FROM THE PARK MANAGER

Tims Ford State Park is moving forward with the plans for a new Visitor Center and Park Office.  The proposed building is in its final design phase, and should be going out to bid in April or May, with estimated completion date of 9 months from when the bid has been awarded.  This means that the old Visitor Center should be available for conversion to the Tims Ford Environmental Education Center by mid summer of 2009.

The Park has developed plans for Wildlife Ambassador Cages that will house several birds of prey that can not be returned to the wild due to permanent injuries. These animals will be used in educational programs, to help share the message of wildlife preservation and protection, and the role these animals play in our environment. Thanks to TFEEA, funding has been secured for the construction of the cages which will be located adjacent to the current Visitor Center.  The construction plans will be presented to the State Building Commission in March.

Progress continues to be made on the Wildlife Rehabilitation Barn at the Park.  The Fawn Rehabilitation Area will be completed this spring with the installation of feeding stations and fencing which will reduce human contact with the deer while they are being rehabilitated.  With some general clean up of the area and some other small projects that are nearing completion, the barn will be ready for use this spring.

Tims Ford State Park is excited about the progress of TFEEA, and looks forward to all that will be accomplished with TFEEA's assistance. The staff at Tims Ford State Park wants to thank each of you for your dedication to TFEEA and the support of the park.

-------Michael Robertson, Park Manager, Tims Ford State Park

FAWN FACTS

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) mating season begins in January or February, and the fawns are usually born 6 to 6 ½ months later.  The first year the doe will generally have only one fawn, but as she becomes older she can have one to three fawns.

It takes approximately 4 hours after the fawn is born for the doe to bond with it.  However, it takes 3 to 4 days for the fawn to bond with its mother.  During this time the fawn can be drawn to any large moving object, even humans.  During the first two weeks of life a fawn has no scent which helps protect them from predators.  The mother will leave the fawn in a safe well-hidden place for several hours while she is foraging for food. If she has more than one fawn she will hide them in different locations.  While hidden, the fawn will lay on the ground with its head and neck stretched out flat on the ground, remaining perfectly still.

Does will nurse their fawns for 8-10 weeks, before weaning them.  At about 4-weeks of age the fawn will begin to accompany their mother on foraging trips.  They are fully weaned and foraging by the age of two months

DOES THIS FAWN NEED HELP?

The majority of fawns DO NOT need to be rescued.  The doe may leave the fawn for up to 15 hours while she is foraging for food.  The following list of questions will help you to determine if the fawn needs to be rescued:

• Was it found next to a dead doe?

• Has it been in someone’s possession for several days and/or fed a replacement formula of some kind?

• Does it have diarrhea, maggots, severe scrapes or deep puncture wounds?

• Is it dehydrated?  To test for dehydration, pull up on the skin on the back. If it does not immediately return to its normal position, the fawn is dehydrated.

• Is its body temperature extremely low?  To test body temperature, put your little finger in the corner of its mouth.  If it is cold the body temperature is low.

• Does it have any broken bones?

• Was it found lying on its side with outstretched legs?

• Is it constantly crying?

• Has it been attacked by dogs?

If none of these statements are true, then the fawn should be left alone until the mother returns.  If it is morning, wait until night.  If it is night, wait until morning.  However, if the weather report calls for very cold or wet weather, contact Tims Ford State Park or your closest wildlife rehabilitator for further instructions.  Very young fawns cannot tolerate cold wet conditions for very long.

If you can answer yes to any of the statements, please contact Ranger Sharon Reagan at Tims Ford State Park at 931-962-1184 (if you are in the Tims Ford State Park area) or LouAnn Partington at 931-393-4835 for referral to the closest fawn rehabilitation facility

If it is determined that the fawn needs to be rescued, place in a box or a pet carrier padded with towels.  Keep in a warm quiet location.  Keep all people away from it to decrease stress.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THE FAWN ANYTHING.  When transporting a fawn to a rehabilitator, it should be kept in a box or padded pet carrier, and any loud noises or sounds should be kept to a minimum

DON’T SET IT FREE!

Do you remember having a pet turtle with its little palm tree island in the middle of the plastic container? Are you considering buying your children a pet bunny, duckling or chick for Easter? When the novelty wears off, are you prepared to care for the animal the rest of its life?  Unfortunately, many people over the years have simply released these unwanted pets to fend for themselves.

