Whats Down the Road in April

APRIL
Friday 2
The Tennessee group Just Us appears in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Keith house at John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Admission is free

Saturday 3
The annual Easter egg hunt at Clay County Recreation Park entertains youngsters every year. Call Michelle Rogers at 828-389-0766 or 828-557-1666 for details.
Tri-County Bass and Tri-County Community Collage Foundation present Fishing for Scholarships 2010 on beautiful Lake Chatuge in Hayesville. Blasstoff is at 7 a.m. with weigh-in at 4 p.m. The tournament is for two-person teams,artificial lures only,with a limit of five fish per boat.Large-mouth,smallmouth,shoal and spotted bass will be weighed.Call Monica Holley at 828-835-4238 or Dotie Ortega at 828-835-4038 for details.

Friday 9
The Licklog Players in Hayesville present a mystery,Mousetrap,at the Peacock Playhouse. The show runs Friday,Saturday and Sunday for two weeks through April 18th. Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2;30 P.M. Sundays.Tickets are $15.This production is directed by Edie Klienpeter. Call 828-389-8632 for details.

Saturday 10
Jackrabbit Mountain Off Road Duathlon is set for 10 a.m. at the trail off N.C. 175 in Clay County. A 2.2 mile, 14mile mountain bikeing event and another 2.2 mile run is planned.Proceeds benefit the newly compleed trail through the Southern Appalachian Bicycling Association. Call president Joanna Atkisson at 828-389-8085 or visit www.sabacycling.com for details.
Spring Bass Classic Tournament and Flying Disc Golf Festival at Fontana in Graham County. Call 1-800-849-2258 for details.
Whitewater rafting opens this weekend on the Cheoah River in Graham County. Other dates include May 8-9 and May 22-23.

Friday 16
Entertainer Travis is in concert at the Anderson Music Hall at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds off 76 in Hiawassee,Ga. Call 706-896-4191 or e-mail gamtfair@windstream.net for details.
The old-time style four-piece band Mountain Fling appears in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Keith House at John C. Campbell Folk school in Brasstown. Admission is Free.

Saturday 17
The Cherokee Scout's annual Live,Laugh,Love 5K race and health walk,benefitting Cherokee Countys Relay for,Life, will have a unique twist this year. This year's event will be a 5.3K through the Murphy River Walk at Konehete Park held in honor of former staff writer Linda Miller,who died from cancer in 2006. This is the local newpapper's primary fund-raiser and helped donate more than $3,000 to the Relay for Life effort the last two years.call Associate Editor Mark Townsend at 828-837-5122 for details.

Thursday 22
The final competition for Relay for Life Idol begins at 7 p.m. at the Henn Theater in downtown Murphy. Call 828-837-7407 or stop by the tri-County Joblink Career Center in Murphy for details.

Friday 23
The Celtic duo Whimzik takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Keth House at John C. Campbell Folk School. Admission is Free.

Saturday 24
Earth Day will be celebrated 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Andrews. Come out and learn about native species and enjoy fresh-cooked trout.
United Community Bank's Bankers Hour is in Anderson Music Hall at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds off U.S. 76 in Hiawassee,Ga. Time to be announced later. Proceeds benefit local charities.

Friday 30
BMW Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds off U.S 76 in Hiawassee, Ga. Call 706-896-4191 for details.
www.mountainwineandhomes.com  Murphy North Carolina Your Mountain View Specialist, Jack Shingler Broker, Coldwell Banker High Country Realty 866-835-8500 or 321-279-1049 Jack Shingler.

Chatuge Lake

North Carolina, Georgia.


Construction of the  Dam began July 17, 1941 and closure took place on February 12,1942. The length of the dam is 2950 feet.

feet Lake,impounded in 1942,is located in Clay County,North Carolina,and Towns County,Georgia. The towns of important,Georgia,and ownership,North Carolina,are nearby.

Chatuge Lake is 13 miles long,has over 130 miles of shoreline and is over 7000 acres in size at normal summer pool level. It collects rainfall runoff from 189 square-miles of watershed. It is the fourth most developed lake in the entire TVA system, with 42 percent of its shoreline developed in some from.

In addition to power generation,Chatuge Lake is an important component of TVA"s integrated regional flood control system,which accounts for the fluctuation of water levels during the year.

The targeted summer lake elevation ranges between 1923 and 1927 feet. The January 1 target level is elevation of 1910. TVA"s target under the Lake Improvement Plan of 1990 is to reach recreation water levels by June 1 and hold at or above that point for recreation for two months before beginning the annual drawdown August 1.

