TVA Board Community Relations, Land Policy

TENNESSEE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

TVA Board Community Relations, Land Policy

400 W. Summit Hill Dr.

Knoxville, TN 37902-1499

Fax: 865-632-3146

E-mail: October 30, 2006

Dear TVA Board Community Relations Committee,

The members of the Tennessee Ornithological Society would like to thank the Board Committee for listening to the previous round of public comments and offer our enthusiastic endorsement of the TVA Land Policy as drafted.

This draft reflects not only the responses to the previous round of public comments but to virtually every previous poll or public comment session that TVA has conducted on reservoir land issues. These polls and public comments have been overwhelmingly in opposition to developing TVA’s public lands.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society is a statewide organization of over 1,000 members and 12 local chapters across the state devoted to the enjoyment, scientific study and conservation of birds. We have the distinction of being the oldest conservation organization in Tennessee. Our members have made regular use of TVA lands, and other public lakefront lands, since their creation. Our members also have a long history of joining with TVA in collaroborative conservation efforts on lakefront lands. During recent decades we have been saddened by the rampant development along many of these lakefront properties.

As the human population in this region continues to grow at an accelerating rate, undeveloped land, both lakefront and elsewhere, becomes more scarce.In addition, recent changes in the forest industry is leading to increased residential and commercial development of large tracts of lands formerly managed to conserve their natural resources. These trends, and others, are harming many natural habitats and increasing the ecological value and importance of TVA land. Therefore, the highest priority for TVA lands should be the conservation and, where appropriate, preservation of the natural resources they support.

Specific ways the Draft TVA Land Policy would accomplish this are:

1)  TVA would not allocate lands for residential use, retail or other non-industrial commercial use or dispose of reservoir properties for such use.

2)  TVA would continue to develop reservoir land management plans with substantial public input and approval from the TVA Board.

3)  Public lands managed by TVA would be sold for industrial purposes only if the property is located in an existing industrial park, or the land is designated
for industrial purposes in a reservoir land management plan.

4)  TVA would continue to lease and grant easements for commercial recreation or public recreation purposes only if the property is allocated for that use in the reservoir land management plan.

We are proud that our state has the highest bird species diversity of any inland state. We are also painfully aware that a great many of these species are experiencing long-term population declines. TVA lands can play an important role in implementing numerous large-scale conservation initiatives such as the Tennessee Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy and the National Bird Conservation Initiative. We are very pleased that the TVA Board Community Relations Committee recognizes the inherent public value of TVA’s reservoir lands. We also look forward to continuing our collaborative work with TVA on the land that, as a result of this policy, remains dedicated to the conservation of natural resources.

We thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Sincerely,

Danny Gaddy

President

This letter received the unanimous endorsement of the Board of Director of the Tennessee Ornithological Society on October 29, 2006.