10/6/2007: Several chapter members showed up to wrap up the work at Cherokee Flats on Saturday, October 6th. Five TU volunteers convened to take care of trail maintenance and installation of 4 in-stream cover logs. This work wrapped up the 2007 effort by the chapter to improve this area for persons with disabilities by improvign access and trout habitat.

View pictures from the 9/8/2007 Cherokee Flats workday here.

The 9/8/2007 workday was a success, with 18 volunteers showing up to improve the in-stream habitat in the Cherokee Flats section of Big Stoney Creek. With the progress made in sinking cover logs throughout the section of stream, we expect the scheduled work to be completed during the October 6th workday.

The work was also reported in the Giles County newspaper, The Virginia Leader in their September 12, 2007 edition [click here to view it].

Contact Todd Lowe, email: kelowe@vt.edu, if you would like to help with the efforts on October 6th.

After Ryan McManamay and I [Todd Lowe] were given a personal tour of the Cherokee Flats area of Big Stoney Creek by VDGIF Fisheries Biologist Joe Williams, immediately we realized the importance of reviving our chapter's involvement in that special spot. Years earlier, a joint project involving VDGIF, National Forestry Service, Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and NRVTU had made this area a special place for fishing and recreation, with an emphasis on giving superior access to persons with disabilities. The quality of the work done there is clearly evident by the persistence of the walkways that the architecture students had built for credit during summer school. This steel grating walkway leads to the stream, and actually down into it, allowing wade access to persons who use wheelchairs. Seeing this walkway and the potential it has to serve the community made it clear that a small amount of maintenance could go a long way.

In the section of stream adjacent to the walkways, the team had built a number of in-stream habitat enhancements that were intended to provide holdover and wild trout the opportunity to beat the heat and predators-those with beaks and those with Powerbait. These improvements included numerous cover logs and stream flow diverters. The cover logs (submerged and anchored logs that provide 'cover' for fish) were directly analogous to the ones that the chapter installed on Peak Creek a year ago, but over the years these logs had been filled under by debris and need maintenance to clear them out. Many of the stream flow devices have weathered nicely, although a couple have been washed out in places and require some alteration to restore their function. The original work that the team did was quality, and one of the flow devices, a 'K-dam' has served as an ideal habitat facilitator.

In response to our visit to Cherokee Flats, Ryan and I put together a proposal for work that our chapter could accomplish. Ryan visited the area again and obtained some great photos of each of the holes and the trail leading down to and by the stream. The first work that is clearly needed is some trail maintenance that will clear the overgrown vegetation from around the trail. A small team could accomplish this in an afternoon, but the benefits to the intended use of the area are immense. The stream habitat work is even more exciting and will require more effort from our members. We have proposed, in addition to clearing out the debris beneath cover logs, to install 30-35 new cover logs throughout the sections, since many of the holes are quite exposed. The flow diverters require some volley ball-sized and smaller rocks to be resituated to improve their performance, acting to deepen pools and lengthen runs. Some of these stream flow improvements have been naturalized since originally being built, as natural grasses have taken root over deposited soil. Such naturalization greatly enhances the beauty and authenticity of the improvements and helps to stabilize them as well. It is a long term goal for us to continue to assess ways that we can encourage the growth of vegetation in areas on the stream.

As Joe Williams pointed out during our walk-through, this area is ideal for Trout Unlimited involvement. First off, it was a project from a previous group of NRVTU'ers that deserves our attention out of respect of their hard work and vision. Further, the section provides the opportunity for those with physical disabilities to experience stocked trout fishing and, if our stream improvements facilitate it, the possibility to catch wild trout. Finally, in our own core mission of conserving cold water resources, it is clear that the Big Stoney headwaters are a vital part of our region's wild trout stronghold. If we are able to claim more of the main stem for wild trout, then we have to consider such work as a major accomplishment. As fall approaches along with the workdays for this project, please consider joining us for great camaraderie in the name of a great cause for trout and the Cherokee Flats area.

The work dates for this project include morning work and an afternoon grill-out on September 8, and follow-up work during the week from October 6-14. To reach Cherokee Flats, follow Route 623 located just outside of Pembroke off of Rt. 460 toward Big Stoney Creek. The area is on the left, prior to reaching the Glen Alton area. Should you have any questions, suggestions, or wish to get a copy of the proposal that VDGIF received from NRVTU, please contact Ryan McManamay (540-808-8695; rmcmanam@vt.edu) or Todd Lowe (540-797-0643; kelowe@vt.edu).