WaterWays Efforts to Mitigate Contamination from Signal Mountain's Abandoned Mines Monday, February 22 at 7:00pm via Zoom
Before it was a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, Signal Mountain attracted an entirely different crowd - coal miners. The miners’ legacy riddles the mountain with old excavation sites, some buried and others that resemble the original open pits. This past year, the WaterWays team collaborated with local watershed experts to devise a 3 year, 3 step plan to identify, map and remediate the abandoned mines.
These mines pose a threat to the Middle Creek watershed, since water that flows through them emerges with a lower pH and a much higher chance of releasing toxic metals. The pH change can impact the growth of native plants and animals, in turn changing the makeup of the entire ecosystem. Other nearby rivers also cause problems in the Middle Creek watershed and have been included in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation 303(d) list of impaired or polluted streams. Middle Creek feeds the Tennessee River, which is where we get much of our drinking water from. The better we take care of our creeks and streams, the better we care for each other!
Outreach and education efforts have been in motion for some time now. WaterWays works with area Stream Teams and has established partnerships with landowners who have abandoned mines on their property. Join us to hear more about how WaterWays has been mapping mine locations, monitoring water quality, and working with the community to save our streams!
We want you to be part of a conservation committee!
The Tennessee Chapter is starting up statewide conservation committees. The intention is to have 6 committees:
Forest and Public Lands
Water
Land Management
Energy
Solid Waste
Transportation
Anyone is welcome to be a member of these committees. If you interested in helping to further the Sierra Club's conservation efforts, please reach out to Bill Moll through email or give him a call at 404-401-7899.
Tennessee Tree Day 2021 is coming up on March 20. Get involved, donate, or help if you can to support conservation in our great state of Tennessee. All trees purchased and planted are native to their respective regions of Tennessee. Visit the website to find out more.
Our cotton t-shirt material Vote the Planet masks are available. These make wonderful giveaways to family, friends and students. Buy 10 for $50. Contact Sandy Kurtz to make arrangements for payment and delivery.
We are the Cherokee Group of the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.5 million members and supporters, the Sierra Club has the resources to empower people and to influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Our mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet for our families and our future. We speak for the trees!
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
