Land Between the Lakes Ten Year Monitoring and Evaluation Report

Land Between the Lakes Ten Year Monitoring and Evaluation Report

It’s been eleven fiscal years since developing the Land Between the Lakes Area Plan. Our specialist have completed a ten year evaluation report assessing our progress. The report indicates strengths and weaknesses of Area Plan implementation. Now we need to hear from you. Your feedback on this report will help shape collaboration in the near future. Specifically, we want to know: Whether the report captures Area Plan implementation since December 2004 How to use the results in the report to improve collaboration on management of Land Between the Lakes You can read the ten year report by clicking on this…
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Open lands-Helping Wildlife Survive

Open lands-Helping Wildlife Survive

Dear friends, As part of our Land and Resource Management Plan, we designated approximately 10,600 acres as open lands. This acreage specifically supports insects, game animals, grassland type birds, and mammals through open lands management. Managing open lands involves keeping desired vegetation in an early stage of growth. We do this by cultivating and planting our wildlife plantings and cropland areas. We maintain grassland type habitat primarily by mowing, disking, prescribed fire and herbicide applications. These open land types provide food and shelter for hundreds of species at Land Between the Lakes. Since the turn of the 21st Century, natural…
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Farewell Bobcat

Farewell Bobcat

The Woodlands Nature Station bid farewell to our bobcat today. The female cat passed away earlier from kidney failure. Such illness is common in older bobcats. Rescued near Memphis, Tennessee, our bobcat arrived as a kitten. She came to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in 1995. In her 22 years living here, she contributed to the learning and knowledge of almost one million visitors. Bobcats play a vital role in our environment. Weakened due to habitat loss, bobcat populations rebounded thanks to effective conservation practices. We estimate that over 200 bobcats reside on the inland peninsula today. The…
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Monitoring Program Update #1

Monitoring Program Update #1

Dear visitors, friends, and stakeholders, The new Forest Service 2012 Planning Rule requires all forests to transition to the new monitoring evaluation program requirements of our fiscal year beginning October 1. As part of this review process we are discussing our monitoring program with members of the public and our stakeholders. Our goal at this step is to develop any needed changes in our monitoring programs to comply with the new planning rule. The new planning rule monitoring requirements cover the following eight areas: Watershed conditions Ecosystems Focal species Federally listed threatened and endangered species, proposed and candidate species, species…
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Forest Planning and Monitoring

Forest Planning and Monitoring

Current Monitoring and Planning at Land Between The Lakes The new Forest Service 2012 Planning Rule requires all forests to transition to the new monitoring and evaluation program requirements. This monitoring program review serves as one part of the analyses leading up to Land Between The Lakes’ Area Plan revision process. The general steps to the plan revision process include: 2012 Monitoring Program transition beginning Fiscal Year 2017, 10 year Monitoring and Evaluation Report — FY 2005 to 2015, Assessment, Plan Revision, and Monitoring and Evaluation The Land Between The Lakes’ 2004 Area Plan includes 8 goals with 39 monitoring…
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A Guest for the Winter – Asian Ladybug

A Guest for the Winter – Asian Ladybug

Submitted by Brian Truskey, Communications Apprentice at Land Between The Lakes  It's that time of year again, when many of our homes play host to a familiar visitor, the ladybug. Or more specifically, the Asian lady beetle. Though most ladybugs make their homes outdoors, this often uninvited guest will happily bunk with you over the winter. What's in a name? Laybugs, also known as Ladybirds or Ladybird beetles, were named after the Virgin Mary. “Beetle of our Lady,” the precursor to many of the names we use today, was used as far back as 1699. Some sources claim that the…
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