A crew of pesky beavers have turned the once unique Amnicola Marsh into Amnicola Lake.

Bruce Anderson of the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency office in Crossville said the waters have gotten so high that it is a threat to nearby Amnicola Highway.

"The waters came within two feet of flooding Amnicola Highway recently," Mr. Anderson said.

The waters rose above a wooden boardwalk that led deep into the marsh, so those were recently taken out.

Naturalist Ken Dubke, who was instrumental in saving Amnicola Marsh two decades ago, said the site has lost much of its uniqueness. He said the rarely seen birds that once frequented it, including rails and bitterns, don't stop anymore.

He also said the rising waters have covered the mudflats and sedges and killed many of the large trees that once were haunts of seldom seen water birds.

"It's completely different than what it was. Everything has changed," said Mr. Dubke, who now spends much of his time in Meigs County where huge flocks of sandhill cranes have a stop on their annual migrations.

He said the marsh is there because of a thick layer of clay underneath. "Rock Wilson used to say it was good enough to make pottery out of."

Mr. Dubke said when he began visiting the marsh in the 1970s, it was still part of the old Crutchfield farm. The historic Crutchfield home where Sherman's army visited on their way to Missionary Ridge was still standing.

The house was bulldozed down and the farm was sold to the county and made into an industrial park.

Mr. Dubke said he was surprised that the marsh portion was set aside. "I thought I was just tilting at windmills," he said.

But, the way things have turned out, he said, "I wonder what I saved."

Mr. Anderson said he is not so pessimistic about the future of Amnicola Marsh. He said the city is planning to reopen a drainage culvert that goes under Amnicola Highway to near the Golden Gallon. He said plans are to put in a box drain that will allow control of the water level in the marsh.

Mr. Anderson said the beavers, who he said arrived at the marsh 5-6 years ago, stopped up the culvert. He said efforts will be made to trap some of the beavers, though he said, "We won't be able to get rid of them."

He said he believes that when the culvert is reopened that the current lake will drain so that the mudflats and sedges will again be exposed. He said that should draw back the unique water birds that like this habitat.

Mr. Anderson said the Chattanooga area has more wetlands than most other sections of East Tennessee. He said having a marsh inside an urban area is especially unique.

The new section of the Tennessee Riverwalk goes along a knoll near the marsh. Mr. Anderson said there will be a couple of spots where those walking the trail can get a closer look at whatever wildlife Amnicola Marsh holds in the future.

High waters at Amnicola Marsh
- Photo2 by John Wilson