PROCEEDINGS of the EIGHTH ANNUAL
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE CONFERENCE

Theme: Working with Communities

November 4-7, 1997

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

November 4 - Tuesday Evening

5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Registration and Reception

7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Poster and Exhibit Set Up Period

November 5 - Wednesday Morning

7:30 - 8:30a.m. Registration - Coffee and Danish

SAMAB Plenary Session with Guest Speakers Greenbrier Room ( 8:30 - 12:00 a.m.)

8:30 Karen Wade, Supt. of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Welcome and Announcements

8:45 Cory Berish, US Environmental Protection Agency

9:00 Adela Backiel, Director, Sustainable Development, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Partnerships for Sustainable Development

9:30 Sakina Thompson, Senior Policy Advisor to Federal Co-chairman, Appalachian Regional Commission - Leadership, Capacity Building, and Entrepreneur Initiatives

11:00 Pat Reed, Supt. Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park - Building Local Partnerships

11:30 Karen Wade, Agreement for Scientific Study

1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday - Nov. 5 - Concurrent Session 1: Sustainable Communities - Greenbrier Room, moderator John Peine (USGS-Biological Resources Division, Southern Appalachian Field Station)

1:30 A Model for Sustainable Communities, George Bowen, Graduate School of Planning, UT-Knoxville

1:50 Panel Discussion on Building Benchmarks and Indicators for Sustainable Communities. Dr. John Peine, moderator, Geri Spring, The Chattanooga Institute, John Leffler, The New Century Council, Roanoke, VA, and Mary Jo Padgett, Sustainable Hendersonville, Hendersonville, NC

2:40 A Sustainable Community Development CD-ROM Resource for the Southern Appalachian Area. Brand Neiman, USEPA

3:00 Break

3:20 Conservation Planning in the Southern Appalachians: Integrating Grassroots and Community Ideas. Hugh Irwin and Kerry Brooks, Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition

3:40 What Communities are We Talking About? Phillip J. Mummert, TVA

4:00 Land tenure and its threats to sustainable community: An Appalachian story. Shirley Hollis Rice, Univ. of Tennessee

4:20 Protect Tennessee Network. Arleen Barnett, Tennessee Environmental Council

4:40 A Community-based Environmental and Resource Sustainability Solution: Wood Pallet Recovery, Reuse & Recycling. Phillip A. Araman, USDA Forest Service

5:00 Meeting of the SAMAB Sustainable Development Committee

1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday - Nov. 5 - Concurrent Session 2: Cultural Heritage Seminar- LeConte Room, moderator Ruthanne Mitchell (National Park Service)

1:35 Archaeology and the Community. Dr. Anne Frazer Rogers, Western Carolina University

1:55 Trail of Tears in North Carolina: Reconstructing the Cherokee Cultural Landscape. Brett Riggs, Univ. of Tennessee

2:30 Potential Partnering for Archeological Curation Repositories in North Carolina. Richard Lewis and Michael Trimble, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, NC and St. Louis, MO.

3:00 Break

3:20 Recovering the Story of Conscientious Objectors in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through Oral History. Chris Parker, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

3:40 Robert Sparks Walker: Nature Writer of East Tennessee. Holly Hodges, U. of Tennessee-Chattanooga-Library

4:00 The Case of the Pigeon River and the People of Cocke County. Jamie Branam Kridler, East Tennessee. State University

4:20 Preserving Local History. Sarah Hilten, Norris Historical Society

4:40 The Cumberland Trail Conference: The Revitalization of the Cumberland Trail as a Community Greenway. Arleen Barnett and Rob Weber, Cumberland Trail Conference.

Thursday - November 6
7:30 a.m. Poster Presentations in Foyer and Gatlinburg Room - coffee

8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 6 - Concurrent Session 3: Environmental Coordination - Greenbrier moderator Harold M. Draper (TVA)

8:30a.m. Panel Discussion: SAA Data Base, Phillip Arndt (US Forest Service) and others

10:00 Break

10:20 Community-based environmental decision making under changing regulatory regimes. N.S. Nicholas and D. Feldman

10:40 Ecoregional conservation in the southern Blue Ridge. Susan Andrew and Robert Sutter

11:00 Watershed Monitoring at the Landscape Level Through subpixel Image Processing. D. Van Blaricom, C.L. Neihardt, and D.D. Hook

11:20 A Qualitative Assessment of Bioregional Health. J. Nolt, A.L. Bradley, M. Knapp, and E. Lampard, The Foundation for Global Sustainability

8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 6 - Concurrent Session 4: Resources Management - LeConte Room, moderator Chip Ramsey (USDA-NRCS)

8:30 Monitoring Restoration of Mountain Wetlands Using An Ecosystem Approach. C. R. Rossell, Jr., I. M. Rossell, K.K. Moorehead, and J.W. Petranka

8:50 Stream Ecosystem Restoration on Agricultural Land in North Georgia. C. Neihardt, J. White, and P. Kennedy

9:10 Where Land and water Meet...Plant Trees. B. Pullin and F. Rich

9:30 Break

9:50 On Site Mitigation of Right-of-Way Impacts to Riparian Zones and Wetlands. K.D. Choate, N.S. Nicholas and T.A. Wojtalik, TVA

10:10 Soil Bio-Engineering: Emergency Watershed Protection. J.R. Vann, USDA-Forest Service

10:30 Indications of Ecological Recovery in the Pigeon River Following Remedial Activities at a Paper Mill Facility. S. M Adams and M.S. Greeley, Jr., Oak Ridge National Lab

10:50 Geochemistry of Acidic Drainage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Implications for the Southern Appalachians R.R. Seal, J.M. Hammarstrom, C.S. Southworth, A.P. Schultz, and A.L. Meier

11:10 A qualitative assessment of bioregional health.. J.Nolt, A.L. Bradley, M. Knapp, and E. Lampard, Foundation for Global Sustainability

Lunch 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.

1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Thursday Nov. 6 - Concurrent Session 5: Environmental Awareness
LeConte Room , moderators, Hilary Vinson (USFWS) and Terry Seyden (US Forest Service)

1:00 Biological Control of Kudzu (Pueraria lobata): A Progress Report. G.P.Markin and Jim Miller, US Forest Service

1:20 Safety Testing of Potential Biological Control Agents of Kudzu. J. Birdsall and G.P. Markin, US Forest Service

1:40 Control of Oriental Bittersweet on TVA properties near Fontana Dam. Dennis Curtain, TVA

2:00 Slowing the spread of the Gypsy Moth. Donna Leonard, US Forest Service

2:20 The effects of disturbances and abiotic gradients on herbaceous plant diversity in mesic forests. S.M. Pearson, A.B. Smith, and M.G. Turner, Mars Hill College and Univ. of Wisconsin

2:40 No net loss of Brook Trout Distribution in Areas of Sympatry with Rainbow Trout in Tennessee Streams. R.J. Strange and J.W. Habera, Dept. of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Univ. of Tennessee

3:00 Break

3:20 Partnerships for Aquatic Resources in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Matt Kulp and Steve Moore, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

3:40 The Guest River Project. F.Rich and C. Green, TVA and Wise County Clean Team

4:00 Teacher Workshops at the Sequatchie Valley Institute, C. Kimmons and J. Kimmons

4:20 Plans for a Video about the Geology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, S.H.B. Clark and J.M. Black, USGS

1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Thursday Nov. 6 - Concurrent Session 6 Research and Monitoring
Greenbrier Room, moderators Betsy Smith (TVA) & Allen Ratzlaff (USFWS)

1:00 Assessment of visibility improvement in Southern Appalachia in response to air emissions management. P.F. Brewer, S. Copeland, and C. Huber

1:20 Forest heterogeneity, N saturation, and inorganic and nitrogen dynamics in a small high-elevation southern Appalachian watershed. S.J. Zucker, H. Van Miegroet, and N.S. Nicholas

1:40 The decline of northern hardwoods in the southern Appalachians and potential effects of air pollution. W. Davidson

2:00 A comparison of the seed banks of a southern Appalachian fen and an adjacent disturbed floodplain. C.L. Wells and I.M. Rossell

2:20 Status of the state Gap Analysis projects in the southern Appalachian states. A. McKerrow, E. Kramer, J. Waldon, and E.V. Schmidt

2:40 Evaluating Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a population source for wood thrush. G. Farnsworth, and T.R. Simons

3:00 Break

3:20 A comparison of the composition, relative abundance, and diversity of breeding forest bird community in old growth and second growth sites in the Great Smoky Mountains. S.A. Shriner and T.R. Simons

3:40 Modeling the distribution and habitat requirements of four rare vascular plants endemic to the southern Appalachian region. J Boetsch, F.T. van Manen, and J.D. Clark

4:00 Size, sex, and age attributes of Plethodon jordani on a ten-year-old clearcut. A.N. Ash and R.C. Bruce

4:20 An experimental repatriation of black bears to the Big South Fork area of Kentucky and Tennessee. R. Eastridge and J. Clark

4:40 Inventory & Monitoring, U.S. National Committee for the Man and the Biosphere Program, Roger Soles

Friday November 7

8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Riparian Restoration Symposium - Greenbrier Room - organizer Bob Butler, US Fish & Wildlife Service

8:30 The Citizens' Role in Protecting Riparian Zones. Peg Jones, Save Our Rivers, Franklin, NC

9:00 Riparian Restoration and Partnerships. Ken Futreal, Coordinator, Southwestern North Carolina RC & D, Waynesville, NC

9:30 Protecting Our River Heritage Through Community-Based Conservation. Allen Culp and Leslie Colley, The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee

10:00 Break

10:15 Four Case Studies of Partnering in Urban Stream and Reservoir Restoration Projects. Ruth Ann Hanahan and Liz Upchurch, Water Resources Research Center, UT-Knoxville

10:45 Community-Based Environmental Protection on the Etowah River. Laurie Fowler, Director, Georgia Environmental

Policy Institute, Byron Freeman, and Elizabeth Kramer, University of Georgia Institute of Ecology and School of Law

Oak Ridge Reservation: Nationally Significant Biological Areas Are Identified. Patricia D. Parr, (ORNL) and Alan Weakley, The Nature Conservancy.

US Geological Survey. Briane Adams.

National Forests of North Carolina - Archeology - Passports in Time Project. Rodney Snedeker

Western Carolina University - Archeology Program. Dr. Anne Rogers and Jane Brown

Trout Unlimited and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Geological Interpretation for Visitors to National Forests. S.H.B.Clark, J.M.Black, J.M.Hammarstrom, T.K. Collins, D. Hattersley, and M.H. Frye

North Carolina Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources . Air Quality Division.

