EarthSolidarity!™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
Darren Nunley of Whittier holds the 15.75-pound largemouth bass he caught on Nickajack Reservoir this winter. The fish is a new largemouth record. TWRA
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has confirmed that a new state record for a largemouth bass has been established, breaking the previous mark, which was set more than 11 years ago.
Darren Nunley caught the record fish in Nickajack Reservoir on Feb. 28. It weighed 15 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces, and was 27 7/8 inches in length. The new mark surpasses the previous record of Gabe Keen, who caught a largemouth weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces on Friday the 13th in February 2015, which at the time had broken a record which stood for more than 60 years.
A resident of Whitwell, Nunley made his record haul at 8 a.m. on a jackhammer chatterbait lure. He was using a 17-pound fluorocarbon test line and a Shimano reel.
The fish was weighed on a certified scale at a grocery store in Whitwell. TWRA sent a fin clip for genetic testing, with official results finalized on May 9.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.
-TWRA
Retired University of Tennessee philosophy professor John Nolt has been waging a one-man campaign against destructive invasive plants, such as the ivy seen in the background strangling live trees, in the Baker Creek Preserve in South Knoxville. JJ Stambaugh/Hellbender Press
KNOXVILLE — Death is slowly overtaking the Urban Wilderness, one tree at a time.
A host of invasive species have taken root in the 1,000-acre network of trails, parks, and quarries that draws legions of outdoor enthusiasts from across the Knoxville metropolitan area and beyond. Their prolific growth may look healthy to the untrained eye, but in reality their presence is a neon-green warning sign.
English ivy, wintercreeper, honeysuckle, and privet are just some of the non-native species of flora that are slowly taking over the region’s forested spaces, threatening the very existence of the countless plants and animals that depend on the local food web.
The problem isn’t new, but it’s been growing more visible with each passing year and has drawn the attention of environmentalists, government officials, and local groups of nature lovers.
For instance, retired University of Tennessee philosophy professor John Nolt has been waging a one-man campaign against the destructive plants in the Baker Creek Preserve in South Knoxville.
Several times a week, he walks the trails and takes note of how thick bands of brilliant green vines have wrapped themselves around the trunks of elm, birch, and sycamore trees.
This interpretive sign describing both the Smokies natural haze and the impact of air pollution on the park are among the numerous signs and exhibits targeted for removal from Great Smoky Mountains National Park by a Trump executive order. Save Our Signs
This story was originally published by Compass.
GATLINBURG — The Trump Administration’s war against “woke” appears poised to extend to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Ten interpretive signs within the park referencing slavery, science and the Cherokee are included in a leaked dataset of national park educational features subject to removal, according to a Compass review of the now publicly available document.
The signs are subject to removal per the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order from President Donald Trump, issued in March 2025.
Pierce Gentry at WUOT first reported the inclusion of the Smokies in a massive leaked database that lists hundreds of Department of the Interior sites with signs, exhibits, films and publications that the administration deems offensive.
The Department of the Interior and National Park Service have already removed signs from park-service units elsewhere, including displays at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia that highlighted the people enslaved by George Washington during the Revolutionary War era. A lawsuit is pending.
The Whip-Off is always a high-flying hit with Knoxville Adventure Festival crowds. The weekend of fun is set for May 1-2 at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville. Smoke Signal Photo
KNOXVILLE — The Outlandish Adventure Festival is back at Ijams Nature Center this weekend for a free two-day celebration of the outdoors. The live music, large-scale spectacles, and immersive experiences spread across the trails, quarry, and open spaces make this venue unlike anywhere else.
Outlandish is built for those who want a full weekend of adventure and music.
The weekend features spectacles and performances across two days: climbing competitions, a bike whip-off, highline walkers over Mead's Quarry, kayak sprints, nine live music acts, a fire performance, and a late-night rave in the woods. Families are welcome, and there's dedicated programming for kids throughout the weekend.
Start your day watching climbers scale the rock face. Spend the afternoon at the water's edge. End the night under the trees with fire in the air and music carrying through the dark. Outlandish is built for wandering. Just show up and follow what pulls you in.
The Outlandish Adventure Festival is a collaborative effort by Knoxville’s outdoor enthusiasts and organizations, including Visit Knoxville, Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (AMBC), Knoxville Adventure Collective, River Sports Outfitters, Tennessee Riverline, Two Bikes, The Maker City, and The City of Knoxville. Together, they’ve created a weekend to inspire exploration, connection, adventure, and celebration of Knoxville’s natural beauty.