Land Ownership/Management

Well over half the Chatuge Lake shoreline is in private ownership. The remaining half is split between TVA and the U.S. Forest Service. A few miles are used for county parks and commercial and industrial development, including 44 acres in Hiwassee, Georgia, TVA provided for the Georgia Mountain Fair site.

TVA owns land or landrights in some from to the 1933 elevation around the entire lake. Anyone wanting to alter the shoreline in any way (private or public water use,facilities, construction,etc.) below that elevation must obtain TVA"s review and approval in advance.

This review process ensures that nothing occurs around the shoreline or in the lake that will compromise the agency's ability to meet its legal obligations and objectives in managing the river system.

Tva land and landrights around Chatuge Lake are administered by the TVA Hiwassee Watershed Team located at 221 Old Ranger Road, Murphy,North Carolina,28906 (828)-837-7395. The staff there  is readily available to answer questions,provide technical support and guide you though the permitting process. Maps depicting various TVA lands and landrights are available from the Hiwassee Watershed Team.

$129,900.00 120 Crisp Acres Trail Murphy, NC 28906 Beds: 3 Rooms: 11 Full Baths: 2 Sq. Ft.: 1583 Garage: 0 Built: 1991   Great mountain home, 1583 sqft, 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathes on 3+/- acres. Beautiful wooded acres, large poorch and end of road privacy. No restictions. Room for a garden! This is a new listing that I thought you might be interested in. Visit this listing online to see more photos of the property, Google Earth satellite images, and much more.   If you have any questions about this property or require more information, please feel free to call. Jack Shingler ColdWell Banker High Country Realty 3212791049 www.MOUNTAINWINEANDHOMES.COM     Visit this listing here

It Takes A Team To Protect A Stream

There were patches of snow in the shaded places,and a few flakes were blowing around. Shuler Creek, a hatchery-supported trout stream above Lake Apalachia near the Tennessee line,was swollen. It was in a hurry to get down fromits headwaters on 3,600-foot Cantrell top.

 "This creek is up two or three feet," Larry Hummel said.
He was standing with Dennis Hammond and Glen Harker, all protected by waders and extra layers of clothing,in the 42-degree water.

"We need those tweezers in here now."Hammond said.
With that, Glendon Gale their fellow member of the Mountain Country Rod and Gun Club, came scurrying along the bank from his vehicle. He delivered that and other tools these volunteers use to determine if there are enough bugs for trout to eat in Shuler Creek.

How? One member gently stirs with his boots rocks on the creeks bed. Another braces him in the current. A third nets bugs washed from benesth the rocks. And a fourth completes an official record.

They empty their catch in creek water they scoop with a white plastic margarine tub, fresh from a member's dishwasher. Hammond uses the tweezers to carefully pluck and identify bugs,One stonefly,and returns them to the streams.

The volunteers Feb.3 total counts were 170 stoneflies,106 mayflies,22 craneflies,8 watersnipes,6 water pennies,5 gilles snails, 4 dobsonflies, 4 caddishflies, 2 dragonflies,4 clams, 3 salamanders, 2 redline darters, 2 worms,1 crayfish and 1 sculpin. That's about average for Shuler Creek bug survey, Gale said.

I studied up close the fragile life froms of a profuse-for now-Nantahala National Forest ecosystem."They look healthy," I said. " Yes they do," Hummel replied. "When you find healthy water, you're going to find healthy bugs and healthy fish,"

I asked,"But what harms water?"
"Polluition, acid rain, runoff from roads, fertilizers from golf courses and people's yards, erosion,all kinds of things," Hammond said.

The members have the Izaak Walton League's guide," Stream Insects and Crustaceans." Their EPA kits for measureing dissolves oxygen levels are from the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition. Trout Unlimited has a stake here,tooThe county's nine other hatchery-supported trout streams need care like this by other volunteer and student science-class groups.

The Shuler Creek counts go to the U.S. Forest Service and Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, Stream Watch program.
Trout- 40 percent,brook,40  percent rainbow and 20 percent brown are trucked from N.C. Wildlife's Pisgah Hatchery at Brevard,then put in a the aforementioned bridge.

Teamwork like the rod and gun club's is what's needed o protect our watershed.Happily,there's an annual event celebrating this very ideal,bringing everyone together. It's the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award Banquet.

This year's is set for Friday March 12, at Brasstown Valley Resort.Call the Hiwassee river Watershed Coalition for reservations.838-837-5414.

This  columm comes from the Cherokee Scout,and Tom Bennett. The Cherokee is now over 120 years old! The Scout Web site is. www.cherokeescout.com

www.mountainwineandhomes.com  Murphy North Carolina Your Mountain View Specialist, Jack Shingler Broker, Coldwell Banker High Country Realty 866-835-8500 or 321-279-1049 Jack Shingler.