North Carolina Off Road Vehicle Association. Nancy Minard, Sylva, NC

Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project. Asheville

Effect of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Recovery Efforts on Tennessee's Bald Eagle Population. J.W. Shaw, Jr. (ORNL & Tusculum College)

Mineral Deposits in the SAMAB Region: Economic Importance and Environmental Signatures. J.M. Hammarstrom and P. Hyde (USGS)

Effectiveness of the Tennessee Greenbelt Law as an Incentive to Protect Biodiversity in Franklin County, TN: An analysis of Landowner Attitudes and Intentions. M. Haddican, J. Evans, L.Gebhard, C. Brockett, University of the South, Sewanee,TN

Beech Bark Disease in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. G. Wiggins, R. Klein, K. Johnson, and M. Windham, Univ. of Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Native Brook Trout Restoration Project. Jim Herrig - Cherokee National Forest, Gary Williams - TVA, and Frank Fiss - Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Clean Water Initiative. TVA

Streambanks and Buffers. TVA. David Webb

Economic Development Administration. Boyd Rose

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Partnerships. Shawn Benge

Acknowledgments
This conference was possible due to the enthusiastic assistance and cooperation of our planning team. We want to thank the following individuals:

Bob Butler, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Harold Draper, TVA-Knoxville
Nancy Herbert, Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, Asheville
Hubert Hinote, SAMAB, Executive Director
Ruthanne L. Mitchell, National Park Service
John Peine, USGS-Biological Resources Div.
James "Chip" Ramsey, USDA-NRCS
Allen Ratzlaff, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Terry Seyden, National Forests of North Carolina
Betsy Smith, TVA-Norris
Hilary Vinson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Karen P. Wade, Supt. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Thanks also to our volunteers:
Theresa Householder, TVA-Knoxville
Sue Jennings, National Park Service
Sherry Fisher, National Forests of North Carolina
Tim. S. Dimick, East Tennessee Community Design Center

Working with Communities
This year conference was planned to be an educational event and a working meeting of community leaders, private organizations, industry, land managers, government agency representatives, scholars and students. Our intent was to share information and to work with our communities to promote sustainable development and healthy ecosystems in the Southern Appalachians. We would like to thank all of our moderators, speakers and presenters.

1997 Conference Abstracts - Abstracts for oral presentations and poster sessions are presented in alphabetical order.

Indications of Ecological Recovery in the Pigeon River Following Remedial Activities at a Paper Mill Facility

S. Marshall Adams and M.S. Greeley, Jr., Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

From 1989-1995 the health of fish populations and communities were studied in the Pigeon River which has had a long history of environmental concerns related to operation of a bleached kraft mill facility in Western North Carolina. The study period included three years of data before an extensive modernization project at the mill, two years of study during the project, and two years of post-modernization data. Before modernization, several miles of the river downstream of the effluent discharges were characterized by a fish community with a extremely low diversity, severely skewed population distributions, and a high incidence of histopathologic lesions of fish residing in the river. The condition of individual fish and populations in the river prior to remediation was consistent with effects commonly attributed to exposure to endocrine disrupting agents, including a sex ratio strongly skewed towards male fish, alterations in reproductive hormone levels, and eneral absence of young fish suggesting reproductive failure in a sentinel fish population. Following odernization, sex ratios have tended towards normality, some young fish have been observed in the ainstream river, the overall health of fish have increased as demonstrated by the Health Assessment Index, and fish communities have become more diverse coincident with corresponding decreases in body burdens of dioxin and other indirect indicators of contaminant exposure such as detoxification enzymes. These finding are significant because correlations can be established between (1) the exposure of fish in the river to paper mill effluents and alterations in fish population and community health, and (2) the implementation of process changes in the paper mill and noticeable improvements in fish health from the individual to the community levels of iological organization. Even though some aspects of fish health in the river have improved oticeably over the past 3 years, further improvements are required before the fish populations and communities in the river reach acceptable levels of health.

1 Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-96OR22464.

Susan Andrew, Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (speaker)
and Robert Sutter, The Nature Conservancy

The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, and the Natural Heritage Programs are working together in a conservation initiative to improve data for conservation decisions in the southern Blue Ridge. The project involves updating and refining data on the rarest species in the ecoregion; assessing the decline of species and communities as well as their rarity; adding declining common species as conservation targets; expanding an assessment on ecoregional endemics; adding old growth forest communities to the conservation planning process; and assessing the distribution of rare species, communities and biodiversity within the ecoregion.

This initiative expands on species and habitat data presented in the Southern Appalachian Assessment, and will produce mapping products that can be used to aid conservation decisions for a wide audience, including public and private land managers. New information on key species and habitat locations (and estimations based on predictive variables, in some cases) are now being collected in a series of meetings with experts in seven species groups (birds, mammals, herps, aquatic species, terrestrial invertebrates, plants, and plant communities). Results from the project will form the basis for further actions by our three groups and other partners to conserve the biodiversity of the southern Blue Ridge.

A Community-based Environmental and Resource
Sustainability Solution -- Wood Pallet Recovery, Reuse & Recycling

Philip A. Araman, Project Leader, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Brooks Forest Products Center, Virginia Tech

Pallet recovery, repair, and recycling are sound environmental activities that reduce forest resource demands. These activities are growing in larger and medium sized metropolitan areas. However, pallet recovery, repair, and recycling activities are generally limited in smaller communities and in rural areas, but don't have to be. Our studies showed that 171 million pallets where recovered by pallet repair and recycling firms in 1995. Our studies also determined that over 223.6 million pallets were taken to landfills in 1995. Only 37.9 million pallets where recovered to low- or no-value uses at landfills. Pallet recovery, repair techniques and recycling options will be presented and discussed. Business plans for potential operations will also be presented along with research results on the performance of different repairs and repaired pallets. Potential value-added products that can be made from recovered pallets parts will also be presented. Remarks will focus on what could be done to start or increase pallet recovery, repair, and recycling activities in small, medium and large communities in the SAMAB region.

Paul Arndt, Planning Unit, Southern Region, USDA-Forest Service

The panel discussion would focus on, 1) How the SAA is being used by the U.S. Forest Service in revising their land and resource management plans, 2) How communities and the public can get involved with the Forest Service planning, efforts, and 3) How local communities are using information from the SAA in their land use planning efforts.

This panel would be sponsored by SAMAB and consist of the following speakers/topics:

1. A presentation by one of the SAA Team Leaders on what the SAA is and the kind of information it provides. This would also include an explanation of how the information can be obtained by government agencies and citizens. (This discussion is mainly to provide some background information and establish the context for the next three speakers.)

2. A presentation from a U.S. Forest Service Planner describing, a) How the SAA is being used in the efforts to revise the Land and Resource Management Plans for the National Forests in the Southern Appalachians, b) The planning process used by the Forest Service, and c) How organizations, local communities, and individuals can get involved in the planning process.

3. A presentation by a County/Community Planner (or a person that attended the "Sustainable Development Workshop" that was held in Asheville a few months ago) to discuss how information from the SAA is being used in their community planning process.

4. A presentation by one of more representatives from citizen interest groups (e.g., the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition), on how they are using information from the SAA to influence federal and local government planning processes.

 Size, sex and age attributes of Plethodon jordanion a ten-year-old clearcut

Andrew N. Ash, University of North Carolina - Pembroke
Richard C. Bruce, Highlands Biological Station, Western Carolina University

Clearcutting has been shown to drastically reduce the size of resident populations of the Southern Appalachian woodland salamander, Plethodon jordani for about four years after clearcutting. After this period of time, a steady return of this species to clearcuts results in populations that are estimated to be about 34% of those in nearby forest at 10 years post-cut. Clearcut populations are predicted to equal forest populations around 24 years post-cut.

Salamander return to clearcuts seems correlated with re-formation of leaf litter (their primary foraging habitat). When salamanders on young clearcuts (10 years post-cut or less) are compared with nearby forest, a significantly greater proportion are adults. During the summer of 1997, 115 salamanders were collected randomly from a 10-year-old clearcut near Highlands NC and from nearby forest to determine the following: size (snout-vent length, SVL), mass, and breeding condition (determined by dissection and examination of sexual organs). A significantly greater proportion of animals on clearcuts were adults, supporting previously reported results based on external examinations.

Adult animals on clearcuts and in nearby forest were not different in SVL, but clearcut adults were more massive. Few females on clearcuts or in forest were in breeding condition; this can be explained by the assumptions that female Plethodon jordani breed every other year, and that females reproducing in 1997 were underground tending broods. A significantly smaller proportion of adult males on clearcuts were in breeding condition when compared with males in nearby forest. These results support the concept that adult animals may be attracted to successional clearcuts where their foraging habitat has re-formed, and that they harvest more energy than their forest counterparts. However, increased energy harvest does not translate into enhanced reproduction (at least not in males). Therefore, clearcut populations must increase in size principally due to immigration from surrounding forest.

Protect Tennessee Network

Arleen Barnett, Tennessee Environmental Council

One of the challenges to protecting natural resources and human health has been educating and motivating citizens to actively participate in the environmental decision-making process. There are many barriers to citizen participation such as a confusing maze of governmental agencies with segmented responsibilities for environmental protection and regulation. Inadequate funding to properly staff agencies leads to delays in responding to citizen concerns.

The Tennessee Environmental Council has established a statewide, toll-free number for citizens to report environmental problems in their community, 1-888-PROTEKT. The Protect Tennessee Network acts as a referral service to put citizens in touch with the appropriate local, state or federal agency with responsibility for pollution problems such as illegal dumping, toxic releases into the air and water, development threats to public lands and wildlife habitat, urban sprawl, poor forestry management practices, herbicide/pesticide misuse, fish kills, and other practices which negatively impact health and quality of life in Tennessee.

The Protect Tennessee Network goes beyond a mere referral service. Follow-up is provided in the form of printed materials and phone calls. A database is maintained on all calls received so that insights may be gleaned from analyzing the number and types of calls received, and outcomes on various environmental issues. These insights are distributed to local, state and federal agencies, media, environmental groups and interested citizens through progress reports.

Safety Testing of Potential Biological Control Agents of Kudzu

Jennifer L. Birdsall and George P. Markin, U.S. Forest Service, Bozeman, MT

Potential biological control agents of weeds must be deemed "safe" before USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine will consider approving them for introduction into the United States. A safe agent attacks only the target weed and any acceptable close associates but has a low risk of attacking non-target plants including both native species and economically important introduced species. To determine the safety of a potential biological control agent, researchers perform host specificity tests.

The goal of host specificity testing is to reduce the uncertainty of a biological control agent's impact by determining the likelihood and probable impact of utilization of any non-target plant species. As it is impossible to test all plant species, a limited number of species is tested from which the potential host range of the candidate biological control agent is inferred. While early host specificity tests concentrated on cultivated plants, current tests utilize a phylogenetic approach. The phylogenetic approach is based on the theory that while there is some risk that a biological control agent might unexpectedly utilize a non-target plant that is distantly related to the target species, closely related plants are at greater risk of attack.

In the phylogenetic approach, the candidate biological control agent is generally exposed to plant species selected from a centrifugal plant matrix. The target weed is in the center of the matrix and constitutes the first ring. Each subsequent ring consists of plants which are less closely related to the target weed. The centrifugal host specificity screen includes tests of representative plants in the following categories: 1) genetic types of the target weed; 2) species in the same genus as the weed; 3) species in other genera in the same family as the weed; 4) threatened, endangered, and sensitive species in the same family as the weed; 5) species in other families in the same order as the weed; 6) species in other orders that have some relationship to the weed; and 7) any species on which the biological control agent or its relatives have been recorded to feed and/or reproduce.

