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The Tellico and Calfkiller gages are in trouble

              THIS AFFECTS 31 STREAMS !

 

CLICK HERE FOR A FORM LETTER.

If you look on the USGS page for the gage, the top of the page reads this!

NOTICE (9/22/2008)--Data collection at the following gage is scheduled for discontinuation in the near future due to funding reductions from partner agencies. If discontinued, historic data will remain accessible; however, no new data will be collected unless one or more new funding partners are found. Users who can contribute funding for the non-Federal share of costs to continue operation of this gage should contact Scott Gain of the USGS Tennessee Water Science Center (615-837-4701 or wsgain@usgs.gov).

Here's a link to the page.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?03518500

Straight from top

I talked with a VERY NICE man who works for the USGS and his name was posted on the USGS site , and he is very helpful. His name was Scott Gain of the USGS Tennessee Water Science Center

He is trying to work for everyone’s interest .The Tellico River and Calfkiller gages are on the chopping block , and were suppose to be already turned off. They are under the radar until noticed by his management. If you haven’t heard of the Calfkiller it feeds the virtual gages of the Sequatchie Valley runs of Tennessee.

Here is the problem, due to the Tennessee Budget problems they are cutting gages.

Each gage takes $14000 to maintain and run…so in turn $7000 a year for each gage is needed. Private parties can raise the money, but the money HAS to come from a state or local agency in Tennessee. Money can raised , and then donated to a local /state agency.

Also next year more gages are on the chopping block.( I have a list being e-mailed to me)

 I need to note Mr.Gain was more than helpful. So I asked bluntly..”do emails help in this situtation?” “His answer was that legislators and local agencies need to know….it helps”

I also asked “Have you been getting a lot of emails?”    “No I haven’t” was Mr. Cain’s response.

So WE NEED TO SEND EMAILS OUT.

Also Mr. Cain was kind enough to e-mail me and here is his response.

Also noted, this is a dry e-mail he is a very nice helpful person and is wanting to help, the reasoning I am mentioning this , after the Headwaters fight, some may think “they are out to get us” this isn’t the case , and we need to get going. There are some out there that want to help.

Mark,

We appreciate your interest in the streamgaging program in Tennessee.  I
am sorry to say that we may have little recourse but to discontinue this
gage if we fail to find a new partner to share the cost in the near
future.  Budget shortfalls in Tennessee State government this year have
forced the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to cut
support for streamgaging by 50% in the current budget cycle and perhaps by
as much as 100% next year.  These cuts may ultimately result in the loss
of as many as 26 streamgages across the State of Tennessee.  This is not
something that the USGS or the State of Tennessee wants to see happen.
Unfortunately, the USGS cooperative streamgaging program requires by law
that at least 50% of the cost of each of our gages be provided by a state
or local governmental match.  In coming months, we in the USGS will
continue to work with our state and local partners to find new support for
this and other gages in Tennessee.  In the meantime, you can contribute to
this effort by helping others to understand the value of streamgaging
information in Tennessee and by indicating your support for those State
programs that help to provide it.

Sincerely,

W. Scott Gain
Director, USGS Tennessee Water Science Center
US Geological Survey
640 Grassmere Park, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37211
(615) 837-4701
cell (615) 347-9894

Here is the Game plan for right now

As it stands right now Mr. Gain of the U.S.G.S. is looking for local govt. organization's that we can donate to for the Calfkiller and Tellico gages. We cannot directly give to the U.S.G.S. , but a local govt. agency can. Meanwhile area clubs and paddlers need to start gathering funds and rallying the troops so to speak.

Once we find an organization and a way to confirm that are donations can go directly towards the gage only. I'll post a link on the Walden's Ridge Site on who to make donations to.

This can work. Take a look at the Richland gage in Arkansas, one of the biggest sponsors is the Arkansas Canoe Club.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=07055875

In the meantime we need to be writing letters to govt. local, state and federal officials. Mark Singleton of AW informed us this is a powerful tool. Please direct your club members and friends to this page , it is uCellphoneted almost nightly and it has contact info and a generic form letter also. Also it states the creeks that are affected by this...it's not just two creeks.

If you don't think letter writing helps...check this out

From Brandon Hughett

"I couldn't believe Senator Lamar Alexander's office called me today on my cell phone about the gage problem. Writing letters does work" 

" I  faxed a letter to Senator Lamar Alexander's office in Knoxville yesterday about the decommissioning of the Tellico and Calfkiller gages. His office called me today and said they would contact USGS to see what the deal is and what can be done. They also told me the Senator would get my letter. They also told me they would send me an official response from both the Senator's office and the USGS"

Listed below are the creeks affected by shutting off Calfkiller and the Tellico.

    The Tellico Watersheds

The Tellico gages that feed for the Walden's Ridge Runs

The Calfkiller gage feeds the following Creeks

  Big Brush Creek

  Big Fiery Gizzard Creek

  Griffin Creek

  Hicks Creek (Stone Coal Bank/Kelly Creek)

  Little Brush Creek

   Little Fiery Gizzard Creek

  Pocket Creek

  Woodcock Creek

  Savage Creek

Plus these creeks

Cane Creek.
Bee Creek.
Caney Fork Creek.

Collins 

Here are all the gages on the chopping block.

Who we need to email

We need to start writing e-mails to help protect the Tellico gage, the Tellico gage helps feed the following virtual gages. And the winter rains will hopefully be here for us and we need the readings on where to go boat.

Please email the following

Monroe County -Tenn Chamber of Commerce CLICK HERE

Trout Unlimited -Govt affairs office CLICK HERE

Cherokee National Forest
2800 North Ocoee St
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 476-9700

email site

Tennessee Senate

RON RAMSEY-Tellico gage Area
Lt. Governor and Speaker of the Senate
R - Blountville
District 2 - Johnson and Sullivan Counties

U.S House Senate District #2  John Duncan Tellico gage area

U.S. Senators from Tennessee

·         Senator Lamar Alexander

·         Senator Bob Corker

The Tennessee Governors Office:

Governor's Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001

Phone: 615.741.2001
Fax: 615.532.9711
Email: phil.bredesen@state.tn.us

Key Departments :

Constituent Services 615.532.4562

Communications 615.741.3763

Scheduling 615.741.3867

Congressman Zack Wamp...he has robo-mail so spam him with a plea click here

County Mayor of Monroe County (Tellico gage)

County Executive of Sequatchie County (Calfkiller gage)

County Executive   Michael Hudson    (423) 949-3479

P.O. Box 595
Dunlap, TN 37327

From American Whitewater   

This is a PDF File that was given to us from from Mark Singleton, Executive Director for American Whitewater...special thanks to Mark for sending it.

Concerning  the Steamgage coalition.   To see the file CLICK HERE

Letters to your congressmen, governor and state tourism director all are helpful here. See this link for a step-by-step set of guidelines:

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/680/

The letter I forwarded to you is a way to put some funding pressure in place at a national level. Local letters to the above from boaters are a way of getting gage funding on the radar of state officials.

Kevin Colburn, copied above, posted the following to the AW site a couple of weeks ago, seems like TN should be added to the lists of states where gage funding is in jeopardy:

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article_view_articleid_30178_display_full_

Mark Singleton

Executive Director

American Whitewater

PO Box 1540

Cullowhee, NC 28723

828.586.1930 (o)

828.508.1726 (c)

 

Our hemlocks are dying on the ridge due to the woolly adelgid infestation. You can find out more at the Save Our Hemlocks website: http://www.saveourhemlocks.org/   To learn even more click here   The Picture below is depressing to say the least...