News from the Stones River Watershed Association: Oct. 2005
 
1. Fall color float planned for October 15.
2. Readyville cleanup Nov. 19.
3. Grant received for planning Lytle Creek remediation.
4. Protect your watershed.
5. Recent activities.

1. Fall Color Float: SRWA will host a fun float (that means we won’t arm ourselves with plastic bags for hauling trash out of the river) on the East Fork on Saturday, October 15, beginning at 9 am. We will put in at a private home off Lascassas Hwy (96E) and take out at city property near the Veterans Administration hospital in the early afternoon. To register and get details call Heloise at 896-6278 or email her at heloisew@bellsouth.net. She can tell you about how to arrange a boat if you don’t have one. As always, an approved life jacket is required of all participants and you should plan to bring water and a lunch.

2. Last outing of the season: We will host a cleanup at and near the Readyville Mill in Cannon County on Saturday, Nov. 19. This event will mostly involve working on shore and will definitely be "weather permitting." Watch for further details on our website: http://stoneswatershed.org.

3. 319 Grant. SRWA is proud to announce that it was one of the lucky recipients on the most recent round of grants from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. SRWA President Beth Chesson wrote the grant proposal after consulting closely with officials of both the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County stormwater programs. The grant will fund phase one of a multi-part program for the remediation and restoration of Lytle Creek. Lytle has been repeatedly identified by the State as having impaired water quality. Our grant will concentrate on assessing specific causes of water quality problems and planning for the installation of BMPs (Best Management Practices) to correct them. We will be turning to our members and friends for volunteer help with the stream assessment part of the project. This is a two-year program with plenty of opportunities to get involved.

4. Support your SRWA. If you receive our email newsletter you have shown some interest in our activities during the past two years. Perhaps you have attended one of our educational programs or gone on an outing. Perhaps you have related responsibilities at your job. Whatever your interest, we appreciate your attention. Now we would like to ask for your support as well. Please consider supporting the SRWA financially. Annual memberships are just $20 ($10 for students). If you believe that our streams and rivers need to be protected for future generations and that it is important to have an organization that is an advocate for our rivers, please consider donating $20, $50 or more. Your donation will go towards restoring Lytle Creek, educating kids about water quality, and educating the public about our river. Use our online membership form: http://stoneswatershed.org/NewMemberForm.pdf . Print out the form and mail it in with a check. All membership fees and contributions are tax deductible.

5. What else have we been up to?

Dog Days: On Saturday, August 13: Randle Branch and Mayo Taylor staffed a booth at the annual “Dog Days” event of the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department. As Randle phrased it, we were promoting “proper pet poo protocol” – i.e. encouraging folks to clean up after Fido instead of letting it wash into the waterways.

Caving: On Thursday, August 25 SRWA hosted a program meeting at the Cannon County High School about caving and the relationship of caves to our watershed. Many thanks to Rebecca James for an excellent presentation, despite our technical difficulties! Would you be interested in a caving outing with other cavers? If so, contact SRWA!

Cleanup: On Saturday, September 10 eight intrepid souls led by Heloise Shilstat collected trash in the East Fork between Guy James Road and the Browns Mill property. We loaded three large tandem canoes and a jon boat so full that there was no room for people by the end. Tires, lawn chairs, really gross big tarps and an unidentifiable electrical thingamabob were among the prizes collected. Things got lively when Terri and Jim discovered that they had a snake as an extra passenger in their boat. It was hard work on a hot day but satisfying and fun.

Do you know of a stretch of stream that needs our attention? If so, call Heloise at 896-6278 or email her at heloisew@bellsouth.net

Planning: On Thursday, September 22 we met for an extended session with representatives of the Cumberland River Compact and facilitator Suzy Wilkins Berl to concentrate of organizational development and fundraising. We hope to translate much of what we learned into a positive program of outreach.