most of us fell asleep but quickly woke up when we arrived
at the Dam. Our tour guide, Mike, greeted us with a warm smile and after a quick talk about the history
of the Dam, we put our hard hats on and some safety glasses. He explained to us that there are 3
Ocoee dams that work together to create power. 1 megawatt powers about 136 homes.

We headed down to the control station and looked around. Apparently, it used the be sugar mill!
We saw the new control center, the old control center, generators, and much more.

From there we found a playground and sat down at the picnic tables to eat lunch.
Soon, TVA Archeologists came to talk with us. They explained that no one can build on a lot without
archeologists like them making sure there are no important artifacts.

After this they provided us with materials to make little tribal masks.

After stopping at the playground for a quick slide down the slide we headed back to Chattanooga
were we debriefed and went home for the day. 

Tuesday, June 11th

Tuesday morning started with a breakfast casserole in the Pot Point House. Afterward, we packed our bags and headed outside. We grabbed our kayaks and one by one they were placed into the Tennessee River. It was decided soon after that we should take a picture of us side by side. 

    As we started to paddle, we were surprised by how much easier it was to paddle than Monday. The Chickamauga Dam released water which made the current stronger. The reason why was a mystery to us, but we suspected that it may have something to do with the large amount of rain we got last week. While we kayaked, we spotted lots of wildlife,  including Great Blue Herons, a bald eagle, a turtle, and more. I took a stick and kayaked with it. We finished up at a ramp at the bottom of Racoon Mountain. There, we ate our lunch and chatted. Soon after, Outdoor Chattanooga came to pick us up and drop us off at GPS. 

      The founder of Green Steps came to speak about the consequences of littering. Green Steps is a non profit litter awareness organization that started in 2017. Some consequences she spoke of were that litter such as plastic takes a range of thousands to millions of years to biodegrade, negatively impacts wildlife and humans, and that litter is an eyesore. She also mentioned volunteer programs such as monthly clean ups and Trail Raisers. Green Steps has an app where it encourages people to pick up litter by giving you one Amazon dollars for one bag of litter. Overall, Tuesday was amazing and we all enjoyed it.

   

Seranino Ship yard- Oct 17 by Mary Claire N.

Serodino Ship Yard:
At our Tucker River Fellows meeting this week we got the opportunity to tour our local shipyard. We meet one of the owners who showed us around. The first thing we saw when we arrived was a large tower that holds any scrap grains that were collected. These scraps don't pass the regulations of the sender, so instead are sold to local farmers at a lower price. Then we climbed up onto the towboat and went upstream a little to pick up an empty liquid barge that had arrived today. 

These barges save companies with orders of large quantities thousands as one barge is equal to fifteen railcars or sixty trucks as the engine can produce from a few thousand horsepowers to 10,000. This was a fun and information trip and if I ever need to send a large shipment somewhere I will definitely use a barge.

Outdoor Chattanooga- Sept 19th by Ellie F.

For the Tucker River Fellows meeting this week, we all took a trip to the Outdoor Chattanooga office in Coolidge park, and then stopped by Renaissance park to eat lunch and learn. When we arrived at Outdoor Chattanooga, we were greeted by Terri Chapin, who we had met and gone on an exciting kayak trip down the river with over the summer. Terri spoke to us about everything Outdoor Chattanooga, such as what it actually does, the history of Outdoor Chattanooga, and how all of it relates back to the river. Outdoor Chattanooga is a division of the City of Chattanooga that focuses on the promotion of outdoor recreation. They offer many activities, such as hiking, climbing, biking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, and so much more. Allowing people to experience the delights of nature, especially the river, helps to raise awareness about protecting it. We left Coolidge Park with new knowledge all about Outdoor Chattanooga, and then Mrs. Couch drove us over to Renaissance Park. There, we learned about a special feature in the parking lot. Instead of normal concrete in the parking spaces, there is a special substance that absorbs water, and this feature helps to filter dirt out of the water, before it gets to the river, and also helps to prevent flooding. After learning about Renaissance Park’s interesting aspect, we finished our lunches and headed back to GPS, and thankfully arrived on time!

Plan an outing with Outdoor Chattanooga soon!

Youth freshwater summit- By Charlie H.

Nov. 7, 2018: The Youth Freshwater Summit is a Tennessee River convention for teenagers--
and it’s absolutely fascinating. I was a little nervous about the summit, but as Dr. Anna George
and Hayley Wise introduced the event, my fears were completely assuaged.
During the 1st half of the day we toured the facility that won a LEED Gold award for its low impact
on the environment. Did you know that the plumbing is supplied by rainwater gathered
in a cistern outside of the building? Or that the entire landscape that the institute is on is
flourishing with specific native species of plants, forming a rain garden that properly irrigates
the land into a small wetland that now supports a beaver dam?
(GPS hopes to soon add a rain garden similar to it for a Tucker River Fellows Project). Later
in the day we got a chance to learn hands-on how TNACI (also the Cherokee name for the
Tennessee River) tested the river in different areas. Speaking of the river, did you know that the
Tennessee River is as diverse in fish species as the Amazon!?! And pollutants, such as
industrial pollutants from chemical plants and non-point source pollution from soil erosion
cause habitat degradation for many of the diverse wildlife in our river-- killing them and
therefore many other species in the process. There is this (pardon my Disney) “circle of life”
in which each species depends on another-- like the mussels relationship
with the tangerine darter in the Tennessee River. If the Tangerine darter didn’t have any
mayflies to eat, then the mussels wouldn’t have anything to disperse their larvae
(scientific name: Glochidia) around the river to maintain genetic diversity.

Serve and Protect- Sept 13 by Mary Kate J.

Serve and protect: 
September, 2018  This Wednesday for our Tucker river fellows club meeting, we headed down to the IMAX theatre for the Serve and Protect cooking show. This show is a yearly event hosted at the IMAX where chefs across the south come to show Chattanoogans how to prepare invasive species of fish. When we arrived at the IMAX we were greeted by tables filled with a wide variety of fish, fruit, and peach cobbler bars. The stars of the show were the Lionfish and the Wreckfish. We learned that the Lionfish is a highly invasive species that can destroy ecosystems and coral reefs. While Wreckfish is also an invasive species, they are being added to many menus across the country. At the serve and protect cooking show we learned how to prepare these invasive fish at a restaurant or even at home. More people are now branching out and trying these fish to try and get rid of them to save many ecosystems in the ocean, we were also encouraged to try and get our local grocery stores to start supplying these fish. Overall it was a great experience with even greater food! I would definitely recommend it to others and would go back again!