We are currently working to develop a host specificity plant list which can be used to infer the host ranges of potential biological control agents of kudzu (Pueraria lobata). Our list will follow the newly proposed guidelines recommended by the USDA Technical Advisory Group (TAG). TAG, a panel comprised of members appointed by government agencies to serve as their representatives, reviews the petitions. While TAG does not approve or reject a petition, it does advise the researchers and USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine whether the proposed tests are sufficient to determine if a potential biological control agent is safe.

John Boetsch, National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
Frank T. van Manen; Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries; University of Tennessee
Joseph D. Clark, Southern Appalachian Field Laboratory, Biological Resources Division, USGS

The southern Appalachian region is one of the richest regions for vascular plant species in North America with more than 2,200 distinct species and numerous endemics. Environmental threats to rare endemic plants are unknown because their exact distribution and potential habitat are difficult to delineate. The objectives of this study are to determine the distribution, status, and habitat requirements of four rare vascular plants endemic to the higher elevations of the southern Appalachians: \ Calamagrostis cainii (Cain's bent-grass), Glyceria nubigena (Smoky Mountain mannagrass), Cardamine clematitis (Mountain bittercress), and Rugelia nudicaulis (Rugel's ragwort). Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides the greatest amount of potential habitat for these 4 species. We verified existing data from previous surveys and gathered new information from populations of all four species. Geographic coordinates of sampling locations were collected by use of global positioning system (GPS) receivers. These locational data were entered into an Arc/Info geographic information system (GIS) and overlayed with digital map layers of 15-20 different habitat variables to describe the topographical and biological conditions at the sampling points. We used this information and the GIS habitat layers to calculate Mahalanobis distance for each 30- x 30-m pixel. Mahalanobis distance is a multivariate measure of dissimilarity with larger values representing habitat conditions that are less similar to the ‘ideal' conditions of the sampling points. As such, the GIS layer with Mahalanobis distance values can be used to predict the relative likelihood of species presence for large areas. We are currently validating the Cardamine clematitis model by field sampling areas across the range of Mahalanobis distance values for the presence or absence of the species. These models provide insight into the habitat requirements of the species and may be used to identify critical habitat on private, state, and federal land in the southern Appalachians.

 Assessment of Visibility Improvement in Southern Appalachia in Response to Air Emissions Management

Patricia F. Brewer, Scott Copeland, Cindy Huber

The Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative (SAMI) is a voluntary partnership of state and federal regulatory agencies, federal land managers, industry, academia, environmental groups, and interested public that is convened to develop and recommend emissions management options to the States to improve air quality and protect natural resources in Southern Appalachia. SAMI is conducting an integrated technical assessment to evaluate how changes in levels of air emissions will result in changes in air quality impacts from ozone, acid deposition, and visibility impairment. This presentation will discuss the results of SAMI's Phase I visibility assessment that examines how visibility measures might respond to changes in concentrations of aerosols that affect visibility (sulfate, nitrate, organic compounds, and soil dust). Ongoing analyses are considering how aerosol loadings in Southern Appalachia might changes as a function of changes in air emissions. Technical results will be applied to policy decisions concerning emissions management options to protect Class I and other targeted areas of Southern Appalachia.

SAMI's Phase I visibility assessment is based on two existing monitoring databases for Southern Appalachia. The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) monitoring network measures aerosol mass, composition, and visibility for 24-hour composite samples collected twice weekly. Measures are available for Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park from 1988 to the present; measures are also available for varying time periods from five other IMPROVE monitoring sites in southern Appalachia. The Southeastern Aerosol and Visibility Study (SEAVS), sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute, southern utilities, and the National Park Service, was co-located with the IMPROVE station at Look Rock for a 6-week period during July and August, 1995. Intensive measures during the SEAVS study (12-hr composite samples collected twice per day, 7 days per week) have provided new information on the roles of organic compounds and relative humidity in visibility impairment and also validated aerosol measurement methods of the IMPROVE network.

SAMI's Phase I visibility assessment relies on mathematical expressions of light extinction efficiencies of different aerosol species as a function of relative humidity to predict how changes in aerosol mass and composition would affect visibility. Five sets of assumptions concerning extinction efficiencies and relative humidity were developed by IMPROVE and SEAVS investigators to represent the current range of scientific opinion. These assumptions were applied in series of sequentially more complex analyses to address spatial and temporal variability in aerosols and visibility. The first set of analyses considers the change in visibility (extinction or deciview) in response to changes in aerosols at Look Rock, GSMNP, during the summer 1995 SEAVS study period. The second set of analyses considers spatial variability in visibility and aerosols by looking at results for four other IMPROVE monitoring sites in Southern Appalachia for the same summer 1995 period. The third set of analyses considers the longer period of record for IMPROVE sites in Southern Appalachia. This presentation will illustrate how complexscientific information is being distilled and applied for air quality management decisions.

On Site Mitigation of Right-of-Way Impacts to Riparian Zones and Wetlands

K. D. Choate, Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, N. S. Nicholas, Tennessee Valley Authority, Norris, and T. A. Wojtalik, Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga

Control of tall growing vegetation is necessary for electric utilities to assure safe and reliable electric service. Controlling vegetation in transmission power line Right-of-Ways (ROWs) is a significant fixed cost budget item, as well as being a highly visible activity. Concern about tree trimming, removal, and the potential environmental effects from herbicide use has raised the interest of the public, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, in ROW management techniques, especially in areas adjacent to streams and sensitive wetlands. Because ROW establishment invariably involves the clearing of land, standard maintenance practices that involve mechanical or chemical treatments to reduce tall vegetation growth can result in disturbance of on-site functional wetlands and/or soil erosion at stream crossings.

We recently reviewed practices that would reduce ROW mechanical or chemical treatments in riparian/wetlands areas and therefore result in reduced 1) maintenance costs, 2) negative environmental impacts, and 3) utility activities that the public sometimes find objectionable. We determined the feasibility of planting selected low growing native species and the use of growth inhibitors for new transmission line ROWs near streams and wetlands. The main focus of the project was to develop planting guidelines to minimize damage to wetlands habitats and maintain/improve water quality considering site specific criteria. By reducing the frequency of necessary ROW maintenance activities, goals of erosion control and maintaining habitat function would be achieved. The prescriptions developed include guidelines for species selection, a listing of potential species that are commercially available, and a matrix of cultural treatment methods.

Factors considered in the development of the species selection and treatment matrices included: maintenance aspects (species maximum height, cover rate and density, need for mechanical and/or chemical control, inhibition of movement, aesthetics, wildlife habitat), streamside buffer/maintenance zone and wetlands issues (native species, erosion control, canopy maintenance, level of necessary equipment operation), and implementation issues (level of site preparation, new or existing transmission lines, site specific factors, adjacent landowner use, desired maintenance level, species/community longevity).

A demonstration study of the proposed guidelines was implemented the autumn of 1997 in northern Georgia for both streamside and wetland sites. The demonstration plantings will provide a test of the species selection and cultural treatment methods already developed. The study sites will be monitored to measure the success of the demonstration.

Sandra H.B. Clark and Judith M. Back, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

In the course of a human lifetime, little or no change in the physical features of the planet can be seen. Yet slow changes add up to major changes over time. The general lack of public awareness of geologic processes and the cumulative effects of these processes makes it difficult for people to appreciate the influence of the earth on landscape and life on the planet. To help increase public appreciation of the earth, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with SAMAB, is developing plans for a video that will show relationships between the history of the earth and life in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The working title of the video is "Reading the Rocks-A Billion Year Story of the Southern Appalachians." The target audience is visitors and residents of the region. The video will be aimed at middle school to adult level and will be accompanied by a teachers guide and pamphlet.

The presentation for the SAMAB Conference is a set of slides with narrative that show the thematic and technical basis for production of the video. In the video, animation will be used to show the geologic development of the region through time. The animated sequences will begin with the break-up of a billion-year old continent and spread of seawater to low areas to form an ancient ocean (Iapetus) and the Ocoee basin about 750 million years ago. The next animated sequence will show a reversal in the movement of continental plates, and the ocean basin closing with a mountain-forming continental collision. The last animated sequence will show another reversal of direction of movement and break-up of the continent to form the basin of the modern Atlantic Ocean. Each animated sequence will be followed by scenes of places in the Southern Appalachians where features that formed during a specific time can be seen today, modern analogues (such as volcanic eruptions), and examples of how the history of the earth affects landscape and people. Some examples that will be included are:· Erosion of alternating hard and soft layers of rock that formed from sediments deposited in the Ocoee basin produces today's waterfalls and whitewater rapids.· Venting of hot, metal-bearing fluids onto the sea floor creates concentrations of metals and sulfur such as those that were once mined in the Copper Basin. The metals and sulfur have many uses, ranging from copper pipes to fertilizer.· Large areas of the Copper Basin that were denuded as a result of release of fumes from the smelting of metal-sulfide minerals are being revegetated through cooperation of government agencies, universities, and private companies.· Acidic streams and soils develop over pyrite-bearing bedrock, which is common in the region. Disturbance of these rocks can create toxic levels of acidity in streams. · Rock structures created millions of years ago influence where landslides form today.· Faults were important factors in concentrating gold at Dahlonega, Georgia. This mineralization resulted in a gold rush and hastened the forced removal of the Cherokees. Increased scientific and public understanding of earth history and processes provides a basis to anticipate problems and develop strategies for remediation and mitigation.

Poster: Geologic Interpretation for Visitors to National Forests

Sandra H.B. Clark, Judith M. Back, and Jane M. Hammarstrom, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA;
Thomas K. Collins, USDA Forest Service, Roanoke, VA;
Douglas Hattersley, Marietta, GA (retired USDA Forest Service); and
Mary Hughes Frye, USDA Forest Service, Cherokee National Forest, Benton, TN .

To increase the understanding and appreciation of the geology of National Forests, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Forest Service are cooperating in preparing brochures for distribution to visitors and residents of the area. The National Forests targeted for the initial effort are the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia. In Tennessee, the two bureaus, in cooperation with the Tennessee Valley Authority, first prepared, "The Geologic Story of the Ocoee River," a brochure including an overview of the geology of the area as well as a description of the mining history of the Copper basin and the building of three hydroelectric facilities along this mountainous stretch of the Ocoee. A second brochure, "Geology-Ocoee Whitewater Center," focuses on the site-specific geology of the Cherokee National Forest's Ocoee Whitewater Center, which was the site for the 1996 Olympic slalom canoe and kayak events. This brochure includes a walking tour that highlights the geologic history and the geologic engineering needed to build a whitewater race course in the Ocoee River.

The first brochure in a series on "Geologic Wonders of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests" is in preparation. This brochure, "Glimpses of the Ice Age from I-81," describes the origin of bare patches or openings in the forested mountain slopes that are visible from Interstate Highway 81 between Strasburg and Harrisburg, Virginia. These boulder-strewn slopes are known as block fields and are common above tree line in polar climates where frost action is intense. Glaciers of the Pleistocene ice age did not reach Virginia, but the resulting change in climate did. The block fields are evidence of a much colder climate and lower tree line. The brochure includes examples of the local use of block field sandstone for building stone and gives maps and directions to areas for a closer view of block fields. Topics for future brochures in the Geologic Wonders series might include giant landslides, sinkholes, historic iron mining and furnaces, ancient explosive volcanoes, the Devils Marbleyard (huge, jagged, jumbled blocks of quartzite), and Rainbow Rocks (an anticline).

