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The water
in a watershed represents only half of its overall ecology. Land and
its sustainable management also play a pivotal role in maintaining the
watershed’s health.
On any given day, there’s a lot happening in and around the 293,000
acres of public land managed by TVA. In one part of the watershed, residential
developers hoping to build on riverfront property near an acre of public
land tour the site. Elsewhere, TVA scientists partner with researchers
from state and federal agencies to protect the habitats of endangered
plant and animal species along the Tennessee River.
TVA’s Land Stewardship Planning program attempts to steer a fair
course among these competing demands while maintaining the stability
of ecosystems and conserving the Valley’s resources for generations
to come. The reservoir land-management process systematically identifies
the most suitable uses of public land, with particular emphasis on protecting
natural resources. Specific plans have already been completed for 141,000
acres of public land; plans for another 65,000 acres are currently under
way.
Public involvement plays a key role in this process. TVA recognizes
that a fair, comprehensive strategy based on stakeholder opinion is
important before it can commit to developing and implementing any management
plan that will affect the region’s watershed. A section of TVA’s
Web site that’s devoted to
land use actions provides information about requests for land use
and collects the comments that help the agency apply a plan for the
area in question.
The recently formed Regional Resource Stewardship Council provides another
avenue for public involvement. This 20-member advisory group will help
TVA set priorities concerning the best practices for managing the public
assets and natural resources of the Tennessee Valley. Its Web
site offers regular updates of the council’s activities and
a complete contact list of participating members.
Planning, public input, and partnerships—these are the elements
that guide wise and effective use of the environment.
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TVA and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are partners
in the Clinch Valley Forest Bank, which helps conserve woodlands. The
Nature Conservancy works with property owners to turn land-management
rights over to TNC for sustainable forestry, in exchange for an annuity
based on a percentage of the timber’s value.
In
1999, TVA’s watershed-improvement activities included 197 pollution-reduction
projects, 54 habitat restoration and improvement projects, 1,823 site
cleanups, and 11 completed reservoir land plans—to name a few.
Click
chart for larger view and raw data.
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