Maintenance – Land Between the Lakes

13 Sep 2016

Sustainable Recreation Arrives

Camping, Community, Customer Service, Environmental Education, Funding, Homeplace, Maintenance, Nature Station, Planetarium, Recreation, Sustainable Recreation, Trailsbudget, Kentucky, land between the lakes, public, recreation, tennessee

Dear Friends, Over these past four years we have been adjusting and adapting our programs and services in order to balance our budget as it “down sized.” We’re in better shape than other Forest Service units because of our prioritizing strategies we worked on together in our 2012 Budget Reduction Open Houses. Today we want to include you in our part of the region-wide effort to achieve sustainable recreation. Sustainable Recreation = Recreation that Lasts Our regional facilities budget has decreased by more than half and our recreation operations budget has gone down by 12 percent since 2012. We are…

21 Apr 2016

By LBL_Admin

Respect the Roads

Camping, Community, Customer Service, Maintenance, Recreation, RoadsKentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, off-roading, roads, tennessee, turkey bay

We have all heard it before; “respect the resource.” What does that actually mean? It means we must work together to maintain and improve what we have. At Land Between the Lakes we place a tremendous focus on maintaining natural settings, scenic views, and healthy forests while balancing the needs of our diverse user groups. Activities like habitat management, environmental education, camping, and hiking might seem unrelated; yet each one has the potential to affect the other. By being responsible, it is possible for everyone to enjoy the land for years to come. Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area serves as…

07 Apr 2016

By LBL_Admin

Nickell Branch Road Improvement Project

Community, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Roadsimprovements, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, project, roads, tennessee, upgrades

Road 102 just off the Woodland Trace National Scenic Byway leads to the Nickell Branch recreation area. An estimated 15 thousand people frequented the 1.2-mile gravel route last year. Heavy rains we received lately left it a bumpy road and in need of improvements. Kevan Paluso, transportation program manager at Land Between the Lakes, took me and Customer Service Manager Jeff Laird with him to see Road 102 first hand. Kevan pointed out features and described a project proposal during a recent site visit. Where most people simply see a scarred gravel road, Kevan sees damage, roadside swale restoration, and…

22 Feb 2016

By LBL_Admin

Winter Storm Road Repair Update

Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Roadsdamage, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, repairs, road, safety, storms, tennessee, upgrade

An update on roads brought to you by Jeff Laird, Customer Service Manager Roads throughout Land Between The Lakes were hit hard with damage following the winter storms and flood from December 2015 and January 2016. Most roads have been cleared of debris and trees that were brought down during the storms. Culverts have been cleaned at several locations to allow water to flow under, instead of over, roads. Road grading has been planned across Land Between The Lakes and will be completed later in the spring when roads dry out. Grading more severely damaged roads in the northern half of Land…

18 Feb 2016

By LBL_Admin

Hillman Ferry Campground Improvements

Camping, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Recreationcamping, Hillman Ferry, improvements, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, tennessee, upgrades

By Gary Hawkins, Recreation Program Manager Camping season is just around the corner so dust off that camping gear! Hillman Ferry, Piney, and Energy Lake Campgrounds open for the 2016 season Tuesday, March 1. Check out the latest improvements, upgrades, and regular maintenance completed at Hillman Ferry Campground over the winter. Two picnic shelters at the Beach, and behind the Outpost were rehabilitated using revenue generated at Hillman Ferry Campground. Due to poor water distribution during rain events, there were ongoing issues with deteriorating road conditions in A and B loops . Using soil and water restoration funds, capital improvement funds, and…

17 Feb 2016

By LBL_Admin

Birmingham Ferry Backcountry Area Improvements

Camping, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Recreationbackcountry, camping, improvements, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, tennessee, upgrades

By Gary Hawkins, Recreation Program Manager Sites at Birmingham Ferry Backcountry Area were in need of rehabilitation. We knew work had to be done. A portion of the revenue from Backcountry permit sales is set aside for improvement projects. These funds were used to rehabilitate and reinforce campsites at Birmingham Ferry where necessary to reduce erosion. This project was completed in December of 2015. We hope our campers at Birmingham Ferry enjoy the improvements...Happy camping! --Gary

17 Feb 2016

By LBL_Admin

Cravens Bay Campground Improvements

Camping, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Recreationcamping, Cravens Bay, improvements, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, projects, tennessee

By Gary Hawkins, Recreation Program Manager In May of 2015, several Land Between The Lakes staff met with campers who use Cravens Bay Campground. We wanted to know what was most important to campers at Cravens Bay. Maintenance and the current condition of the bathhouse were the two biggest topics. This meeting resulted in a project list for improvements for Cravens Bay Campground. All sites markers will be replaced. Completed August of 2015. The road drainage was reworked to allow better flow of water in storm events. Completed November of 2015 The current bathhouse will not be replaced but rehabilitated. The interior of the…

13 Jan 2016

By LBL_Admin

Colson Hollow Road Upgrade

Community, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Roadsaccess, camping, Colson Hollow, improvements, Kentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, roads, tennessee, upgrades

By Gary Hawkins, Recreation Program Manager Colson Hollow Road 169 Creek Crossing Hardening Project Forest Service Road 169 is the access to Colson Hollow Group Campground. There is a low water creek crossing at the entrance of the developed recreation site. There have been intense storms that have deposited gravel in the crossing that made it difficult for many vehicles to use. The group that maintains the cemetery located at the back of the campground was having trouble using the crossing with mowers after storms. Planning and funding were in place in October of 2015. The creek crossing was stabilized…

05 Jan 2016

By LBL_Admin

Wranglers Campground Improvements

Camping, Customer Service, Maintenance, Questions from the Public, Recreationcamping, campsites, Kentucky, land between the lakes, tennessee, upgrades, wranglers

By Gary Hawkins, Recreation Program Manager Why make improvements to Wranglers Campground? As a result of hearing from campers at public meetings in 2011, the US Forest Service planned, secured funding and began improving several campsites at Wranglers Campground in 2015. Campsites were upgraded and constructed to accommodate more people and make better use of unused campsites. What improvements were made? Camping season peaks at Wranglers in April and October due to spring and fall breaks and desirable weather conditions. With project planning from the Land Between The Lakes Engineering department and work completed by Envirosmart, Wranglers upgraded services on 17 campsites and constructed 4 new sites…

23 Jun 2015

By LBL_Admin

Questions from the Public

Funding, Maintenance, Natural Resource Management, Questions from the Public, Roadsanswers, budget, collaboration, comments, Forest Service, funding, Kentucky, land between the lakes, land management, leadership team, listening session, maintenance, management, natural resource management, notes, public involvement, public meeting, q&a, questions, resources, roads, tennessee, upgrades

Q&A Index Scroll down for links to notes and Q&A's. June 23, 2015 Dear Friends, It is my hope to be transparent in our management practices at Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area. We want to collaborate with you, members of the public and our partners, to make Land Between The Lakes the best it can be for our visitors, gateway communities, and our region. We will be answering questions originated from the various discussions, listening sessions, and meetings we held with members of the public and our partners. This Q&A Index will provide links to these questions and…

Category: Maintenance