 Protecting Our River Heritage Through Community-Based Conservation

Allen Culp and Leslie Colley, The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee,
Southern Appalachian Rivers Initiative

The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit conservation organization committed to preserving the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Freshwater mussels, crayfish, amphibians, and fish are among the most threatened species groups in the world. A few critical Southeastern rivers are home to some of the world's greatest concentrations of these imperiled species. In additional to their outstanding biodiversity, many of these rivers are also important for the water, sport fishing, and recreational opportunities they provide for their people. Conserving the best remaining examples of these rivers is an ecological, economic, and cultural imperative.

Recognizing the full importance of conserving the Southeast's priceless river heritage, TNC's Tennessee Chapter has joined forces with other TNC chapters, government agencies, civic organizations, and local citizens to establish the Southern Appalachian Rivers Initiative. This is a first step in our effort to protect critically important rivers throughout the Southeast.

Because the sheer size of most river watersheds precludes reliance on traditional TNC conservation tools such as land acquisition, the Conservancy has adopted new strategies to protect these difficult to conserve ecosystems. In Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia, the Conservancy and its partners have developed innovative, community-based conservation strategies to protect the more than 80 rare mussels, fish and insects living in the Clinch and Conasauga rivers. Our work begins with ecological analyses, stress assessments, and land use/threat mapping. The culprits are usually sediment loading; direct degradation of the river bed, banks, and adjacent wetlands; and non-point source agricultural, residential, and industrial runoff.

We begin addressing these problems by locating a field representative in each watershed to work with landowners to implement on-the-ground conservation. Conservation actions are tailored to meet the needs of both the human and natural inhabitants. Living and working within each watershed, Conservancy representatives have earned the trust of local communities and individual landowners who are now working with us to reduce significantly the threats to the rivers and their imperiled inhabitants.

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. The challenge of implementing landscape scale river conservation on the Clinch and Conasauga rivers has forced TNC and our partners to develop new ways to address the problems facing many of our Southeastern rivers. Ultimately, we would like to expand implementation of these new strategies to other biologically significant rivers in the Southeast.

Control of Oriental Bittersweet On TVA Properties Near Fontana Dam :
Status Report

Dennis Curtain, Forestry Specialist, TVA-Norris

The TVA lands around Fontana contain a major infestation (approximately 63 hectares (158 acres)) of Oriental Bittersweet. In 1996, after informal consultations with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and the Nantahala National Forest, TVA began the NEPA process to explore the alternatives and document the likely impacts of controlling that infestation. In February of 1996, some tests were conducted to evaluate Garlon, applied as a dormant season, basal spray. Those tests were successful and Garlon (3A and 4) was selected as the herbicide of choice because of:
1. its effectiveness on Oriental Bittersweet,
2. its low of toxicity to grasses and wildlife
3. its immobility, short persistence and lack of effect in soil and
4.the 3A formulation is approved for irrigation bank applications (providing a safe control along water courses).

In March 1997 an EA was completed and a FONSI signed. The preferred alternative was a series of herbicide treatments (both dormant and growing seasons over several years) with the use of prescribed fire in larger areas. The prescribed fire would have one primary function: to improve access to large areas for subsequent treatments. In some areas the vine constitutes impenetrable thickets more than three meters deep covering ten hectares and more. Additional benefits of prescribed fire, may include distruction of viable seed in the litter layer and control of plants missed by the herbicide.

Garlon 4 is being used for both basal spray (dormant season) for vines climbing into trees along the perimeter of infestations and as a foliar spray for areas greater than 30 meters from water. Within 30 meters of water the use of Garlon 4 is limited to basal spray (assuring than none goes into water) and Garlon 3A is used in a foliar applications.

Status:
The first herbicide treatment of the infestation around Fontana Dam was completed about September 19. We are working with our power office to develop the prescription and conditions for control burning. We hope to burn some areas this winter. We anticipate some peripheral trees will be killed and some short term visual impacts. However, this effort, if successful, will substantially reduce the seed source for a substantial component of the Oriental bittersweet in the area.

TVA recognizes this is a control exercise and elimination (though highly desirable) is not a likely result. We hope to continue working with the Park Service and the Forest Service to evaluate this program and share what we will learn.

Wade Davidson, graduate student, University of Kentucky

The forests of the Appalachian highlands that are subject to cloud exposure receive much higher doses of acidic deposition. Clouds are much more concentrated with atmospheric acids than rain water. This means that the forests that experience direct exposure to clouds are bathed with acids as strong as lemon juice. The soils of these high elevations are derived from gneiss's, schist's, and granites that are not capable of weathering fast enough to effectively buffer the effects of acid deposition. These factors set the stage for ecological disaster. The decline of the spruce-fir has been intensively studied, documented, and debated. This study functions to add yet another factor to the problem: The widespread decline of the northern hardwood forest. The northern hardwoods occur just down-slope from the spruce-fir and are comprised of a few frost hardy species: yellow birch, American beech, yellow buckeye, and sugar maple. An aerial reconnaissance from Mt. Rogers in VA to Joyce Kilmer in NC revealed wide spread problems. A follow up ground survey was conducted revealing startling information. In some locations over 30% of the standing biomass was already dead, and the rest was far from healthy. The symptoms are slow canopy decline and chlorosis of foliage. All species and all age classesare subject to these symptoms. Ice damage has been ruled out, as ice takes entire branches and these trees are full of dead branches. The USFS was not able to identify and primary pathogens. Nitrogen saturation, foliar nutrient leaching, and direct ozone scorch are the mechanisms thought to be responsible. All of which result from the direct exposure to air pollution.

Evaluating Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Population Source for Wood Thrush

George Farnsworth, Dept. Zoology, North Carolina State University
Theodore R. Simons, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina State University

Wood Thrush populations are believed to be declining across eastern North America due to habitat fragmentation on their breeding grounds and several other factors. The fragmentation of forested landscapes has been linked to higher rates of nest predation and a higher incidence of brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the largest contiguous forest in the eastern U.S. should provide relatively pristine habitat for nesting Neotropical migrants such as the Wood Thrush. In an attempt to evaluate the nesting success of Wood Thrush in the Park, we located and monitored 429 nests from 1992 to 1997. The Mayfield daily survival rate of nests was 0.958 and only seven nests were parasitized by Cowbirds. When combined with the ability of Wood Thrush to re-nest, this survival rate appears to be adequate for producing an annual surplus of individuals. In this way, the Park may be acting as a significant population source for the regional meta-population of Wood Thrush.

Laurie Fowler, Byron Freeman and Elizabeth Kramer
University of Georgia Institute of Ecology and School of Law

For sixteen years the University of Georgia's Museum of Natural History and Institute of Ecology have studied the fauna of the Upper Etowah River. These research efforts have contributed to the description of numerous species of fish including the federally protected Cherokee and Etowah darters which are endemic. The UGA team documented the occurrence and continued existence of the amber darter, another federally listed species. They continue to conduct extensive surveys throughout the river system and monitor the main stem. Over the years they noted that increased sediment is being delivered to the system as a result of increased construction activities and that water clarity has substantially decreased.

In the meantime, citizens in the Upper Etowah River watershed began to mobilize to protect water quality and the diverse ecosystem of the river. In the last five years two land trusts, the Chattowah Open Land Trust and the Oglethorpe Wilderness Land Trust, formed in the region to protect water and land resources through the use of conservation easements. The Cherokee County Planning and Zoning Department initiated a greenway project to protect the river corridor. Each of these groups contacted the Georgia Environmental Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Athens, Georgia which provides technical and legal assistance to community groups and governments.

In January 1997 with funding from the Turner Foundation, the Georgia Environmental Policy Institute formed the Etowah Partnership with the Institute of Ecology and the Law School to provide an opportunity for an interdisciplinary team of law and ecology graduate students to apply their classroom knowledge to service work in the Upper Etowah River Watershed. The students work on projects identified by diverse stakeholders in the region, including the land trusts, landowners, the regional development centers, the Limestone Valley RC&D, innovative developers, and representatives from federal agencies.

Initial student projects included an analysis of the ecological impacts of a proposed transfer of water from the Chattahoochee to the Etowah River as well as the laws regulating such a transfer; recommendations for land use regulations in Pickens County to protect steep slopes, scenic resources and water quality; and recommendations for the Cherokee County greenway design that provides for the movement of wildlife and protection of wetland resources as well as passive recreational opportunities and a description of various legal tools to acquire greenway lands. The stakeholders have shown an increasing interest in regional protection efforts. To this end, students are now exploring the use of regional water protection authorities around the country as well as an analysis of the use of land banking and transferable development rights to protect the Etowah and a review and analysis of the sedimentation and erosion controls in place in the upper Etowah.

Both students and stakeholders have benefited from the partnership. Students appreciate the opportunity to work with the community and to see their work applied. The stakeholders find the students' research to be of excellent quality. Stimulated by initial efforts of the Etowah Partnership, stakeholders are proposing to create a formal steering committee to coordinate the group's efforts. A stress analysis, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is underway to identify priority restoration projects.

Riparian Restoration and Partnerships

Kenneth R. Futreal, Southwestern NC RC&D Council, Inc., Waynesville, North Carolina

The upper Tennessee River is located in southwestern North Carolina and northeastern Georgia. This area of the river ranges from high bio-diversity levels below Franklin N.C. to very low levels in the upper reaches of the basin.

In November of 1993 a group of concerned citizens, led by Dr. William McLarney, organized the Little Tennessee River Conference to bring together individuals from different disciplines to discuss the problems and concerns facing the Upper Tennessee River basin. The conference lasted two days and was attended by over 100 people.

As a result of the conference, the Little Tennessee Watershed Association was organized in March of 1994, with representation from private citizens, local, state and federal organizations, as well as organizations with environmental concerns. The association decided to operate under the umbrella of the Southwestern RC&D Council, a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.

The main purpose of the Association is to address the natural resource concerns in the basin in a non-partisan and non-political atmosphere. The Association has been able to work with different interest groups to develop programs aimed at solving the problems of the area.

The Association has received two grants of $32,800.00 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Partners for Wildlife Program) to establish a program of streambank and riparian restoration with private landowners in the watershed area. These grants have allowed the Association to treat over 9,000 feet of streambank by installing tree revetments, livestock exclusion, and planting trees 'in the riparian areas adjacent to the streams. Additional work is planned using Partners funding.

The Association has received a grant of $100,000.00 from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (EPA 319 Clean Water Funds) to continue the streambank and riparian restoration work. To date over $100,000.00 in work has been planned.

The Association has received notice of a grant approval from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality of an additional $100,000.00 to be used to employ an education coordinator to provide educational assistance 'in the counties of Macon, Graham, Jackson and Swain. The grant will also be used to improve Crawford Branch, an urban stream that flows through the town of Franklin.

Macon County has received notice that it has been approved to receive $3,800,000.00 from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund over the next five years. $750,000.00 of this grant is ear-marked for streambank and riparian restoration in the Upper Tennessee basin.

The progress that the Little Tennessee Watershed Association has made since it's organization has been remarkable. The partnerships have led to this success. The citizens of Macon and the surrounding counties have benefitted from this effort and the environment will be better as a result of the work that has been done.