The harsh reality is the vast majority of released pets will die. According to Melissa Bell, a naturalist with Bowie Park in Fairview, “Every year or two, we find a frightened domesticated rabbit that someone has illegally released at the park. They do not realize these animals are ill equipped to survive in the wild and face a more likely fate of becoming the dinner of a hawk, owl, coyote, fox or even a domestic dog.” If a released pet does not die quickly from an encounter with a predator or vehicle collision, it is likely to die a slow death of starvation.

In a world where animals are treated more like commodities than the living beings they are, they are often considered disposable pets. Domestic ducks released into public parks can transmit diseases to wild flocks.  Animal shelters are overwhelmed with unwanted bunnies, and many are not set up to care for the unwanted bunnies or ducks. The potential for introducing harmful parasites and diseases (including some transmissible to humans) has greatly increased with the influx of exotic animals available in pet stores that are then turned loose when the owner decides the animal is too difficult, time consuming or expensive to deal with.  And although native turtle species such as the Red-eared Slider are easy to get, they are illegal to purchase in the state of Tennessee.

*Teachers -The worldwide decline of amphibian species is of major concern and the release of non-native tadpoles in the state is a major problem. Please do not release your tadpoles/froglets/frogs to the wild after you are through with them in class.

The Don’t Turn It Loose brochure produced by the Partners for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation closes with the statement, “To avoid the problem of what to do with unwanted pet, classroom or laboratory animals, think about what you will do with them BEFORE you obtain them. Although the release of “one little animal” into the wild may seem benign, that action could have serious biological and legal consequences.”

 F.C.H.S. STUDENTS PLAN EARTH DAY EVENT

In observance of the Earth Day 2008, Franklin County High School Environmental Science Students are conducting a plastic shopping bag campaign. This campaign is designed to help educate the public and impart awareness of the detrimental effects of plastic shopping bags on the environment.

It is estimated that 500 million to 1 trillion plastic bags are used globally in one year. Almost 80% of plastic bag use is by North America and Western Europe. U.S. citizens are recycling only about 0.6 percent of the 100 billion they use every year. The World Watch Institute estimates that plastic bags cost U.S. retailers $4 billion annually, which is passed on to the consumers in the form of higher product prices.

Producing plastic bags requires petroleum and sometimes natural gas. It can take hundreds of years for plastic shopping bags to decompose. They contain chemical additives that can be harmful to human health and the environment, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and the carcinogen diethylhexyl phthalate. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade–breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil and waterways and enter the food web when animals accidentally ingest them.

Some governments are imposing restrictions to help reduce the use of the environmentally unfriendly plastic bag. The Republic of Ireland enacted a 15-cent tax on plastic shopping bags in 2002. The tax curbed the use of the bags by 90 percent. Bangladesh banned plastic shopping bags in 2002. San Francisco became the first city in North America to ban plastic bags from supermarkets and chain pharmacies.

FCHS Environmental Science students, under the guidance of their teacher Dr. Bonnie Dixon, are planning to conduct a survey at Kroger in Decherd and Wal-Mart in Winchester to find out how many people are using cloth shopping bags instead of plastic shopping bags. Many retail outlets have cloth bags for purchase, but the students suspect that not many people are using them because they are not aware of how big a problem the plastic bags are posing. If the survey reveals little use of reusable shopping bags, the students plan to conduct a letter-writing campaign to ask lawmakers and businesses to do what they can to reduce the use of plastic bags.

To jump-start the use of reusable bags locally, the students plan to have a “swap-out” of plastic bags for canvas bags on Earth Day, April 22. The public will be invited to bring in 20 plastic bags to swap for one canvas bag. The plastic bags will be recycled and educational brochures made by the students citing the woes of plastic shopping bags will be distributed.  Please plan to support the Franklin County High School Environmental Science Students on Earth Day!

TFEEA UPDATE

TFEEA and Tims Ford State Park received a wonderful Christmas present this past December when we were notified that we had received a Sanders Foundation grant.  Thanks to the generosity of the Sanders Foundation and matching funds and supplies which will be donated by an anonymous benefactor, we will be able to fully fund the Wildlife Ambassador cages.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Bonnie Dixon to the Board of Directors.  Bonnie is a science teacher at Franklin County High School.  An MTSU graduate, Bonnie received a Master of Science Degree from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate of Education from Tennessee State University.  Bonnie is chairing our Education committee.