Alejandro and Michelle Guanaga opened Outdoor Gear Revival on Kingston Pike in Knoxville right before the 2020 Pandemic. Outdoor Gear Revival
KNOXVILLE — “We had a grandmother come in one time and said, ‘I want to take my grandson camping, but I don't have all the lightweight gear,’” Alejandro Guanaga said. “Your grandson doesn't care if you're carrying a 50-pound tent. He wants to go out with grandma.”
For Alejandro and his wife, Michelle, their business provides exactly that opportunity to people of all income levels in and around Knoxville. The couple owns and operates Outdoor Gear Revival (OGR), 5710 Kingston Pike, a consignment store in Bearden reselling used outdoor gear and apparel. They opened the shop in February 2020, at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. Like other non-essential businesses, they were required to close in March.
“When we were allowed to open again in May, we came back and it was phenomenal because the stimulus checks helped a lot,” Guanaga said. “Everybody wanted to go outdoors because so much was closed. It really jump-started our business.”
Those foundational connections that the Guanagas made in the early days of their business built a community encompassing multiple generations. Some of their summer staff were among their earliest customers as kids. Families who started camping with small children six years ago have started backpacking, moving from one pastime to the next with gear from OGR.
“You’re able to help people and get them outdoors. Our philosophy has always been… that to protect the outdoors, you have to love it,” Guanaga said. “The more people we get to be passionate about the outdoors, the more we can help protect it… We believe that stores like ours help keep that passion alive.”
In an August 19, 1984, newspaper article from the Bristol Herald Courier, Bob Shumate and Rick Knight are pictured observing reintroduced peregrine falcon chicks at a hacking site in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Courtesy Bristol Herald Courier
Holly Kays is the lead writer for Smokies Life.
GATLINBURG — With striking white-and-gray plumage, yellow beaks and talons, and powerfully compact bodies, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) are beautiful birds in any posture. But they’re downright magical in the air—aerial acrobats capable of reaching 200 mph as they dive down onto their prey. For Johnson City, Tennessee, ornithologist Rick Knight, such sightings are especially rich in meaning.
“It’s like watching one of my kids or grandkids making his own in the world,” he said.
In the summer of 1984, Knight was 28 years old, an East Tennessee farm boy with a bachelor’s degree in biology and an abiding love for the outdoors. When he learned about an opportunity to get paid to spend all summer camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he jumped at the chance.
The job revolved around four fluffy peregrine falcon chicks, which wildlife managers hoped would become the first wild peregrines to soar over the Smokies in decades. The Smokies reintroduction was a joint effort of the National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and The Peregrine Fund.
KNOXVILLE — The 37th annual Ijams River Rescue on March 21 brought together 584 volunteers to clean up 39 sites, removing an estimated 34,800 pounds (17.4 tons) of trash from the Tennessee River, creeks, streams, and shorelines in Knox, Anderson, Blount, and Sevier Counties.
Volunteers collected 1,273 bags of trash as well as 114 tires and large items, such as traffic barrels, shopping carts, broken windows, and a riding lawnmower. Other finds included 40 feet of barge line, 125 square feet of docking, two toilets, medical equipment, a box of shotgun shells, underwear, and a full plate of food that had been abandoned on a bench.
This year’s cleanup surpassed the 2025 Ijams River Rescue, which removed an estimated 17.2 tons of trash and large items from 34 sites in Knox, Anderson, Blount, and Loudon counties.
The 37th annual Ijams River Rescue was made possible thanks to City of Knoxville Stormwater Engineering, Dow, First Horizon Bank, Tennessee Valley Authority, Borderland Tees, Brunswick Boat Group, Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union, Vulcan Materials Company, Old Sevier District, and Tailwater Properties.
-Ijams Nature Center
Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is among the wildflowers you may encounter each spring at Whiteoak Sink and other areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The sink is such a draw for wildflower lovers the park service limits the number of people who can enter the sink at any one time in a bid to protect the flowers. Wikipedia Commons
GATLINBURG — In what has become an annual plea, rangers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park again reminds visitors to limit group sizes at Whiteoak Sink, a wildflower mecca in the most-visited park in the U.S.
Here’s the release from the National Park Service:
“As spring approaches, Great Smoky Mountains National Park reminds visitors of group size limits during the popular wildflower season at Whiteoak Sink. Individuals and small groups of eight or fewer people may access the Whiteoak Sink area throughout the wildflower season from April 1 through May 3.
