Seven Islands State Birding Park

Last updated
Seven Islands State Birding Park
Seven-Islands-entrance-tn1.jpg
Park entrance along Kelly Lane
Seven Islands State Birding Park
TypeTennessee State Park
Locationnear Kodak in Knox County
Coordinates 35°56′46″N83°41′31″W / 35.946°N 83.692°W / 35.946; -83.692 Coordinates: 35°56′46″N83°41′31″W / 35.946°N 83.692°W / 35.946; -83.692
Area425 acres (1.72 km2)
CreatedSeptember 2013
Operated by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
OpenYear Around
Website Seven Islands State Birding Park

Seven Islands State Birding Park is a state park in Knox County, Tennessee located east of Knoxville near Kodak along the French Broad River. [1] The park was created for birdwatching. The diverse grassland landscapes and the river create a habitat for more than 180 species of birds.

Contents

The park was opened on July 1, 2014 by state and local officials. [2] [3]

History

For much of the 20th century, the park's land was part of a farm operated by the Kelly family, whose name is still attached to the river bend and the park's main access road, and whose farm house is still standing on the property. Preservationists gradually acquired the land and donated it to the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department. The Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge was created and initially managed by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Seven Islands Foundation, and later by the Legacy Parks Foundation. [4] The refuge became Tennessee's 56th state park on July 1, 2014. [5] The park's name refers to a string of small islands and shoals in the adjacent river. [6]

Birds

Canada geese resting on a downed tree in the French Broad River Canadian-geese-seven-islands-tn1.jpg
Canada geese resting on a downed tree in the French Broad River

Species of birds found within the park include purple martins, tree swallows, common yellowthroats, yellow-breasted chats, summer tanagers, blue grosbeaks, and indigo buntings. Sparrows are common in winter, namely the field, Savannah, song, swamp, white-throated, and white-crowned species. Barn owls have been known to frequent the old barns in the area. [7] Waterfowl include Canada geese and mallards. [8]

Activities

Birdwatching is why the park was created but it also includes the following: [9]

Location

The park is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The park is located along the French Broad River.

The park's address is 2809 Kelly Lane, Kodak, Tennessee 37764.

The park can be accessed from Interstate 40 via exit 402 (Midway Road).

Related Research Articles

Geography of Alabama Geographical features of Alabama

The geography of Alabama describes a state in the Southeastern United States in North America. It extends from high mountains to low valleys and sandy beaches. Alabama is 30th in size and borders four U.S. states: Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. It also borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Knox County, Tennessee County in Tennessee, United States

Knox County is located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 478,971, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville, which is the third-most populous city in Tennessee. Knox County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area. The county is located at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee. Near the heart of the county is the origin of the Tennessee River, at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers.

French Broad River River in North Carolina and Tennessee, United States

The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows 218 miles (351 km) from near the town of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville forms the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox in Tennessee. It drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest.

Watauga River River in the United States of America

The Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake.

The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000 acre (142 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama. Named after Major General Joseph Wheeler, it was established to provide a habitat for wintering and migrating birds in the eastern United States.

Watts Bar Lake Reservoir in Tennessee, United States

Watts Bar Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River created by Watts Bar Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system.

The Missouri National Recreational River is a National Recreational River located on the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. The designation was first applied in 1978 to a 59-mile section of the Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and Ponca State Park. In 1991, an additional 39-mile section between Fort Randall Dam and Niobrara, Nebraska, was added to the designation. These two stretches of the Missouri River are the only parts of the river between Montana and the mouth of the Missouri that remain undammed or unchannelized. The last 20 miles of the Niobrara River and 6 miles of Verdigre Creek were also added in 1991.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife refuge in Iowa and Nebraska, U.S.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1958, is located along the banks of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Iowa and Nebraska. The 8,362-acre (3,384 ha) refuge preserves an area that would have been otherwise lost to cultivation. In 1960, an Army Corps of Engineers channelization project on the Missouri River moved the main river channel in the area to the west. The former river channel became DeSoto Lake, a seven-mile long oxbow lake. As a result, part of the Nebraska portion of the refuge lies on the east side of the Missouri River.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is an 11,184 acre (45.26 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Barbour and Russell counties in Alabama and Stewart and Quitman counties in Georgia. Eufaula NWR is located on the Walter F. George Lake along the Chattahoochee River between Alabama and Georgia. Of the 11,184 acres (45.26 km2) of managed property, 7,953 acres (32.18 km2) are in Alabama and 3,231 acres (13.08 km2) are in Georgia.