Our Earth Week Celebration and annual membership appreciation event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Recreation Building at Tims Ford State Park.  We’ll have wildflower and bird-watching hikes led by State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath, music from the Shade Tree Pickers group and games, entertainment and information for the whole family.  We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a very fun-filled day.

We’re also busy getting the word out about our work at Tims Ford State Park.  Park Manager Mike Robertson will be appearing on Tullahoma Channel 6 on March 11, and is also scheduled to speak to the Winchester Rotary Club on March 4.  LouAnn Partington will present a talk on wildlife rehabilitation to the Clarksville chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association on March 18 and the Tullahoma Noon Rotary Club on April 11.

Also – a reminder that if you plan to camp at Tims Ford State Park, we will have firewood available for a $5.00 donation to TFEEA at both the main campground and Fairview this year.  You can help support our programs and enjoy a nice campfire at the same time!

TIMS FORD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

LOGO CONTEST

The Tims Ford Environmental Education Association (TFEEA) is having a logo contest. Students currently attending high school (or home school equivalent) in Franklin, Coffee, Moore and Lincoln counties are invited to participate.

The contest rules are as follows:

●    Entries should be submitted on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of unlined paper, stapled to the entry form.
●    Entries can be drawn in either color or black and white.
●    The logo will be used on letterhead, t-shirts and other merchandise, so it should be easily reproducible
       at various sizes.
●    The logo should convey a natural theme (once concerning the environment) and reflect the mission
       of the Association. The name of the Association's newsletter is "Tracks Around Tims Ford".
●    All entries become the property of the Tims Ford Environmental Education Association.
●    Deadline for submitting entries is April 8, 2008.
●    The contest winner will be chosen by the Tims Ford Environmental Education Association and their
       decision will be final.   

Entries should be submitted to:
                         TFEEA Logo Contest
                         C/O LouAnn Partington
                         92 Maple Ave.
                         Tullahoma, TN 37388                             

Results of the logo contest will be announced at the Annual Meeting of the Tims Ford Environmental Education Association, scheduled for April 26, 2008 at Tims Ford State Park.  The following prizes will be awarded:

            ●    First place - $50 and a logo t-shirt
            ●    Second place - $30
            ●    Third place - $20
            ●    Honorable mention - Certificate for $10 off annual membership dues of the Tims Ford Environmental
                  Education Association.

For more information, visit our web-site at www.tfeea.org or e-mail tfeea@yahoo.com, or contact us by phone at 931-393-4835.

            TIMS FORD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

LOGO CONTEST ENTRY FORM

Name _________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________

Phone Number__________________________________________________

School Name____________________________________________________

Grade Level_____________________________________________________

Parent’s Names __________________________________________________

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Construction and Maintenance – We will be scheduling work days on a regular basis to complete cage and display building projects.  Contact Sharon Reagan at 931-962-1184 or sharon.reagan@state.tn.us to be added to our e-mail notification list.

Newsletter – If you would like to contribute an article, please contact LouAnn Partington at 931-393-4835 or louannpartington@bellsouth.net.

Board of Directors - If you would be interested in serving on our Board of Directors or would like to nominate someone to our Board, please submit resumes via e-mail to tfeea@yahoo.com or mail to Tims Ford Environmental Education Association, 570 Tims Ford Drive, Winchester, TN 37398.  Board members are responsible for setting policy for the organization and assisting with fundraising activities.  Time commitment is less than 10 hours per month.
 

 

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION/RENEWAL FORM

Name:                    ______________________________________________________________

Address:                ______________________________________________________________

Telephone:           ______________________________________________________________

E-mail Address:  ______________________________________________________________

Are you interested in volunteering in the following areas:

                ____Environmental Education

                ____Wildlife Rehabilitation

                ____Fundraising

Membership Category

                ____Individual   $25

                ____Family         $35

                ____Supporter    $100

                ____Caretaker   $250

                ____Sustainer     $500

                ____Advocate     $1000 or more

Make checks payable to: Tims Ford Environmental Education Association and mail to
570 Tims Ford Dr., Winchester, TN  37398
 

TFEEA
570 Tims Ford Drive
Winchester, TN 37398