Effectiveness of the Tennessee Greenbelt Law as an Incentive to Protect Biodiversity in Franklin County, Tennessee: An Analysis of Landowner Attitudes and Intentions

Madelaine Haddican and Jonathan Evans, Department of Biology
Luke Gebhard and Charles Brockett, Department of Political Science,
The University of the South

The future of biodiversity conservation on the Cumberland Plateau is dependent on the decision-making of non-industrial private landowners, since they control a large percentage of the land-base. The use of incentive-based programs offers the most promising means to protect biodiversity in this region, given the limited degree of state and federal regulation of private land-use activities. In recent years, some government incentive programs have been developed with the intent of providing outdoor recreation, clean water, timber, wildlife habitat, and green space. The Tennessee Greenbelt Law offers landowners a property tax break if they agree not to develop their forested land. On the Cumberland Plateau of Franklin County, large tracts of contiguous forested land protect a rich diversity of species that have become locally extinct in other areas of the country. Of the 144,000 acres of forested land in Franklin County, 54,000 are enrolled under Forest Greenbelt classification. Therefore, this law may indirectly protect biodiversity due to high enrollment in the County. In the past few years, Franklin County has experienced rapid economic growth that has precipitated local land use conversion, threatening the biodiversity and environmental integrity of the area. The fragmentation of the county's forests will likely continue unless economic benefits can be maintained by means other than development. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of this incentive program in the context of changing land-use in the county. A land use questionnaire was mailed to all Franklin County landowners enrolled in Forest Greenbelt and a sample of their neighbors. Survey responses were obtained from 109 of the 254 (42.9%) Forest Greenbelt landowners in Franklin County. Results of the survey were analyzed so as to examine land-use decision-making and to determine its relationship with the following variables: 1) tract size, 2) the degree of tract isolation relative to other Greenbelt parcels, and 3) socio-economic factors (i.e. income, education, family ties to land, and absenteeism). Survey trends indicate the following about Greenbelt property owners: 1) they are not planning to develop or undertake logging activity within the next ten years, 2) they support governmental regulations on private land to protect streams and wetlands as well as threatened or endangered species, and 3) their top three primary forest management objectives are wildlife habitat, scenic values, and recreation. The data suggest, however, that land-use decision-making is not necessarily being influenced by enrollment in Greenbelt. Finally, it was found that a majority of Greenbelt landowners were willing to consider the possibility of coordinated management with neighboring landowners.

We discuss the implication of our results for the development of cooperative stewardship agreements in Franklin County, and the importance of such agreements for the long-term protection of biodiversity on private lands.

Jane M. Hammarstrom and Peter Hyde,
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA

States that include part of the SAMAB area (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee) rank among the leading states in current domestic production of industrial minerals such as clay or crushed stone. Few metallic mineral deposits in the southern Appalachians are economic today. In the past however, mineral deposits in the SAMAB region represented significant domestic sources of copper and other metal commodities that provided raw materials and jobs. Most of the copper mines closed because of unfavorable economic conditions rather than because of exhaustion of ore reserves. These copper deposits belong to a class of mineral deposits known as massive sulfides. When metallic mineral deposits rich in sulfide minerals are exposed by natural processes of erosion or by human intervention via mining or construction, they can act as point sources of iron, aluminum, heavy metals, sediment, and acidity with potential adverse effects on the environment, e.g., destruction of aquatic habitat. Wet climates may naturally mitigate environmental impacts, and other sources of metals and acidity (disseminated pyrite in country rocks, atmospheric deposition, industry) may contribute to geochemical backgrounds. Open adits and shafts at inactive mines pose physical hazards, but also provide bat habitat access. Analysis of USGS databases shows that the SAMAB region contains 178 inactive mines, prospects, or occurrences where copper was sought. Of these 178 localities, 74 represent past producers and 82 are explored prospects. Underground workings are present at about half of these localities and many are near or on streams. We are using existing databases and GIS to study relationships between the spatial distribution of different types of mineral deposits, geology, stream sediment geochemistry, and water chemistry to evaluate the environmental signature of inactive metallic mineral deposits in the southeastern U.S.

Four Case Studies of Partnering in Urban Stream and Reservoir Restoration Projects

Ruth Anne Hanahan, Water Resources Research Center, University of Tennessee
Liz Upchurch, graduate research assistant, Water Resources Research Center, University of Tennessee

The theme of this presentation is the special challenges and unique benefits in restoring streams and reservoirs in urban settings. These will be demonstrated through four case studies from Knox County, Tennessee. Two of the projects are completed and involve the restoration of banks along a reservoir and stream tributary. Two are planned for urban streams.
While most restoration projects share many common features (e.g., types of techniques applied), there are some important distinctions between those conducted in urban, as opposed to rural, settings. Urban projects tend to involve more partners, generally affect multiple landowners and other stakeholders, often require working in a more constricted area and address unique environmental geomorphological and pollutant impacts.

Overall, for each of these characteristics we found the following challenges and benefits. In regards to involving multiple partners, we have identified two principal challenges. First, such partnerships require more extensive coordination, communication, and consensus-building. A particular challenge in consensus-building is a willingness to listen, accomodate concerns, and provide feedback, all of which take time. On the other hand, multiple partners also provide several benefits. They bring diverse resources and skills which allow the group to take on more challenging projects. These resources and skills also permit the group to more equitably share project tasks and enhance the likelihood of overall project success. By investing their resources, the partners also have a greater stake in seeing the project through. Aside from project benefits, there may be particular benefits to each of the partners (e.g., enhanced image).

Unlike rural projects, urban projects generally involve and/or affect numerous stakeholders. Because of their varying interests, an ongoing challenge is to communicate how the project may benefit these stakeholders. On the other hand, by involving more stakeholders, projects provide more opportunities for community involvement and environmental education.
Restoration projects in urban settings also confront many physical constraints. For example, structures proximate to streams may limit: (1) potential riparian zones, (2) applicable restoration techniques (e.g., limits on bank sloping, recreating meanders), and (3) work space (e.g., heavy equipment access). Given the extensive development that generally surrrounds streams, a benefit of restoration projects is the opportunity to protect community resources (e.g., ball fields in city parks).
Urban projects also address unique environmental geomorphological and pollutant impacts. Extensive impervious areas which are common to urban watersheds may ultimately result in more extensive erosion due to greater stream flow. Also, multiple potential pollutants common to urban streams may require additional project research for permitting and protecting restoration workers. On the other hand, because of the highly degraded nature of urban streams, restoration may be more critical to their ecological health.

In the presentation, these above challenges and benefits will be illustrated for each case through considering project objectives, involved partners and their contributions, project implementation and outcomes thus far. Finally, we will describe how our experiences may be instructive to others who are considering conducting similar urban stream restoration projects.

Poster: Native Brook Trout Restoration Project

Jim Herrig, Cherokee National Forest, Gainesville, Georgia
Gary Williams, TVA and Frank Fiss, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Restoration of aquatic ecosystems in the Southern Appalachian Mot Tennessee has been undertaken by several agencies in a truly collaborative effort. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, University of Tennessee (Knoxville), Tennessee Aquarium, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Cherokee National Forest, Trout Unlimited and numerous volunteers have worked many long, hard hours to re-establish brook trout into some of their original habitat.

Brook trout are widely distributed across eastern North America. Populations extend down the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. Within the Southern Appalachian Mountains, the brook trout are confined to high elevation streams where summer water temperatures remain cool.

During the early 1900's intensive logging and land clearing practices degraded the watersheds. The combination of destroyed habitat and over exploitation led to a severe drop in trout numbers. Once the timber harvest was completed recovery of the watersheds occurred quickly. But the native brook trout had been extirpated from many of the watersheds. The network of railroad lines and roads used for logging made stocking head-water streams with non-native rainbow trout an easy task. Over the course of many years rainbow trout became widely distributed. In most streams where brook trout persisted, rainbow trout were usually also present. While rainbow trout do not always out-compete and eliminate brook trout, a viable and fishable brook trout population seemed to require the removal of the competing rainbow trout. Separation of the two species was necessary.

The agencies began building barriers to separate the trout species in the 1970's. These barriers were intended to isolate brook trout from rainbow and brown trout. Once a barrier was constructed, all of the habitable water above it was electrofished with backpack shockers to remove the rainbows and browns. Despite these efforts to protect the brook trout, the balance between brook and rainbow trout numbers in many streams became less favorable each year.

Today a systematic approach for the brook trout restoration work has been adopted. Three categories of brook trout populations have been established. These categories are based on the ratio of brook trout to other trout collected during electrofishing. The intensity of restoration work varies from a single pass electrofishing to rotenone treatment. Streams with greater than 95% brook trout present are monitored with a single pass electrofishing survey once every three years; streams with 80-95% brook trout receive a single pass electrofishing survey annually; and streams with less than 80% brook trout are considered for rotenone treatments. When rotenone is used a single pass electrofishing survey is done first to remove as many trout as possible. No rotenone has been applied to streams that contained any species of fish other than trout.

Annual electrofishing has been effective in removing nearly all of the rainbow trout in a few small streams. On all but the smallest streams, electrofishing is effective only for monitoring. Complete removal of rainbow trout cannot be accomplished in a cost effective manner with this technique. In order to have brook trout in larger streams, rotenone must been used. The survival of brook trout in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is no longer in question. Approximately 15% of the streams capable of supporting trout contain brook trout; 48 streams contain only brook trout. All of these waters that support viable populations of brook trout also provide the public with a unique opportunity to fish for the only native trout of the Southern Appalachian Mountains - the brook trout.

Robert Sparks Walker: Nature Writer of East Tennessee

F. Holly Hodges, Special Collections Librarian, Lupton Library,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Ten years ago the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Library received a gift of sixty-five boxes. In the boxes were a significant portion of the work of a prolific naturalist writer from the Chattanooga area. The papers of Robert Sparks Walker's eighty-two years reflect an awareness of the value and quality of East Tennessee's environment and a dedication to preserving its natural beauty.

The fifth of eight children, Walker was born at Spring Frog Cabin in February of 1878. At that time the cabin was already quite old--today it is well over two hundred years old. Named for an earlier Cherokee naturalist, the cabin remained a significant site for Walker throughout his life, providing a natural setting for his youth, maturity, and finally, his death.

His papers reflect his attention to detail in everything. Weekly laundry receipts had been bundled together with straight pins now rusted. Weekly grocery bills reflect well balanced diets. Cancelled checks were saved as well, showing meticulous care in budget management--church tithes, mortgage payments, domestic help, clothing purchases, and he saved gas bills, electric bills, phone bills, and water bills. Perhaps of more interest in the context of this symposium are his farm management expenses, what weed killers he used and the agricultural machinery he purchased.

In all these bits of paper one can see a single thread of intent. He was very conscious of the natural beauty around him and dedicated to preserving it for future generations. His love of nature around him is clearly evident in his writings, but not always as obvious is his awareness of the future and his desire to preserve for posterity.

From his journal for 1945 (and there are numerous journals!) one reads: Friday, December 28, 1945 I was up early and posted my Christmas cards--some of the most important ones in the Journal. Some of these are very handsome & 100 or 500 years from now, perhaps, they will be of interest to generations of people for comparing with the kind (if they are keeping up the tradition[?]) that they then are using...