Sandy Point State Reservation

Sandy Point State Reservation is a coastal Massachusetts state park located in the town of Ipswich at the southern tip of Plum Island. The reservation is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and is an important nesting area for the piping plover and the least tern. Access to the reservation is through the adjoining Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge United States National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1997, is a recent addition to the United States National Wildlife Refuge system. It is located in parts of northeastern Georgetown County, South Carolina, southern Horry, and southeastern Marion counties, and contains lands adjacent to the Pee Dee River, the Little Pee Dee River, and the Waccamaw River near their confluence. Currently the size of the refuge is 22,931 acres (92.80 km2) but plans call for the total refuge to be over 50,000 acres (200 km2).

Norris Dam State Park United States historic place

Norris Dam State Park is a state park in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated along the shores of Norris Lake, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936. The park consists of 4,038 acres (16.34 km2) managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The park also administers the Lenoir Museum Complex, which interprets the area's aboriginal, pioneer, and early 20th-century history.

Tumalo State Park

Tumalo State Park is a well-developed state park in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Established in 1954, the park is located northwest of the city of Bend and along the Deschutes River at a site home to many bird species. The park is popular for picnics, swimming, fishing, hiking, and camping, and is open year-round.

Seven Islands Methodist Church Historic church in Tennessee, United States

Seven Islands Methodist Church is a historic church located near the south bank of the French Broad River in Knox County, Tennessee. The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pointe Mouillee State Game Area Protected area in Michigan, U.S.

Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is a state game area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It encompasses 7,483 acres (30.3 km2) of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas at the mouth of the Huron River at Lake Erie, as well as smaller outlying areas within the Detroit River. Pointe Mouillee State Game Area was established in 1945 and is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary encompassing the majority of Plum Island in northeastern Essex County, Massachusetts, 5 miles southeast of Newburyport. It was established in 1942 primarily to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitats for migratory birds. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge is of vital stopover significance to waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds during migratory periods.

Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Washita National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) of the United States located in Custer County, Oklahoma. Created in 1961 on the shore of Foss Lake, it was the fourth NWR in the state. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Butler, Oklahoma.

Griffiths-Priday State Park Washington state park in Grays Harbor County

Griffiths-Priday State Park is a 364-acre (147 ha) state-operated, public recreation area at the mouth of the Copalis River on the Pacific Ocean in Grays Harbor County, Washington. The park has beach, low dunes, and 8,316 feet (2,535 m) of ocean shoreline plus 9,950 feet (3,030 m) of freshwater river shoreline along both the Copalis River and the adjacent Connor Creek. The park includes the Copalis Spit, a small peninsula that serves as refuge for migratory birds. Park activities include picnicking, fishing, clam digging, beachcombing, birdwatching, mountain biking, and wildlife viewing, including migratory gray whales.

Ana River River in Oregon, United States of America

The Ana River is a short spring-fed river in south-central Oregon. It is on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin drainage. It flows 7 miles (11 km) from springs at the foot of Winter Ridge through high desert, range, and wetlands before emptying into Summer Lake. For most of its course, the Ana River flows through the Summer Lake Wildlife Area, which is maintained by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The river provides habitat for many mammal and bird species, as well as several fish species, including the rare Summer Lake Tui chub. The largest hybrid striped bass ever caught in Oregon was taken from Ana Reservoir in 2009.

Summer Lake Wildlife Area Wildlife refuge in Oregon

The Summer Lake Wildlife Area is a 29.6-square-mile (77 km2) wildlife refuge located on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin drainage in south-central Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The refuge is an important stop for waterfowl traveling along the Pacific Flyway during their spring and fall migrations. The Summer Lake Wildlife Area also provides habitat for shorebirds and other bird species as well as wide variety of mammals and several fish species. The Ana River supplies the water for the refuge wetlands.

References

  1. "Seven Islands State Birding Park".
  2. http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2014/07/02/seven-islands-becomes-a-state-park/12039155/
  3. http://www.wate.com/story/23489990/gov-haslam-announces-seven-islands-to-become-state-park
  4. Friedmann, Valerie, "River and Ridge: Eco-Revelatory Design at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge." Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2012, pp. 20-21. Accessed: 29 May 2015.
  5. "Seven Islands State Birding Park, Knoxville News Sentinel, 1 July 2014.
  6. "Seven Islands State Birding Park". www.visitknoxville.com. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  7. Activities," Seven Islands State Park website. Retrieved: 24 September 2014.
  8. "Seven Islands Bird Checklist," TNBirds.org. Accessed: 27 May 2015.
  9. "Seven Islands State Birding Park".