THEY SAVED TAILRACE FISHING

Implementing The Lake Watch Program

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sergeant Karyn Carter works with the TVA Police Department in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as the first-line supervisor for the Muscle Shoals sector of the western district of the Tennessee River. Johnny Burch, of Florence, Alabama, owns a wholesale fishing-tackle distribution company and helped to implement the Lake Watch Program.

QUESTION: How quickly after the meeting about the Lake Watch Program did you get word that the tailrace would open?
BURCH: Gary Malden from TVA in Knoxville, Tennessee emailed me and told me that they were going to open the system back up, but they did not want to publicize the opening to the public. They wanted it to be word of mouth through fishermen and local people.

QUESTION: Okay, the tailrace was reopened and you accomplished what you wanted to do. Why did the Lake Watch Program go ahead and continue? Most people, when they had gotten what they wanted from the government, would walk away and feel like they had won. They probably wouldn't carry on and do what they said they were going to do. Why did the Lake Watch Program continue to work?
BURCH: The program has continued to work because in our planning of Lake Watch, we've not only implemented security into the program, we've implemented many other things. We've implemented a 1-800 number through TVA dispatch to call for anything concerning safety, distress, emergencies, theft or boaters on the water. By using this number, those involved with the Lake Watch Program can get help to the situation as quickly as possible. Volunteers in the Lake Watch Program also help keep the lakes free of garbage and litter. We're also using the Lake Watch Program to disperse information from the Fisheries Division of TVA, concerning the agency's future plans with the system and the health of the system. We want to keep the public informed about what is going on with the river systems.

QUESTION: So Lake Watch is the link between the governmental agency TVA and the average fishermen, landowner and boater who utilizes the water?
BURCH: Yes.

QUESTION: Okay, what exactly is Lake Watch? What do you do? How do you join? What comes out of it? What is the function of Lake Watch?
BURCH: Lake Watch is a partnership where citizens, business operators, boaters, fishermen, hunters, lake users, TVA Watershed teams, TVA police and other local law-enforcement agencies work together to enhance security of public and private assets on our lakes. The program promotes safe boating and clean-water issues and improves the quality of life on our system of waterways while striving to maintain public access to all areas for fishing, boating and other recreational activities.

QUESTION: Karyn, can you tell me about the two people who were seen by fishermen?
CARTER: This guy called the Lake Watch number because he said two well-dressed guys with cameras, no fishing equipment or anything had tried to pay him to take them out on his boat and show them the dams and things like that. He didn't do it. He returned later and ran into another fisherman who said something like, "Yeah, I took them out." That fisherman said they had taken some pictures. So, somebody called the TVA Police who talked with the guy who actually had given the men the ride. That goes to show you that just a call can alert the people to follow up on things that just don't seem right.

QUESTION: Were these bad guys?
CARTER: Let me get the details. I'm not sure.

QUESTION: Have you got another instance of where Lake Watch has helped?
CARTER: A few weeks ago, one of the volunteers talked to a guy who said his boat had broken down. He was trying to work on his motor. Some kids near him were in a no-wake zone, flying back and forth on jet skis making all kinds of waves. The guy couldn't work on his motor because the waves were tossing him around. So the volunteer called the kids over and told them they weren't suppose to be riding that way in that area. He told them that they were in a no-wake zone, and they might hurt the guy trying to fix the boat. The kids ignored him and continued to ride their jet skis in that area. He called them back over there again and showed them his sticker on his boat. He said, "You see that sticker. All I have to do is pick up the phone and call the 800 number, and TVA Police or local law enforcement, whoever needs to be called, will be here in a few minutes. Then I'm going to tell them what you have been doing, and then you are going to get into trouble." Immediately the kids got on the jet skis and left. So that's how this program works. We want to make it known that we have people watching this area. We want people to obey the laws and regulations.

QUESTION: How many officers do you have?
CARTER: I can't tell you that number.

QUESTION: But for every officer that you have, the Lake Watch volunteers give you another 100 pairs of eyes and 100 pairs of ears out looking and watching?
CARTER: Exactly. We can't be everywhere all the time.

To learn more about the Lake Watch Program, call 800-839-0003, or write TVA Police, P.O. Box 1010, SB 1K-M, Muscle Shoals, AL 35662.

TOMORROW: THE EYES AND EARS OF THE TVA