It would appear from this alone that his interest is simply preserving for posterity. But when reviewed together with those Christmas cards he chose to post in the back of his journals, one can see that the themes that dominate are birds, flowers, and trees.

Walker's papers are expected to be available for research in January, 1998.

 Conservation Planning in the Southern Appalachians Integrating Grassroots and Community Ideas

Hugh Irwin and Kerry Brooks, Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition

The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (SAFC) is developing conservation plans centered on wild areas of public lands in the Southern Appalachian region. A crucial part of this process involves local grassroots groups and citizens in identifying conservation and heritage resources, setting conservation priorities, and placing local contexts within a landscape perspective. Local conservation information and priorities are integrated with neighboring areas to create landscape level conservation proposals.

SAFC has created new GIS resources to facilitate work with grassroots groups and communities. Potential conservation areas have been identified throughout the region with input from grassroots groups. Southern Appalachian Assessment GIS coverages and data have been clipped to these areas. Additional GIS conservation coverages have been created by SAFC and associated groups. This data is available to SAFC to easily create GIS projects featuring the conservation and social opportunities and issues in these subregional areas. We are also creating web pages that feature conservation views of these areas. This data will be bundled in a CD-ROM to provide resources for local, landscape level, and regional conservation planning. This planning is particularly important in the US Forest Service plan revision process to give citizens the tools to create a lasting conservation vision for our public lands. We are already working with some grassroots groups and communities. We hope to reach out to others as SAFC's conservation planning progresses. The CD-ROMS can also be a valuable resource for schools and communities wanting to develop sustainable development initiatives and integrate these sustainability plans with conservation plans.

These conservation planning resources will be demonstrated and some of the products displayed.

The Citizens' Role in Protecting Riparian Zones

Peg Jones, Save Our Rivers, Inc., Franklin, North Carolina

The role of citizens can be critical in the success of riparian zone projects in the Southern Appalachian region and beyond. It will take a joint effort of partners to turn around the acceptance by the younger generation that silt in our streams, just like trash alongside our highways, is the norm, By learning, explaining and sharing information of cause and effect, we will work toward having, once again, silt-free streams. Citizens, in cooperation with agencies, industries, organizations, colleges, and others, can work toward this goal.

Because individuals Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina shared their enthusiasm, as well as concepts such as inclusion, stockholders, and partnerships, the state of North Carolina is the scene of several very exciting projects that affect our waterways. The first is the NC Rivers Assessment, a citizen driven project that will study nine categories of uses of our rivers. Besides the technical work teams and advisory committee, there are river corridor volunteer assessment teams, made-up of willing citizens who want to seek and provide information to be put on GIS so that parties such as industry and school children can share the data.

With urging by and assistance of national organization, River Network, based in Portland, Oregon, citizens are forming a statewide watershed coalition to promote conservation, protection, and enhancement of our watersheds within the 17 river basins across the state. Information sharing and cooperation will be key to assisting organizations form in the coalition. Already, one highly successful conference held last March at Catawba College Center for the Environment in Salisbury brought together 97 individuals, interested in working to protect our water. Plans are now being made for a similar 2 day conference to be held again in Salisbury in the spring of '98.

Locally, watershed efforts are taking place, as funding is being allocated by EPA and other entities by river basins. An example is that of the Little Tennessee River Basin Non-point Source Team in western North Carolina. Part of the 319 funding presented to that basin will be spent on an environmental education position which will assist four counties and the Cherokee Reservation. Municipalities, agencies and organizations are contributing toward a salary of a person who will serve as a catalyst for loggers, school children, industries, home owners and others to learn about erosion and the means to prevent it. Out of this effort will come, for example, industries and schools working as partners in bringing about wildlife habitat, parks. and other positive products of cooperation and initiative. The generosity of many - in funding, volunteerism, and in-kind services, is available. It just needs to be tapped.

A good example of a product that has taken off is the 7' long map of North Carolina by river basins in shaded colors, produced by Duke Power Company, to be the backdrop for the watershed conference. Now a major educational tool, the map has been reproduced by the Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, showing major rivers, highways, towns, and county lines. From county commissioners to school children, all citizens can easily see the impact upstream residents have on those living downstream. A goal is to have a map in each of the 100 counties across the state, with an explanation being made at the presentation regarding watershed and the need to work as partners. Being that South Carolina and Tennessee and those beyond receive a good portion of the waters and pollution leaving North Carolina, it is important that maps of those states, matching in colors and scale, be produced for further realization of downstream neighbors.

Once we know that our waters, toxins, and garbage will end up either in the Atlantic Ocean or in the Gulf of Mexico, where there is a 7,000 square mile "dead zone" - we will want to cooperate and work even more enthusiastically with others. By doing so, we will again have reflections of trees and skies in our rivers, which are now filled with silt. Having tasted success ourselves and heard of similar stories in other states, we know we need only to tap the wonderful resource of citizens to help bring about the much needed change.

Carol and Johnny Kimmons, Sequatchie Valley Institute

The Sequatchie Valley Institute promotes research, ecological education and practical applications of sustainable living in southeastern Tennessee. We feel that the survival of life in our bioregion depends on the development of environmentally sustainable lifestyles and an understanding of the natural world of Appalachia.

In order to achieve these goals, we are providing workshops which expose area teachers to an exciting lifestyle based on simple systems to meet basic needs in a natural environment. The concept of sustainability is revealed in real experiences as participants share a unique lifestyle in the natural Appalachian forest of the beautiful Sequatchie Valley. The programs take place at Moonshadow, a hand-crafted structure which uses sun-generated electricity. Passive solar design and attached solar greenhouses provide winter heat. Water comes by gravity flow from a mountain spring. Organic wastes are composted and returned to the soil. Permaculture gardens and edible landscaping produce food, herbs, and flowers and are sustainable in terms of energy, labor, and capital. Buildings are constructed with rocks and timbers using traditional Appalachian techniques. Inputs of energy and material are reduced to a minimum. The 300 acres of surrounding mixed mesophytic forest are
maintained as a nature reserve with trails.

Emphasis of the workshops is on 5 major topics: 1. Ecological and traditional Appalachian building and technology; 2. Forest Health: research on soils, UVB damage, tree death, and acid mine drainage, in cooperation with faculty from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences; 3. Alternative sustainable technology, specifically photovoltaics; 4. Herbs and Agriculture: native herbs for food and medicine; ecological and community supported agriculture; and 5. Significant ecological issues of local interest including land trusts, development, chip mills, and acid mine drainage.

The participants carry back to their colleagues and students enhanced concepts of sustainability, a close acquaintance with the ecosystem of our bioregion, and the ability to make informed scientific decisions.

Jamie Branam Kridler, East Tennessee State University and Community House Cooperative

Cocke County in Tennessee is located in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains and has some of the nation's most beautiful scenery and unique topography. This natural beauty of this mountain community stands in sharp contrast to the polluted Pigeon River which runs through the middle of Newport, the county seat. Champion International Corporation has released effluent from their Canton, North Carolina paper mill into the Pigeon River for 90 years. The precise level of the toxicity of the effluent remains an ongoing problem and debate for Champion, EPA, and the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. The majority of Cocke County residents that live near the River believe that the River is toxic and a danger to their health ( Soliman, 1996). Regardless, the Pigeon River continues to be discolored due to the effluent (some days as dark as coffee) and emits a foul odor for miles.

The people of Cocke County have lived daily for 90 years with the economic consequences of a polluted river. Cocke County consistently ranks as one of the most disadvantaged counties in the state of Tennessee. The poverty rate is over 20% and sustainable growth is a concept that is foreign to most people in the community. Individuals and families live in hopelessness and despair and many believe that the economic plight of the community is directly tied to the pollution of the Pigeon River. In addition there is a distrust of government and agencies. Systems have a long history of failing the people of this community. There is a realization for many in the region that the Pigeon River could be Cocke County's greatest asset if it were not polluted.

Stories are often told of folks that remember the day 90 years ago when a pristine mountain river became black and filled with foam right before the observers' eyes. Many years passed with little hope of stopping the pollution. Some attempts were made but were quickly put to rest. About 12 years ago several individuals from the community and the surrounding areas began discussing how to organize to make a change in the status quo. On Jan. 1, 1987 the Dead Pigeon River Council was formed on the bridge in downtown Newport that crosses the Pigeon River. The action of this group over the past 10 plus years has instilled confidence in many local people that maybe the pollution can be stopped. This group is composed of folks from all walks of life and is intergenerational. Within the last year a large number of youth and children have joined the effort. There has been some improvement in the River but is still far from acceptable to the people of Cocke County.

Mountain heritage is highly dependent on the extended family unit. Many families have been dismantled due to the few jobs available in Cocke County and the even fewer position for educated individuals. Many that stay in Cocke County live in poverty which breeds many other woes for the community. Others are forced to drive long distances for available work or to relocate. Parents are separated from children and grandparents from grandchildren when people are forced to move to find decent jobs. The vast majority of young adults that leave Cocke County do not go by choice, but by necessity. Families and the community suffers when concerned, bright, family oriented individuals are lost.

Partnerships For Aquatic Resources In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Matt Kulp and Steve Moore, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) fishery program has grown significantly since 1985. Much of this growth can be attributed to the development of partnerships with state and federal agencies, local universities, and Trout Unlimited (TU). These Federal, State, and private entities donated 3,688 volunteer hours to GRSM fisheries activities in 1996 alone. Volunteers have assisted with the following projects in the last five years: large stream monitoring, brook trout restoration, brook trout monitoring, Cades Cove streambank restoration, Litter River clean-up days, and acid deposition sampling. Without their assistance, we would not have a program whose objectives are to provide a quantitative assessment of the health of the Park's aquatic ecosystems, provide a fundamental understanding of the ecology of these complex ecosystems, and provide guidance for future management decisions that ensures these valuable resources are protected and preserved for the use and enjoyment of future generations.

Donna Leonard, US. Forest Service, Forest Health Protection

Facts about the Gypsy Moth:

Since its introduction into the United States in 1869, the gypsy moth has spread to all or part of 17 States and the District of Columbia.

The area already infested by the gypsy moth represents only 25% of the total area that will be susceptible to outbreaks as the insect spreads.

Gypsy moth defoliates trees which makes them vulnerable to other killing agents; affects water quality, alters wildlife habitat, and hurts timber, tourism, and recreation.

Damage from the gypsy moth often occurs in forested neighborhoods and urban parks where dead trees are a safety hazard and are expersive to remove.

Gypsy moth affects commerce because commodities shipped to uninfested areas must be certified free of gypsy moth.

Spread of the Gypsy Moth:
Gypsy moth is spreading at a faster rate than in the past and could infest much of the South and Midwest during the next 30 years.

Slowing the spread would delay the damage and management costs associated with infestation of new areas. A recent pilot project demonstrated that the rate of gypsy moth spread could be slowed by at least 60% through application of the latest survey and management practices.

