The TOS Board of Directors established the Conservation Policy Committee at the 2002 TOS Fall Meeting. This committee will study environmental issues of importance to Tennessee birdlife, and develop policy recommendations. These recommendations must be approved by the Board of Directors (or, in an emergency, by the Executive Committee) in order to become official TOS policy. The committee has six members, including the chairperson, with renewable annual terms. Committee members are:

Melinda Welton, co-chair	Bob Hatcher, co-chair
David Vogt	Dick Preston
Chuck Nicholson	Van Harris

TOS members are encouraged to bring conservation issues to the attention of the Committee and are invited to participate in developing policy recommendations with the Committee. Click here to send an email to all committee members. Click here to send an email to the committee co-chairs.

Below is a listing of some of the issues the Committee has addressed and copies of the adopted policies, issues statement, or similar product. Most of these documents are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

TOS Conservation Policy Positions have addressed the following topics:

-- TVA Land Policy - Comments submitted to the TVA Board of Directors on the draft policy to govern the future use and development of TVA-owned lands in Tennessee and adjacent states. The text of the draft policy is available at http://www.tva.gov/river/landandshore/land_policy.htm. The comment period on the draft policy was extended from early November, 2006 through November 28, 2006. See the TVA web site for information on how to comment.
     - Comments on the draft land policy, unanimously approved by the TOS Board of Directors on October 29, 2006

-- Barkley and Kentucky Reservoirs - congressionally driven proposal to require US Army Corps of Engineers and TVA to delay the late summer drawdowns, a change that would greatly harm shorebird and waterfowl habitat.
     - Comments on HR 6087, the so-called "Lake Barkley Water Level Improvement Act" submitted to Congressman Duncan, a member of the House Water Resources and Environment Committee, 10/06

-- TVA's proposed sale of public lands at Little Cedar Mountain, Nickajack Lake for the development of a commercial marina, private homes, and golf course.
     - Comments on the proposed sale, 12/04

-- Cerulean Warbler habitat preservation through the regulation of mountaintop-type surface mining in the Cumberland Mountains.
     - Comments on the TVA Environmental Assessment on Braden Mountain. 2/03
     - Scoping comments on the TVA Environmental Impact Statement for Koppers Coal Reserve (Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area) 6/03
     - Comments on the Programmatic Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Mountain Top Mining/Valley Fill in the Appalachian BCR. 1/04

-- Excluding non-native bird species from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.      - TOS Mute Swan letter 5/04
     - Comments on the proposed list of species to be excluded from protection under the MBTA, as authorized by Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004. 1/05

-- TVA's Reservoir Operations Study and the effects of changes in reservoir operations on shorebird habitat and other wildlife values.
     - TOS Comments on Scope of Study. 4/02
     - TOS Comments on ROS Draft EIS. 2003

-- Endorsed American Bird Conservancy Cats Indoor! Policy.
     - TOS Cats Indoors! Resolution. 5/00
     - Cats letter/PA Game Commission. 9/03

-- Restoration of the Tennessee Wetlands Acquisition Fund.
     - TOS letter. 4/03

For more information on these issues, on issues that the committee is presently studying, or on issues you think the committee should address, please contact one of the committee co-chairs, Melinda Welton, 5241 Old Harding Road, Franklin, TN 37064, weltonmj@earthlink.net or Bob Hatcher, hatcher2@bellsouth.net.