Seven Islands Provides Countless Resources

The birds aren’t the only ones benefiting from the grassland restoration project. One of Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge’s goals is to provide research, education and demonstrations of its practices. Schacher joined UT’s Agriculture Extension program in a field day at the park to share the benefits of native grasses, including their use in biofuels, as forage for livestock grazing and as hardy greenery in seasons of drought.

The park is also available for educational excursions to local teachers and students. On May 2 and 3, it will host the inaugural program when Powell High School teacher Rosemary Calvert takes her advanced placement science class for an overnight stay to conduct bird surveys, look for owls and conduct nature-based research.
“We are very excited about that opportunity,” says Schacher. “I worry that kids today growing up don’t have those links to nature, so we have this pilot program partnering with the Knoxville Zoo to expose middle-and high-  school kids to science and nature.”

Seven Islands is also considering opening the property’s historic farmhouses and barns for educational use as well. The Kelly family once owned the land — many family members still live in the Seven Islands area — and operated a working farm there, using buildings on the property, including a farmhouse built in 1890, that the county is currently restoring.

Bataille says committee members, representing groups such as Ijams Nature Center, the school system and the Knoxville Zoo, have met to discuss the future management of the structures.

“We’re discussing programs with science and wildlife, plant life, history lessons with the preservation of the barns and farmhouses, and with the trails and hiking, you could roll a fitness aspect into it as well,” he says.
Schacher believes the refuge could become a template for other municipalities to follow in their parks systems and says preserving lands like Seven Islands and sharing their benefits with the public could reap untold dividends for the planet and upcoming generations.

&“I believe each plant and animal species is here for a reason, and we don’t understand the benefits of these species now, and don’t want to lose them before we do,” he says. “It’s also important to maintain natural species and green spaces because our human species has a link to nature.

“When you go out and experience it, it grounds you, improves you, relaxes you for whatever reason you go. I think these places are going to be more valuable as our community continues to sprawl and 
we lose them.”