Adding to the legend that is ‘Health Day’
A snake, a beaver, and first time fish handlers
Even the legend of Rocky the anciet sea creature of Coal Creek could not get this Briceville second grader to hold a fish. A promise to get her picture in the paper though ... Volunteer Charlie Saylor also had a hand in convincing the girl to hold on to Rocky.
It is certainly one of the funniest.
The boys become braver, the girls are “squealier,” and volunteers love it so much they come back year after year.
It’s Coal Creek Health Day and the 2017 version, held Wednesday, Oct. 25, will only make the legend of the event grow.
For years Briceville students have been catching nate age, but for 17 years he has always seemed to manage to find the volunteer’s net and thrill students with his size and status as legend. He has a smaller brother, Gravel, that is often found as well.
Charlie Saylor, dubbed the “Retired TVA Genius” has volunteered for this event every year it has been held — 17 — and he says Health Day has its scientific values, but the most important aspect, for him, is getting the kids involved.
“It makes them aware of what they have,” he said. “They can see fish, the plants ... The nature.
“And if they learn to appreciate it they learn to take care of it.”
The Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is behind Coal Creek Health Day, an offshoot of the club’s efforts to clean up the watershed.
But Health Day has become more. It has become legend and it goes beyond finding really old fish (SPOILER ALERT: Rocky is not the same fish every year) and little boys proving they will touch anything that comes out of the water that wriggles and little girls will wriggles out of the way to keep from touching things that come out of the water.
It’s the new mindset for Briceville students: This is ours, let’s protect it.
About two hours into Wednesday morning’s activities a large splashing sound and movement not 50 feet away from the volunteers and the students stopped all fish gathering and fish holding.
Swimming away from the activities was beaver — heading upstream, away from the ruckus.
Less than five mnutes latee one of the volunteers from the University of Tennessee held up a snake that looked more like a nightcrawler (actually it was smaller than a nightcrawler) and held it out for the students to “Ooh” and “Aww” over — and the boys to try and grab.
The volunteer list for the 2017 Health Day included:
Alford, Brian – UT Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries
Brown, Steve – Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Buffington, Buzz – Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Coombs, Joyce – UT - Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries
Douglas, Terry – Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Ferguson, Jim --- Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Geiger, Dick – Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Moore, Carol – Coal Creek Watershed Foundation
Oates, Frances – Clinch River Trout Unlimited
Saylor, Charlie – Retired TVA Genius
Thacker, Barry – Coal Creek Watershed Foundation
Wolbert, Justin – UT Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries
Species found this year were:
Bigeye Chub
Bluntnose Minnow
Striped Shiner
Redline Darter
Rainbow Darter
Largescale Stoneroller
Spotfin Shiner
Northern Hogsucker
Blacknose Dace
Northern Studfish
Rock Bass
Snubnose Darter
Smallmouth Bass
Redbreast Sunfish
Black Redhorse
Scarlet Shiner
“You won’t see a lot of different species from year-to-year, but we have seen a re-emergence of some Darter species,” Saylor said.
Students were also given some basic lessons in fishing — fly tying a favorite — and conservation.
This year also marked a sort of milestone: Two Coal Creek Scholars took part in Health Day.
They now teach at their home school. Jenny Lindsay and Jessica McKinney, both Coal Creek Scholars, told how they assessed the health of the creek when they were students at Briceville School.