Did you know that the invasive silver carp may soon impact our East Tennessee local waterways, ecosystems and the businesses that depend on these environmental resources?
There are currently only four flying silver carp-free reservoirs on the Upper Tennessee River Basin. To learn more about the multiple threats posed by the impending silver carp invasion, come to the UT Arboretum Auditorium, 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.
Invasive silver carp jump ahead of USFWS boat in Fox River, Wisconsin. (Photo by Ryan Hagerty, USFWS)
This is an in-person presentation and seating is limited, so please register for your seat under the programs tab at www.utarboretumsociety.org The program is presented by the Watts Bar Ecology and Fishery Council (WBEFC) and co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be seeking “public comments” on their recommendations for locations of fish deterrents on the Tennessee River in June 2024. This session will give the public important information on how to participate in this public comment period.
Dr. Timothy Joseph will discuss the multiple threats posed by the impending silver carp invasion and review the state’s present plan and explain in detail the only options available to save Melton Hill, Watts Bar, Tellico and Ft. Loudoun lakes.
Dr. Joseph is a fisheries biologist with over 50 years of fisheries and ecological laboratory, field and management experience. He founded and chaired the WBEFC for seven years and remains a board member. He was an environmental engineer for DOE, and managed projects throughout the U.S. for private industry.
Also speaking will be Dirk Van Hoesen, current chair of WBEFC. With over 50 years of experience, Van Hoesen has built and led teams that have successfully completed some of the most complex and challenging environmental cleanup projects on the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation. He will discuss what specific actions are needed to prevent this invasion from reaching our lakes.
Melanie Staten is a public relations consultant with her husband, Vince.