IBA Home     Contacts     Criteria for Site Selection     IBA Map     IBA Sites     Links     Nomination Form      Technical Committee     TWRA Home

Note:  Cherokee National Forest (south) is part of the IBA site, Southern Blue Ridge.

Location: Etowah east to the North Carolina border, north to the Little Tennessee River, and south to the Georgia border within the counties of Polk, McMinn, Monroe, and Blount, Tennessee.
Physiographic Province:  PIF 23 (Southern Blue Ridge); BCR 28 (Appalachian Mountains)

Geographical Coordinates: 
    Whigg Meadow--Lat. 351835N  Long. 0840218W
    Haw Knob Number Two--Lat. 352701N  Long. 0840059W
    Harbuck--Lat. 350532N  Long. 0842219W
    Turtletown--Lat. 350737N  Long. 0842113W
    Parksville Lake--Lat. 350542N  Long. 0843853W
Elevation Range:  740' - 5,472'
    4,938' Whigg Meadow
    3,701' Haw Knob Number Two
    1,644' Harbuck
    1,552' Turtletown
       837' Parksville Lake
Size: 298,638 (640,941 total acres north and south sections combined)
USGS 7.5' quads:  Portions of Bald River Falls, Big Junction, Caney Creek, Ducktown, Farner, Isabella, McFarland, Mecca, Mt. Veron, Oswald Dome, Parksville, Rafter, Tallassee, Tellico Plains, Vonore, and Whiteoak Flats.

Description:  South Cherokee National Forest is largely treed with forest ages ranging from early succession to mature old growth. Forests are primarily deciduous and mixed hardwood deciduous with localized concentrations of pines and hemlock. Rhododendron thickets occur frequently. Streams range from very small to fairly large with impoundments largely limited to Parksville Lake on the Occoee River, Chilhowee Lake, and Indian Boundary Lake.
    Established in 1920, the Cherokee National Forest was quite different then than today. The Weeks Act in 1911 authorized in the Southern Appalachians the purchase of "forested, cut-over, or denuded lands within the watersheds of navigable streams." These lands, devastated by years of timber and mining, had limited natural resources remaining. Some eighty years later the forest has become healthier. Annually approximately 20,000 acres are prescribed burned and on average 3,000 acres are burned by wildfires. There are 30 developed campgrounds and 30 picnic sites; 700 miles of trails including 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail; 1,500 miles of roads (approximately 50% open to public use); and 11 designated Wildernesses (67,000 acres). There are 72 species of trees. Approximately 60,000 acres have been impacted by Southern Pine Beetles. There are 500 miles of linear wildlife openings; 950 wildlife openings (plots); and 500 miles of cold-water streams.

IBA Criteria:  3, 4g, 5

Photo by J. Marty Paige

View halfway up Chilhowee Mountain overlooking Ocoee Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain.

Ornithological Importance:  High elevations occurring in the forest hosts bird species and communities that are rare in the state. The large number of high elevation clearings attract large numbers of foraging songbirds during fall migration. Capture rates at Whigg Meadow during fall migration are among the highest of any inland banding site in the country. Peregrine Falcon, a Tennessee Endangered species, averaged one fall sighting per season 1998-2004; Bald Eagle, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, was seen in the fall 1998-2004; Northern Harrier, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, was detected in the fall 1998-2004; Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, occurred in the fall 1998-2004; Golden-winged Warbler, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, averaged two fall sightings per season 1998-2005 (David F. Vogt). Cerulean Warbler, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, was not detected on the 2003 Cerulean Warbler survey by the Forest Service (Laura Lewis). Swainson's Warbler, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, have been recorded regularly on Breeding Bird Survey routes (1990-2005). Rhododendron thickets throughout the area provide habitat for the species.
    Among the many species of Canadian zone birds found breeding in the higher elevations are a number of species included on the Tennessee Endangered and Threatened species list. Northern Saw-whet, a Tennessee Threatened species, has been recorded during the breeding season (latest 2005), but breeding has not been confirmed (1998-2005). Common Raven, a Tennessee Threatened species, is found regularly at higher elevations near Haw Knob, Whigg Meadow, and the Cherohala Skyway. Although breeding has not been confirmed, the species is encountered during the breeding season in apparent family groups and is very likely a breeding species (1998-2005). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a Tennessee In Need of Management species, was recorded during the Breeding Bird Atlas project and has been observed during the breeding season in several other locations in the forest in more recent years (as late as 2004 breeding season) (1986-2004). See Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for a historical perspective.
    Northern Bobwhite, a declining year-round species, is most dependably found in the region in the high elevation clearings.
    Note 1. Elevations reach 5,472 feet providing Canadian bird communities rarely found breeding in the state. Species make-up of these communities include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Canada Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
    Note 2. High elevation clearings host large concentrations of migrating passerines during fall migration. Banding totals of Tennessee Warblers are among the highest reported at any inland banding station. This pattern of using these mountain tops as migration passages is also documented at Big Bald (Mountain) and Roan Mountain. In addition at Whigg Meadow, five transient Tennessee Warbler banding returns have been documented. Banding returns of transient species are extremely rare.  A recent publication cited only 18 published records of transient banding returns (Nisbet 1969, Winkler and Warner 1991, David F. Vogt). For a transient species to use the exact migration route (at least partially) within a few feet over a distance of a thousand miles or more and within a few days of a yearly period is remarkable and eye-opening. This emphasizes further the importance of these contiguous migration passages and a species migration route. These transient returns are summarized in the table below.

