SKTF Winter 2011-2012
The new watershed clean up season is upon us and the SKTF has a busy winter planned
. The Wet Cave watershed begins on top of the Cumberland Plateau at the head of Roark’s Cove. The cove is located just north of the Domain of the University of the South and has been the site of historic dumping. When leaving the Domain on Roark’s Cove Road is the junction with the aptly named Junk Lane
. This area has had significant dumping of trash for a long enough time that the road was named for the junk piled up along the cove.
As we have seen from past clean-up efforts in other watersheds, the debris that is dumped in the upper part of a watershed eventually makes it down into the caves lower in the watershed. In addition to the typical debris, there are usually hazardous substances such as batteries; paint and oils which will also enter the caves affecting the cave environment. This is true of the Wet Cave watershed.
The SKTF has planned to begin the clean-up of this watershed on January 14, 2011. Based on what we can see on the surface this clean-up will probably take multiple days to accomplish. For more information, contact Maureen Handler at
tnshotgun@earthlink.net or 423-605-5569.