“Whiteoak Sink is a sensitive area that hosts many rare plants. Park managers limit group size to protect sensitive wildflower species from trampling. Overuse of the area causes impacts like damage to plants and soil compaction when large groups crowd around plants off trail to take photos or closely view flowers. Parking is limited, so visitors should plan ahead and come prepared with alternative destinations in case they do not find parking available at Whiteoak Sink. Parking is not permitted on road shoulders.”
OAK RIDGE — Acclaimed writer David Haskell’s latest book offers a literary and scientific look at the vitality of plants (and most importantly, their flowers) and their impact on civilization.
“I hope that after reading the “How Flowers Made our World,” readers will experience flowers with more delight, curiosity, and reverence,” Haskell said in a release from Penguin Books. Haskell is the author of five books, two of which were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction.
“As in my other books, I interweave rich sensory observation with the latest scientific discoveries, aiming to enrich readers’ own experiences of flowers and the living world.
“This book is a culmination of what I’ve learned as a biologist and writer over the last thirty years: that even though we often dismiss flowers as mere ornaments, flowers run our world, from building ecosystems, to spurring the diversity and vitality of animals, to being the foundations of human agriculture.
He will speak to a Knoxville online Knoxville audience at 7 p.m. March 30.
The program is free, and registration for the Zoom presentation is available on the Arboretum Society website UTArboretumSociety.org. Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning is a cosponsor.
A father and his daughter pose with a bagged Georgia bird. GDNR
ATLANTA — Youth and mobility-impaired hunters get an early start to turkey season on March 21-22. This special opportunity gives youth and mobility-impaired hunters a chance to harvest a gobbler on private lands before the statewide turkey season opens, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.
This early weekend hunt opportunity is available on private lands and is only for youth 16 years of age and younger, or hunters that are mobility impaired (i.e. confined to a wheelchair, hemiplegia, monoplegia, paraplegia, or single-leg amputation above the knee). Youth hunters must be accompanied by an adult (18 years or older) who may call for turkey but may not take or attempt to take a turkey.
The season bag limit for turkeys is one gobbler (male turkey) per hunter per day, and a season total of two gobblers.
All turkey hunters, including those under 16 years of age, landowners, honorary, lifetime, and sportsman license holders, must obtain a free harvest record each season. Before moving a harvested turkey, hunters are required to immediately enter the date and county on the harvest record, and within 24 hours, must complete the reporting process through Georgia Game Check. More information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/HarvestRecordGeorgiaGameCheck.
-GDNR
The Walker Sisters Cabin is among the dozens of historic buildings in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Friends of the Smokies
This story was originally published by Compass.
GATLINBURG — It takes a lot of work to keep things looking the way they used to look.
A small army of uniquely skilled artisans labors through the seasons and decades to maintain, preserve and conserve the dozens of historical structures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Restoration projects have included Cable Mill flume and Elijah Oliver cabin in Cades Cove, and the Walker Sisters Cabin in Little Greenbrier.
It takes talent and an old-fashioned eye for detail in cabins, barns, millraces, schoolhouses and churches. It also takes a lot of money.
The Boyd Foundation in February announced a $750,000 donation to Friends of the Smokies that will push a key historic-preservation endowment to $9 million.
Geoscientist Sean Bemis, undergraduate student Madeleine Kronebusch, and Dhari Alharbi '22, who was a student at the time, review data collected by their ground-penetrating radar system. Photo courtesy of Sean Bemis
Lon Wagner is senior director of communications and marketing in the Virginia Tech College of Science.
BLACKSBURG — In the forests of the southeastern United States, dense tree cover dominates most landscapes. That’s why the Appalachian Trail is sometimes nicknamed “The Green Tunnel.”
But avid hikers know that often in the Southeast, they’ll emerge from the green tunnel.
“When you walk out of the forest onto the rock, the contrast is immediate,” said Sean Bemis, a geoscientist and lead author of a study that uses these unique outcroppings as a natural laboratory to examine fundamental connections between rock weathering and vegetation. “You are standing on solid rock and you wonder where did all the trees go?”
Because of the lack of vegetation, these outcroppings are known as “balds.” But on geologic time scales, these balds have not always been devoid of vegetation. When bedrock is stripped of soil, it presents an extreme environment — hard, dry, and nutrient-poor — yet plants eventually take root. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, reveals how this process unfolds during the earliest stages of what scientists call the critical zone: the life-supporting system of the Earth’s surface extending from bedrock to the tops of trees.
