Okay, Here is the news I have to share:
TVA has obtained a permit from TDEC, to apply herbicides to to suppress nuisance aquatic vegetation growth in the vicinity of public facilities ( ramps, courtesy piers, fishing piers, and the swimming area) at Chester Frost Park in the Dallas Bay area of Chickamauga.
In other words guys, TVA is moving forward to treat hydrilla growth on this lake. Because of the response seen at the TVA meeting on February 24th, TVA is willing to work with us, and has granted us a "Demo Site" inside Dallas Bay and is going to give us a chance to show what we can do to control the grass using mechanical managment methods. ( Basically guys we are gonna try several different methods that will involve black matting material to suppress growth, hand pulling, and hand tools, and as a last resort we may try the Hockney mechanical cutter).
They have given us about an acre and a half around the boat ramp and the fishing pier. TVA is going to supply us with hand rakes, cutting tools, netting, and bottom barriers, as well as advice....
I want to do something to get as much news media, and lake property owners out to this project site when we work on these projects so they can evaluate for themselves the successfulness of "Chemical-Free approach to grass removal..."
This will be a lot like mowing the yard, as we may have to get a monthly date set up to go out and "control" new growth. TVA is willing to give us this chance before they try to control any grass through the use of herbicides. THIS IS HUGE, AND WE SHOULD BE VERY HAPPY AND THANKFUL TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY! Our first step will be a small project to lay down some bottom barriers around the boat docks. This will consist of several people laying down a black mat on the bottom around the boat dock, this mat will suppress hydrilla growth and will have to be moved about every three weeks to keep the grass down where it has become a nuisance. by doing this we will be saving that huge mat of grass behind the CBA weigh in stand which is used by many fish as a "resting area" upon being released by the many tournaments that release there. Besides that, late last year that was some prime habitat for many fish, birds, and reptiles that use the area.
Next, we will have a project where we will use several methods to clean up the mat that grows around the fishing pier at CFP. This project will involve placing a net around the area to be cleaned ( this prevents the spread of the cut segments which is very important!). At that point I will need the help of many different volunteers to use different methods to cut and remove the grass that become a nuisance to those trying to fish from the peir.
I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET! THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW TVA THAT WE ARE WILLING TO PUT FOURTH OUR OWN TIME AND EFFORT TO HELP MANAGE THE GRASS, AND THIS MAY BE OUR BEST CHANCE TO KEEP DANGEROUS CHEMICALS OUT OF OUR RIVER!
My email is
[email protected] please send me your contact info complete with # and email so I can get a list of volunteers together. These projects should get going around late May and early June. I am very excited that TVA has given us this opportunity! Thanks so much to those fisherman who made the effort to show up at TVA and the grass meeting I held, we made some ripples in the pond and TVA listened. Now, we have to work on these homeowners, and show them that easiest and cheapest means to remove the grass(i.e. herbicides) is not the best choice for the public, and that there are practical alternatives.
I feel like this year will be a pivotal year in the health of the fishery of Chickamauga Lake, we have a chance to make history and to save our water. Please join me in this fight to keep our water clean and save one of the best fisheries on the planet. Here is your chance to be a part of the natural history of the TN River and our local environment. I will answer any questions, and will announce the schedule for these projects as soon as TVA lets me know. This will be an uphill battle and wont be easy, but its the right thing to do!
