General Site Information

Old Hickory Lake is a reservoir formed by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam on the Cumberland River in north central Tennessee. The reservoir extends 97.3 miles from Old Hickory Lock and Dam (25.5 miles upstream from Nashville) to Cordell Hull Lock and Dam (near Carthage, Tennessee), and contains on average 22,500 acres of water at an elevation of 445 ft above sea level. Construction of the lock, dam, and powerhouse began in January 1952 with full dam closure completed in June 1954.
Operated and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville, the Dam and Lake are named after President Andrew Jackson whose plantation, The Hermitage (now a National Historic Landmark and museum), is located 2 miles from the Cumberland and Stones Rivers. Similarly, Rock Castle, historic home of Revolutionary War Colonel Daniel Smith is located on the North side of the lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
With some 440 miles of shoreline, Old Hickory offers exceptional recreation opportunities to visitors including hiking, camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water skiing, swimming, and nature study and photography. Public facilities include two Corps-operated campgrounds, eight marinas, 41 boat access sites, and the Old Hickory Lake Arboretum.

Located on the Cumberland River, Cheatham Lake is a riverine lake formed by the Cheatham Lock and Dam. Originally a navigation project, the Army Corps of Engineers designed a dam and three lock
system to facilitate navigation along the Cumberland River; replacing three locks built at the turn of thecentury. Approved in 1946, the three locks were fully functional and open for navigation in 1952. That same year Congress approved the plan for the Cheatham hydroelectric power plant. Today the Cheatham power plant provides an estimated average annual energy output of 160,000,000 kilowatt hours; enough to power 15,000 homes a year.
Cheatham lake is over 67 miles long, extending from Cheatham Lock and Dam on the lower end of the lake, through the heart of Nashville, to Old Hickory Lock and Dam on the upper end. It contains various sloughs and marshes, and is home to two major tributaries of the Cumberland River: Harpeth River and Sycamore Creek. It varies from broad floodplains to moderate steep rides. Extending out from the lake are hardwood forests, as well as pine forests. It is home to a variety of fish species,including, rockfish, lunker largemouth bass, sauger, white bass and panfish. Bald Eagles nest by the lake and can be seen year around. A variety of waterfowl call the lake their home; and since the 1960s it has had one of the most concentrated nesting locations for Cliff Swallows in the state of Tennesseee.
With over 320 miles of shoreline, Cheatham lake offers a variety of activities, from boating, swimming,fishing to hunting, camping and hiking. It plays host to a variety of events such as the Young Fish Bustin' Rodeo, Music City's Bass Angler Tournament, and Nashville Bassmasters Tournament. Visitors to Cheatham Lake can visit the dam, take a tour of the hydroelectric power plant, or participate in the numerous activities on and around Cheatham Lake.
(Picture compliments of Johnnie Welborn Jr.)

Our Accomplishments: Strong examples of this season’s Owens Peak crew’s accomplishments are the fence lines we built protecting the wilderness boundaries in Nine Mile Canyon and Short Canyon. The crew overcame difficult soil, steep terrain, and objectionable weather, yet still completed work to a high standard. The straw bale hill erosion controls we installed on hill climbs in Short and Sand Canyons are testaments of the hard work we put into the season. Finally, I want to acknowledge the scope and density of our restoration sites within each canyon. That the chaparral covered landscape of the Owens Peak Wilderness is thickly populated with vegetation, our task of disguising incursions required a higher density planting of vertical mulch than in the bajadas. This dense vertical-mulch planting process required great care during collection in order to avoid depleting local resources for wildlife. Our mindful approach to cultivating mulch and restoring project sites was time intensive, yet it was worth the greater reward of protecting habitat.

Thank You Ridgecrest BLM On behalf of the Student Conservation Association Owens Peak Wilderness crew, I would like to extend our thanks to all the folks at the Ridgecrest Field Office who have contributed to the success of our season. In particular, I would like to thank Outdoor Recreation Planner Marty Dickes for her commitment to negotiating the red tape to clear our season projects, for the time she took to make field visits and provide feedback on our work, and for coordinating behind-the-scenes logistics with various specialists and agency partners. I would like to thank Supervisory Outdoor Recreation Planner Craig Beck for providing feedback and support whenever they were needed. I extend special thanks to Natural Resource Specialist Steven Gomez for assisting me with technological assistance throughout the season. More thanks to Archaeologist Danny Tyree for scoping out and granting clearance to our project sites, to Alex Neibergs for providing in depth training in fence construction to the crew, to Don Washington and the folks at the Salt Wells Fire Station for their time and training in the S212-Wildland Firefighting Chainsaw certification, and to Eddie Duque for providing us with ATV safety training. A note of thanks to Marguerite Powell and Jaylyn Fuller for helping me navigate the office. Due in part to your efforts, our crew has completed a large range of work projects to a high degree of excellence.
-Dawn Scheckman

Umatilla 1 will be working in the Umatilla National Forest on the border of Oregon and Washington for the season. We will be working in the The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness.

The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness is located in the northern Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon and encompasses 177,465 acres.

The majority of the wilderness is characterized by rugged basaltic ridges and outcroppings separated by deep canyons with steep side slopes. Elevations range from 2,000 feet on the Wild and Scenic Wenaha River to 6,401 feet at Oregon Butte. Plant communities vary widely from bunchgrass slopes to higher subalpine areas of lodgepole pine and subalpine fir.

Nearly every wildlife species present in the Blue Mountains can be found within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness including Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, whitetail and mule deer, black bear, cougar, coyote, and pine martens. Both the Tucannon and Wenaha Rivers provide good spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead.

The managed trail system within the wilderness totals over 200 miles. We will be doing primarily brush clearing and logging out trees with vintage crosscuts.

The North Fork Umatilla River wilderness is characterized by terrain that varies from gentle, sloping hills to extremely steep, timbered canyons. The elevation in the area ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 feet, assuring a good workout for hikers and equestrians using the 27-mile trail system. The wild, unpredictable weather of the Blue Mountains also adds to the challenge anytime of the year.

The North Fork Umatilla River supports sizeable runs of anadromous fish, which makes this area a popular spot for anglers. There are also several streams within the wilderness that contain native trout, and a few streams support spawning steelhead.

In this section we will be doing some brushing, tread work, and installing water drainage structures.

The Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) encompasses more than 400,000 acres in southwestern and central Vermont, forming the largest contiguous public land area in the State. Characterized by striking scenery that combines rugged mountain peaks with quintessential Vermont villages, the Forest is an attraction for many visitors. The GMNF signifies a multiple-use ethic through its role of providing ecological and science-based forestry stewardship, clean water, diverse vegetation, high-value, high-quality forest products, economical and educational contributions, and trail-based backcountry recreation.

Located within a day's drive of more than 70 million people, the GMNF is a destination for visitors seeking a variety of recreation opportunities. The Forest includes three nationally designated trails: The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Long National Recreation Trail, and the Robert Frost National Recreation Trail. The Forest also includes three alpine ski areas, seven Nordic ski areas, and approximately 900 miles of multiple-use trails for hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and bicycling. In addition to recreation opportunities, the Forest includes a variety of species of plants and animals. Northern hardwoods, softwoods, rare and unique plants, fish, birds, and numerous animals of all sizes are part of the attraction for visitors.

[Excerpted from the GMNF website]