Implementing Slow the Spread:

Beginning in 1999, the USDA Forest Service, State partners and other USDA agencies anticipate national implementation of Slow the Spread, contingent on availability of funds. Across the 1,200 mile gypsy moth frontier from Wisconsin to North Carolina, implementation of Slow the Spread is expected to:

Decrease the new territory invaded by the gypsy moth each year from 15,600 square miles to 6,000 square miles.

Protect forests, forest-based industries, urban and rural parks, and private property.

Avoid at least $22 million per year in damage and management costs.

Potential for Partnering for Archeological Curation Repositories in North Carolina

Richard Lewis, Archaeologist, US Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District
Michael Trimble, Director Mandatory Center of Expertise for Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, USCOE St. Louis District.

Federal agencies have been collecting archaeological materials from their properties for nearly 100 years. Due to inadequate and improper storage, most of these collections are inaccessible and have fallen into a state of neglect and decay. Standards for curation federal collections have been in place since 1990, but significant funding cuts impede the ability of individual government agencies as well as private agencies to meet these criteria. This problem and lack of funding to sole it requires that a new and innovative approach to managing the resources.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Mandatory Center of Expertise of the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections (MCX-CMAC), located in the St. Louis District, has been task by the Department of Defense and the Corps of Engineers to identify facilities interested in becoming curation partners with the federal government in an effort to remedy this problematic situation in a cost efficient manner. The Curation Options Program is a multistep undertaking that focuses on institutions that are willing and able to enter into a partnership with the government, and to determine what is required to upgrade curation facilities to federal standards. The MCX-CMAC also provides technical assistance to agencies in assessing the location and condition of existing collections and determining what is necessary to bring these collection up to federal standards.

The Wilmington District is in a unique and opportune position to take the lead in the federal partnering effort. With the support of the South Atlantic Division, the Wilmington District intends to locate and assess their sizable archaeological collections , work with the MCX-CMAC to determine the cost for rehabilitating their holdings, facilitate the development of a Division-wide database to manage the collections, and to partner with the State of North Carolina in upgrading their curation facility in order to have a repository in which to store the newly rehabilitated collections. The time is very opportune for this because the state of North Carolina is in the process of upgrading the State's curation facility and has expressed a willingness to become partners with the Wilmington District and with other federal agencies in the State. It is envisioned that this State/Federal partnership would allow agencies to combine funding and services in a cooperative and efficient effort to help bring the State's facilities up to federal curation standards. This would provide a federal curation facility for all agencies in the State while at the same time maximizing return on the federal investment in upgrading the facility. This effort will in turn create an environment ensuring the long-term care an access by researchers, students, and the public to the irreplaceable archaeological resources of North Carolina.

Biological Control of Kudzu (Pueraria lobata): A Progress Report

G.P. Markin, U.S. Forest Service, Bozeman, MT and Jim Miller, U.S. Forest Service, Auburn, AL

The U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division has funded a study to determine the feasibility of biologically controlling kudzu (Pueraria lobata). The first portion of this program was review of the scientific infrastructure here and its homeland in China to determine whether the scientific work necessary could be conducted.

A herbarium survey conducted in China indicated that the weed is widely distributed through the eastern portions of the country south of Beijing. A computer climatic match indicated the five southeastern provinces climatically most similar to those of the range of kudzu in the Southeastern U.S., of which Anhui Province appeared to be the most similar. A visit to the Huang Shan Mountains in southern Anhul Province in May confirmed that kudzu is widely distributed at an elevation between 1,000 and 3,000 feet. Typical of plants in their native homeland, kudzu was found to be a small, insignificant vine growing intermixed with other native species of vegetation, and showed none of the explosive growth or the invasive behavior typical in North America. In a one-week visit, over 20 species of insects and one rust were found associated with kudzu. An arrangement was made with Dr. Cai Ping of the Anhul Agricultural University to conduct a more in-depth survey through the1997 summer and compile a complete list of all natural enemies.

Discussions were held with the Chinese National Herbarium and the Chinese Academy of Zoology to determine the cost of obtaining formal identifications of specimens collected during this survey and the permit requirements for exporting both scientific specimens and live insects from China. Discussions were also held with the Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory on the costs and feasibility of their conducting detailed biological studies, particularly feeding tests to determine specificity, of the most promising agents. Our conclusion of this visit to China is that suitable biological control agents probably exist, and the Chinese scientific infrastructure is fully capable of conducting the necessary foreign work.

In the U.S., a survey of available facilities indicated that the Insect Quarantine Facility at Stoneville, Mississippi was the most suitable, and discussions with its staff and their administrators resulted in a commitment by the ARS to allow the quarantine to be used if a formal kudzu biological control program should be undertaken. Also discussions with the U.S. Forest Service Southeastern Forest Experiment Station indicated that their entomologists could provide some of the scientific support for a U.S. program and possibly coordinate the foreign exploratory work,

It appears the scientific infrastructure exists to conduct a full-scale biological control program of kudzu, The problems remaining are of a more political, social, and economic nature. Do resource managers consider kudzu enough of a problem to justify a program? Can a steering committee be created that will provide the political apparatus for coordinating a multi-state program? Can finding for a long-term biological control program be found?

Status of the State Gap Analysis Projects in the Southern Appalachian States

Alexa McKerrow, North Carolina Gap Analysis Project, North Carolina Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit; Elizabeth Kramer, Natural Resource Spatial Analysis Laboratory (NARSAL), Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia; Jeff Waldon, Virginia Gap Analysis Project, Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange, Blacksburg, VA.; Elise Vernon Schmidt, South Carolina Gap Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources, Columbia, SC.

Gap Analysis is a scientific method for identifying the degree to which native animals species and natural communities are represented in our present-day mix of conservation lands. Those species and communities not adequately represented in the existing network of conservation lands constitute conservation "gaps". The purpose of the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is to provide broad geographic information on the status of ordinary species (those not threatened with extinction or naturally rare) and their habitats in order to provide land managers, planners, scientists, and policy makers with the information they need to make better-informed decisions.

GAP is sponsored and coordinated by the Biological Resource Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mapping and analysis is conducted by GAP projects within each state. GAP products include: mapping of existing natural vegetation to the level of dominant or co-dominant plant species; mapping predicted distributions of native vertebrate species; mapping public lands and private conservation lands to show the current network of conservation lands; and an analysis which provides an objective source of information for local, state, and national efforts in managing biological resources.

GAP analysis is currently underway in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. We anticipate that Georgia and Alabama will be underway within the next year. We will summarize the status of the state projects with respect to the data product, including lessons learned by those states that are further along in the process. Methods being proposed by the newly started states will also be presented.

What Communities are We Talking About?

Dr. Philip J. Mummert, Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville

Sustainable development is one of the most vital endeavors of mankind. It encompasses much of the good that already is and much that needs to be in our civilization. It is something that will come about when society makes a determined shift in attitudes and behavior.

Recognition of the critical need to pursue sustainable development is a necessary first step. But converting this awareness into effective action requires some thought about the nature of the human community we are part of--actually made up of a multitude of communities, groups of individuals having common interests. Society's challenge is to find the best ways in which the whole community can be aware and take an active part in the change process. Progress will partly lie in our willingness to examine some rather fundamental truths about ourselves, the communities of which we are apart and those of which we are not a part.

Some significant social barriers stand in the way of our eventual success. Coming to grips with them can simultaneously help break down those barriers that inhibit and build those behaviors that add to our ability to move forward. Some of these barriers are substantial and rooted in such underlying human tendencies as (1) associating with those who are similar, (2) fragmenting our thoughts around functions and specialties, and (3) choosing things and experiences we like. These basic tendencies have placed each of us in a variety of communities—urban or rural, regional, national; those associated with the workplace, civic and spiritual life, government and leisure pursuits; some that are quite temporary, others more enduring.

Awareness of these different communities around us and identifying them as communities provide some clues about how best to intervene for purposeful action toward sustainable development. Application of (1) systems thinking to our communities and (2) methods that can bridge the gaps in our social, political and cultural environment will be essential in helping us build a basis within the communities we live for working toward a sustainable future.

The presentation will be based on professional experiences drawn from working with a wide assortment of communities.

Stream Ecosystem Restoration On Agricultural Land In North Georgia

Charlene Neihardt, USDA Forest Service, Clemson University
Jack White, GEO AmeriCorps Program, Atlanta
Pete Kennedy, Department of Forest Resources, Clemson University

The impact of pollution in Georgia's streams has undergone radical shifts over the last two decades.(1) Untreated and partially treated sewer discharges have been reduced by the enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Current mitigation efforts are focused on nonpoint source pollution, including mud, litter, bacteria, pesticides, fertilizers, metals, oils, suds and a variety of other pollutants being washed into rivers and lakes by stormwater.

Stekoa Creek is a tributary of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River in the headwaters of the Savannah River system. It is located in the Blue Ridge province of north Georgia; rapidly developing Clayton, GA is the major population center in the watershed. In 1992, local citizens and Chattooga River commercial outfitters formed the Stekoa Creek Water Quality Committee to address sediment and bacteria (fecal coliform) concerns in Stekoa Creek and its tributaries. The Forest Service's Chattooga River Ecosystem Management Project identified sediment as the greatest water quality threat in the Chattooga River watershed. Van Lear et al. concluded that Stekoa and Big Creeks had the highest levels of stormflow total suspended solids of any of the 15 Chattooga River study sub-watersheds.(2) The Van Lear study identified impacts to these sub-watersheds from gravel and paved roads, pastures with unfenced riparian zones, residential development, and municipal landfills.

The Stekoa Creek Water Quality Committee was awarded a Clean Water Act Section 319 grant in 1994 for implementation of best management practices (BMPs) on a tract of private agricultural land near Clayton. This land includes a half mile of stream which runs through a small mountain valley. A tributary feeds the main stream on site and also bisects one of the pastures. The main stream on the site, Saddle Gap Branch, is a tributary of Stekoa Creek. The objectives of the project were to stabilize slumping stream banks, restore riparian vegetation, and prevent cattle from freely accessing the stream. These goals were met in the context of satisfying the landowner, whose incentives were the installation of fencing and cattle crossings to enhance land management. In addition to fencing, log structures were used to stabilize banks and willow (<italic>Salix nigra</italic>) plantings were used throughout the site. This demonstration project had an unusual number of partners, including the City of Clayton, U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, GA Environmental Protection Division, USDA Forest Service, Chattooga River Outfitters Association, AmeriCorps National Service Program, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and several private consultants/volunteers.

Although traditional techniques were used to restore the ecosystem, this project presented many new challenges for members of the Stekoa Creek Water Quality Committee. Design, monitoring, implementation, and documentation of the project required a long-term commitment from members and volunteers. Implementation of BMPs was completed in 1996, with additional repair and modification in 1997. The commitment of Chattooga River commercial outfitters and other volunteers was essential in completing this project and insuring its success. This site will be used as a demonstration for other private land owners in the watershed.

N. S. Nicholas, Tennessee Valley Authority - Norris
D. Feldman,University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Atlanta, a growing major metropolitan region located just south of the SAMAB region, has been classified as a Serious Non-attainment Area by to the Environmental Protection Agency's ground-level ozone criteria. Given current and projected population levels in Atlanta, achievement of recently announced new ozone attainment criteria or even the pre-July 1997 criteria is unlikely without changes in business operations, transportation options, etc. One of the first National Center for Environmental Decision-Making Research case studies is an examination of how different stakeholders (e.g., regulators, state and local government officials, large industry, university scientists, non-governmental environmental and health groups (NGO's)) have begun to address the Atlanta area's ozone non-attainment problem. This presentation will also discuss what issues were considered barriers to reaching "good"community-based decisions and what issues facilitated, or were considered catalysts, for such decisions.