NASHVILLE —The 19th annual Tennessee Tree Day continues to branch toward March 21. This is the first time there will be events in each of the state’s 95 counties. The Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) is the primary organizer. Tree reservations are open now and close on March 8.
Tennessee Tree Day is an opportunity for residents across the state to purchase native saplings of trees and woody shrubs to foster nature in their yards and neighborhoods. Woody plants provide habitat for wildlife, increase shade cover, help store carbon, and improve air quality.
Participants can pick up their trees on March 20 or 21 at any of the pick-up sites, which are run by various volunteer groups and businesses. Over a million trees have been planted thanks to Tennessee Tree Day since 2007.
There are 11 species to choose from this year, including sweet pecan, black elderberry and American persimmon — iconic Appalachian fruiting plants. Some other species are white pine, river birch, smooth sumac and eastern redbud.
Each sapling can be purchased for either $3.99 or $4.99, depending on species. For those who are unable to afford to participate, TEC offers tree scholarships. These scholarships are funded by corporate sponsorships, agency sponsorships and personal donations.
-Emelia Delaporte
The invasive spotted lanternfly can cause damage to many plants and has been detected in a few Tennessee counties, including Knox, Hamilton and Sullivan. Rebekka Horn/Courtesy UTIA
Patricia McDaniels is the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture news and information manager.
KNOXVILLE — The invasive spotted lanternfly (L. delicatula), which can damage many native trees and plants, has arrived in a few Tennessee counties, but all residents can help stop the spread by looking for and destroying egg masses before they hatch in the spring.
The adult female spotted lanternfly lays egg masses in September through November on host plants and other smooth surfaces, such as railroad ties, rocks, lumber, downed limbs and logs. Egg masses survive cold winter temperatures, and the first instar nymphs begin emerging in the spring. The nymphs mature through the spring and early summer before becoming adults in the beginning of June. The first, second and third instars feed on a variety of host plants. The fourth instars and adults prefer tree of heaven, grapes, black walnut, silver maple, red maple and willow.
“The best way to control spotted lanternfly outbreaks is to prevent them,” says Midhula Gireesh, assistant professor and University of Tennessee Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. “Careful inspection for egg masses should be made on many types of products stored outdoors, such as firewood and lumber, before they are moved and shipped or before shipments are accepted. Since eggs start hatching at the end of March, now is a good time to scout for egg masses and destroy them.”
Maintaining safe temperatures and moisture levels within compost piles often requires labor-intensive manual testing processes. An AI-powered monitoring network under development at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will improve safety oversight. Photo courtesy UTIA.
Tate Cronin is a UTIA marketing and communications specialist.
KNOXVILLE — Composting turns organic waste into nutrient-rich material, but improper temperature and moisture control can allow pathogens to survive and increase safety risks. Researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and UT Knoxville received a $362,000 grant from the Center for Produce Safety to develop an automated sensor network to improve monitoring of compost piles.
Sensors will be developed for placement directly within piles, eliminating the need for labor-intensive manual testing processes. Aerial drones equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technologies will collect data from the new sensors, mapping precise locations of temperature and moisture variations. Machine learning algorithms will then analyze the data, displaying information on a digital dashboard to help compost operators improve turning schedules and ensure uniform heating.
Chetan Badgujar, project lead and agricultural engineer in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, says the new system will support data-driven decision making. “Cold spots within a compost pile allow harmful pathogens to survive, while hot spots increase combustion risks. Our battery-free sensors will cost approximately $4 each, almost 90% cheaper than existing automated solutions. We want to save composters time and money in their day-to-day operations while still meeting FDA standards for safety.”
KNOXVILLE — The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (ETSPJ) once again will partner with the League of Women Voters Knoxville/Knox County (LWVKKC) to hold the annual legislative forum of the Knox County delegation. The forecast for Knoxville is warm and sunny, unlike the original date on Jan. 31.
When: Saturday, Feb. 28, 9-10:30 a.m.
Where: YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center
What: Discussion with Knox County legislative delegation
Why: Hear from state senators and representatives about the 2026 session
It will be livestreamed on Facebook by the League of Women Voters HERE for those who can't attend in person.
The date is Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9-10:30 a.m. at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center, located at 124 S. Cruze St., in East Knoxville near downtown. A parking lot next to the building and street parking are available. Parking is free.
Jesse Mayshark, a co-founder of Compass Knox, will serve as moderator. Access for one-on-one, in-person media interviews with the legislators in attendance also will be available at 10 a.m. after the hour-long forum.
