Cathryn McCue
Tennessee Wilderness
A red eft – the juvenile stage of the Eastern newt – is all but hidden on the forest floor.
Cat McCue and Jeff Hunter took a walk in the proposed new Wilderness area in east Tennessee. Here'a a snapshot of what they saw as well as details on the bill:
What We Saw
Flame azalea
Mountain laurel
Galax
Sweet shrub
Bluets
Trillium
Rattlesnake plantain
Red eft
Dusky salamander
Crayfish
Wild turkey
What We Heard
Red-eyed vireo
Veery
Scarlet tanager
Pileated woodpecker
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Wood thrush
Blue headed vireo
Hooded warbler
What We Heard About
Three bear cubs – reported by another hiker who'd just passed them. They must have scampered off.
The Wilderness Bill (click for pdfs)
Upper Bald River Wilderness Area (9,038 acres, Monroe County)
Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock addition (1,836 acres, Monroe County)
Big Frog addition (348 acres, Polk County)
Little Frog addition (966 acres, Polk County)
Big Laurel Branch addition (4,446 acres, Carter and Johnson counties)
Sampson Mountain addition (2,922 acres, Washington and Unicoi counties)