Community leaders in metropolitan Atlanta view the ozone dilemma as a microcosm of many environmental decisions that try to balance human and ecological health issues, as well as economic well-being, given a lack of public understanding of 1) existence of an ozone problem, 2) causes and impacts of high ozone levels, and 3) potential legal/economic repercussions of non-compliance status. During the early to mid-1990's alliances were formed between businesses, community organizations, other NGO's, and governmental agencies to implement several air quality programs, and in particular, to address public education needs.

Issues that were considered barriers to reaching "good" community-based decisions included the initial lack of trust among some of the different stakeholders, a resistance of individual organizations to give up identity and visibility in the interest of a common project, a resistance of some organizations to compromise individual agendas, and the low perceived credibility of available health and ecological risk information. Factors that facilitated "good" decisions included personal relationships and trust previously developed among many participants, willingness to compromise individual organizational goals for the good of a common goal, initial agreement on boundaries of group discussions by exclusion of extreme positions, geographic and operational accessibility of key agencies and personnel, and the implicit recognition that environmental noncompliance was as much of an economic issue as an environmental issue.

A Sustainable Community Development CD-ROM Resource for the Southern Appalachian Area

Brand L. Niemann, Center for Environmental Information & Statistics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Both the new EPA Center for Environmental Information and Statistics (CEIS) the Sustainable Development Indicators Group (SDIG) of the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) are interested in helping communities with improved and integrated (cross-media) environmental information on environmental quality status and trends and using the concept of sustainable development to improve our economy, environment, and quality of life. Both EPA and the PCSD/SDI supported and participated in the recent Community Sustainability Indicators Workshop (Asheville, NC, July 1997) where two prototype CD-ROM resources for the Southern Appalachian Area was demonstrated by the author, one being LandView III and the other a Web-connected CD-ROM of SAMAB Web pages and reports and Excel worksheets of sustainable development indicators.

The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate the next stage of development of the SAA CD-ROM resource and receive feedback to guide distribution of the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM contains electronic versions of the PCSD/SDI report on An Experimental Set of Indicators, the SAMAB Assessment reports, SAMAB Web pages, LandView III (subset for SAA) which includes selected SAA Arc/Info GIS data layers, etc. The SAA CD-ROM is a Web-connected resource in that captured Web resources are linked to their source on the Web and the CD-ROM content can be updated periodically by downloading information at the PCSD/SDI Web site (http://cdserver.er.usgs.gov/ iwgsdi.htm). Web-connected CD-ROMs are a means of outreach to individuals and communities that do not have Internet access or for which access to large information stores on the Web is too slow to be practical.

John Nolt, Associate Professor, Philosophy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Foundation for Global Sustainability (FGS);Athetia Lee Bradley, Knox County Recycling Coordinator and FGS; Mike Knapp, FGS; and Earl Lampard, FGS

What Have We Done?: The Foundation for Global Sustainability's State of the Bioregion Report for the Upper Tennessee Valley and the Southern Appalachian Mountains was published in April, 1997. This book, the result of a two-and-one-half-year voluntary effort involving about fifty individuals, presents a qualitative assessment of the ecological health of Southern Appalachia. A work of synthesis rather than basic research, it aims to paint a comprehensive picture of human impacts on Southern Appalachia that is intelligible and accessible to ordinary readers. This picture takes the form, not of a scientific report, but of a bioregional narrative that explicitly presupposes and advocates the value of long-term ecosystem health. Thus the book does not merely describe and explain the facts but seeks also to assess their meaning relative to this fundamental value. The scope is wide, including discussions of problems of the atmosphere, water, flora and fauna, the food system, energy, waste, transportation, population, urbanization, and economics -- and concluding with a discussion of sustainable living.
In our presentation we will indicate the need for bioregional narratives of this sort, sketch the value assumptions and methodology of our book, and describe the reorientation that we experienced in synthesizing this Mass of material. Ultimately, this reorientation took the form of what we describe as "The Now Environmentalism an effort to address problems (such as transportation, energy use, urbanization, and population) that are much more difficult, Complex, and tangled in the heart of things than the traditional environmental issues of industrial pollution and preservation of natural areas. Solving these problems, we contend, requires significant changes in our ways of life.

Recovering the Story of Conscientious Objectors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Through Oral History

Chris Parker, Social Science Aide, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains Oral History Program, a cooperative research project between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department, began in the summer of 1996. Student interviewers recorded the experiences of former Park Service employees to learn how their work shaped the Park as it is known today. In the next phase of the project, public relations events, contacts furnished by Park Service employees, and referrals from the public located potential interviewees among former residents of the area, their descendants, and former Civilian Conservation Corps workers. This outreach program brought to light a work organization less well known in Park history than CCC, Civilian Public Service, an organization, funded in part by the American Society of Friends, that operated work camps in the GSMNP for conscientious objectors from various religious denominations and parts of the US during World War II. Oral history interviews and photographs and records belonging to former CPS workers show that this group continued the work of the Depression-era CCC workers, handling the maintenance of truck trails and subsequent rock quarrying, fire watch, hiking trail maintenance (particularly the Appalachian Trail), and soil conservation. They were by all accounts the main source of maintenance labor during the war effort when only a skeleton staff of Park Service employees remained in the Park.

This presentation briefly describes the oral history project overall and presents preliminary findings on the CPS and their role in the history of Park resource management.

Poster: Oak Ridge Reservation: Nationally Significant Biological Areas Are Identified

Patricia D. Parr , Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Alan Weakley ,The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

An unanticipated result of federal ownership and operations on the 34,516 acre Oak Ridge Reservation has been the protection and subsequent "recovery" of native communities and species. When the land that is now the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation was acquired by the federal government in 1942 as part of the Manhattan Project, it was experiencing typical east Tennessee land use. Aerial photos indicate that approximately half of the area had been cleared. Facilities were built in three locations developing 10-15% of the total land area. The remaining land has served primarily as security buffer for the past 55 years, including use as a National Environmental Research Park since 1980.

The Nature Conservancy, working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Division of Natural Heritage and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, prepared a preliminary report of biodiversity on the Oak Ridge Reservation using existing data. Over 270 occurrences of significant plant and animal species were recognized on the site. Eighty one conservation areas that were ranked high or very high in biological significance were identified and the report recommended protection of three large land areas (landscape complexes) that contain numerous highly ranked conservation sites with rare communities and rare species, with hardwood forests greater than 100 acres, and that include critical watersheds.

From the air, the Oak Ridge Reservation is clearly a large and nearly contiguous island of forest within alandscape that is fragmented by urban development and agriculture. As The Nature Conservancy report states "Large areas of native vegetation and undeveloped, natural habitats provide a refuge for many plants, animals, and natural communities that are disappearing from surrounding lands due to agricultural uses, development, and encroaching development."

With changing missions, the Department of Energy is currently facing decisions on landuse which include leasing and transferring reservation land and facilities to the private sector for industrial development. Ensuring the protection and integrity of sensitive resources while promoting economic development locally is a challenging exercise in communication and balance.

Scott M. Pearson, Alan B. Smith, Monica G. Turner. Biology Department, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill NC 28754 and Dept. of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI 53706.

The effects of disturbance, terrain shape, and soil chemistry on the diversity and abundance of cove forest herbs was studied in mesic forests. Herb communities were sampled using 250-400 m transects. These transects were placed in (a) highly disturbed, small patches of forest; (b) highly disturbed, large patches; and (c) relatively undisturbed, large patches. Herb diversity/abundance, terrain shape, and soil chemistry was sampled at a 10-m resolution. Species richness was greatest in the least disturbed sites in large patches. Disturbance negatively affected the coverage of old-growth indicator species, lilies, and mesophytic species. Differences in patch size, given the same level of disturbance, did not significantly affect the coverage of old-growth indicators and mesophytic species. Weedy species were most abundant in small patches. Disturbance had no significant effect on these weedy species in large patches. The abiotic factors having the greatest influence on coverage of cove and mesophytic species were: soil humic matter and soil pH. Terrain shape, soil cations, P and Ca were correlated with soil humic matter and pH.

Building Local Partnerships

Patrick H. Reed, Superintendent
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

In 1993, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission identified the sites associated with the Battle of Chickamauga and Battles for Chattanooga among the twenty most-threatened Civil War resources in the nation, primarily due to rapid urbanization in the region. A cooperative planning effort, called the Chattanooga Area Civil War Sites Assessment, was initiated in 1994 to identify ways to preserve historic and cultural resources both within the National Military Park and the surrounding region. The project is a cooperative effort of the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center in Georgia, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency in Tennessee, the Southeast Tennessee Development District, the Georgia and Tennessee Offices of Historic Preservation and the National Park Service. Thirty-eight sites were evaluated along with major gateway communities and visitor access corridors. The planning process included full public involvement and resulted in a product supported by local, regional, state and federal planning groups. It is our hope that this cooperative effort will lead to fuller implementation of assessment recommendations. Maps and supporting information are being put in a more useable Geographic Information System (GIS) format to facilitate accessibility by planning agencies and local decision makers. Adult level educational materials are being developed for elected officials, planners, property owners, developers and interested citizens on the benefits of resource preservation, heritage tourism, sustainable economic growth, quality of life considerations, alternative development techniques and our responsibility to future generations. The planning team will make personal presentations to all governmental bodies and planning groups in the three county and two state project area.

Although the final written report will not be available until January 1998, significant benefits have already been realized during the planning process. The Town of Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, has created a Downtown Development Authority and is proceeding with a mainstreet corridor planning effort in cooperation with the National Park Service at the park level and through their Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. Fort Oglethorpe is a gateway community at the northern entrance to Chickamauga Battlefield. The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program has funded two grant proposals to local entities to complete detailed preservation plans at Ringgold Gap Battlefield in Georgia and at Moccasin Bend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The future of Moccasin Bend and the 956 acre National Historic Landmark has been debated for many years. The National Park Service will lead a Cooperative Management Planning effort in 1998 involving the State of Tennessee, Hamilton County, the City of Chattanooga and interested groups and citizens in an open planning process to develop preservation and management alternatives and local partnerships to assure protection of this outstanding cultural and historic resource.

The Guest River Project

Forrest Rich, TVA, Clean Water Initiative and Carol Green, Wise County Clean Team

The Guest River Project got underway about 4 years ago when a group of agency and community representatives met at a Upper Tennessee River Basin Protection Planning meeting in Southwest Virginia. At these meetings, the Guest River watershed came up as being in very bad condition. TVA bioassessment results confirmed that the Guest River was the worst in the entire Clinch-Powell drainage. As the second largest tributary, its impact is considerable on the main stern of the Clinch-Powell, where record numbers of threatened and endangered species are still found. The TVA representative offered to organize, and conduct a community meeting to see what, if anything, local leaders knew about the problems and what they wanted to do to address the issues.

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