Coffee and breakfast bagels and pastries will be available at 8:30 a.m. and are free while they last. The event is open to the public.
-ETSPJ
A standing-room-only crowd implored the Oak Ridge Planning Commission on Jan. 15 to preserve a forested tract on the west end of the city for its recreational and cultural values. At it’s next meeting, the commission backpedaled on its comprehensive plan. Ben Pounds/Hellbender Press
OAK RIDGE — After intense public pressure, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission backtracked on tentative planning proposals and recommended preserving two land parcels currently owned by the Department of Energy as parks or natural areas.
The votes, on Feb. 19, concerned a comprehensive plan the Planning Commission is developing as a general blueprint for the future of the entire city.
The Oak Ridge City Council will vote on it next. The plan does not establish formal zoning but rather a long-range guide for the type of development the city would like to occur in different areas. City planning staff had suggested residential development in two DOE-owned areas currently used for outdoor recreation. Those two areas were the Three Bends area on the city’s East Side, which is 3,000 acres along Melton Hill Lake including Clark Center Park. he ED-6 parcel on the city’s west side, which includes 336 acres adjacent to the Westwood subdivision. The latter proposal especially engendered public protest, with citizens packing a meeting room in January to voice their opposition.
The draft comprehensive plan originally suggested keeping most of the Three Bends area a park alongside some clustered development, including the possibility of 10-story apartment buildings. City Manager Randall Heman had discussed a school and residential developments in ED-6. Planning Commission amended the plan after many citizens cited the conservation and recreation values of the areas, and designated both areas for “nature and open space.” The changes came in two separate amendments, both of which passed.
KNOXVILLE — In a startling about-face, the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday voted unanimously to reverse plans to decommission two aging coal-fired power plants in Tennessee.
The board’s decision represents a dramatic departure from a utilitywide effort to move away from coal as an energy source.
Climate activists panned the board vote as a sop to the fossil-fuel industry and an abdication of the massive public utility’s statutory responsibility to the public.
The decision during the board’s meeting in Hopkinsville, Ky., applies to the Cumberland and Kingston fossil plants, both of which were to be replaced with natural-gas plants. The utility will continue planned natural-gas upgrades but will still fire the coal plants, which were both set to be decommissioned by 2028.
The site of the 70-year-old Kingston plant in Roane County was also supposed to be home to a solar array and other alternative-energy sources. A 2008 coal-ash slurry spill at the Kingston facility devastated a wide swath of adjacent property and the Emory and Clinch river watersheds. The Cumberland plant is situated near Clarksville in Middle Tennessee.
The Bull Run coal plant in Claxton near Oak Ridge was taken offline in 2023. Its locally iconic stacks were demolished in 2025. Last month, TVA announced a multimillion-dollar fusion energy research complex at the site in cooperation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee and Knoxville-based Type One Energy.
The board’s decision on the Kingston and Cumberland facilities represents a dramatic departure from a utilitywide effort to move on from coal and shutter coal-fired boilers in favor, largely, of natural gas.
Burning coal and other fossil fuels releases large amounts of sulfates, nitrates and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and worsens a greenhouse effect that drives global temperature increases. Fine particles are also a threat to respiratory health. TVA has long operated costly emissions-control technologies at its coal plants.
This 2024 global temperature anomaly recap was released after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2024 the hottest year on record. On Feb. 12, 2026, the Trump Administration moved to gut the science-based “findings” rule that allowed the U.S. to restrict the release of carbon dioxide and other pollutants known to be contributing to the global greenhouse effect. NOAA
This story was originally published by The Conversation. R. Alexander Bentley is a professor of anthropology at the University of Tennessee.
KNOXVILLE — Years ago, after taking an Earth science class, I found myself looking at the world differently. It was the 1990s, and lakes in Wisconsin where I lived at the time were beginning to freeze later in winter and thaw earlier in spring, and flowers seemed to bloom a bit earlier.
That geology class helped me understand the gradual warming that was underway, warming that has accelerated since then.
People are more likely to believe an explanation when they see direct evidence of it. In the U.S., the percentage of people who recognize that global warming is happening is higher in counties that experienced record high temperatures in the previous decade. But understanding what’s happening and why also matters. That’s because people’s existing knowledge shapes how they interpret the evidence they see.
Education level and political affiliation are both known to be strong global predictors of concern about climate change.
But does higher education actually create climate concern? As an anthropologist and a researcher in computational social science, I and my colleague Ben Horne set up a study to try to answer that question.