    Note 3. The Harbuck Breeding Bird Survey route (previously called McFarland), has been run annually since 1967. It originates near the Hiwassee River south of Turtletown, Tennessee, on the Wolf Creek at an altitude of approximately 1,550 feet. Generally, it travels south on forest service roads to Reliance, Tennessee. Then it continues south on secondary paved roads skirting the national forest boundary to Parksville Lake at 850 feet. It passes through mixed hardwood/coniferous forests varying from fairly mature to recently clearcut. Most of this route is within the Cherokee National Forest.
    Note 4. The Tellico Breeding Bird Survey route has been run annually since 1990. It originates at Stratton Gap on the Cherohoala Skyway at an altitude of 4,800 feet and proceeds south on forest service roads to its end near Coker Creek, Tennessee, at about 1,200 feet. This route passes through managed forests ranging from mature to recently cut of various ages. It skirts the Bald River Wilderness area that contains old growth forests.This route has produced 18 species of warblers. All of this route is contained with the Cherokee National Forest.
    Note 5. A Breeding Bird Census was conducted in a mature northern hardwood forest at Whigg Ridge, Tellico Ranger District, Cherokee National Forest from 1992-2005. During this period, 37 species were encountered that included Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Ovenbird, Canada Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Yearly census hours ranged from a high of 33.5 hours to a low of 16.5 with an average of 23.3 hours. Yearly species total ranged from a high of 25 species to a low of 13 species with an average of 18.7 species.
   Note 6. Bird banding activities were conducted at Whigg Meadow, Cherokee National Forest, Monroe Co., Tennessee, from 1998-2005. The study area is located on a clearing at 4,905 feet elevation surrounded by mixed oak/beech forest. Nine, 12 meter mist nets were operated in September each year for a total of 103 days. Start dates were between September 3 and September 12. End dates were between September 15 and September 25. Shortest time period was 8 days and longest 21 days.During the 8-year period, 5,599 individuals of 65 species were banded.  Of the total number of birds banded, 75.2% were neotropical. The Tennessee Warbler was the most common species banded with 2,012 individuals (35.9%) of the total number of birds banded. The Dark-eyed Junco (656 individuals) was the most common non-neotropical species banded. For a summary of the top 10 neotropical species see Whigg Meadow Fall Banding 1998-2005.

Ownership:  United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service
   Contact:  Laura Lewis, Biologist, USFS, Cherokee National Forest, P. O. Box 2010, Cleveland, TN 37320-2010, lauralewis@fs.fed.us

Conservation Concerns:  Serious concerns are natural pests/disease, air pollution, introduced plants/animals, and deforestation. Potential concerns are water pollution, commercial development, residential development, recreational development/overuse, hunting conflict, fishing conflict, forestation, extraction (mining/quarries), succession, pesticides, predation, and damming.

Management Program:  Cherokee National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan

Submitted by:  David F. Vogt, dfvogt@netzero.net

Additional Contributors:  Kevin Calhoon, Ken Dubke, Chris Haney, Nathan Klaus, Laura Lewis, Owen McConnell (specific records on file with the State Ornithologist), Barbara Stedman, and Hayden Wilson.

References:
Nisbet, I.C.T. Returns of Transient: results of an inquiry. EBBA News, 33:269-274. 1969.
Winkler, K., D., W. Warner. Unprecedented stopover site fidelity in a Tennessee Warbler, Wilson Bulletin, Vol. 103, No 3, September 1991. Pg. 512-514.

Approved under the umbrella IBA site Southern Blue Ridge:  February 2006--Yes 7  No 0

This page was last updated on 02/19/06.