In their inspirational management book Gung Ho!, authors Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles discuss “worthwhile work” and its importance for achieving success. One aspect of worthwhile work is “knowing we make the world a better place.”
By this definition, worthwhile work keeps Carl Wirwa (UTK ’75) busy. The 29-year veteran of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for 21,000 acres of wildlife management areas in Dyer, Gibson and Crockett counties in West Tennessee. From managing duck populations, to improving migratory bird habitat, to serving as a frontline observer for the possible spread of avian influenza, Wirwa’s work is making a difference for the environment, for wildlife and for recreation enthusiasts of all ages.
Wirwa’s chosen profession is almost a calling. Raised near Milan in rural Gibson County, all activities in his early years related to the outdoors. “There’s nothing that I can ever remember that I wanted to do other than going into wildlife,” he said. His career interests brought him in 1969 to UT Martin, where he studied animal science, the closest major available at the time for pursuing his chosen profession.
He met his wife, Carol Fields (UTM ’74, UTK ’75), while at UT Martin, and in 1974 they headed to Knoxville where he pursued fisheries and wildlife management courses to complete his degree; she earned a master’s degree in social work. They now live in Alamo where she’s the Crockett County Middle School librarian. Their sons, Nick (’03) and Drew (’06), are both pursuing graduate degrees in wildlife and natural resources.
Wirwa’s TWRA career began as an enforcement officer. He became a manager in 1993, and today with the help of two technicians, manages the vast expanse of wetlands and other property owned by the state in their assigned areas. An avid waterfowl hunter, Wirwa knows the complexities of managing land for hunting and other recreational purposes, while also maintaining habitat for other non-game bird species. “When I think about Carl, he’s not just about ducks,” said Dr. Eric Pelren, UT Martin associate professor of agriculture and natural resources. Besides duck habitat, Pelren applauds Wirwa for his work with other migratory birds, including shorebird habitat.
The Land is Key
Everything starts with the land. Wirwa begins this spring workday at the Tigrett Wildlife Management Area southeast of Dyersburg. The TWRA commission classifies land as refuges or wildlife management areas. Refuges are closed when waterfowl are present, and no hunting is allowed. Management areas, such as Tigrett and the Bogota Wildlife Management Area to the north, are open to the public for recreation, hunting and fishing. Tigrett includes 7,000 acres under state management since the 1960s. Lush vegetation and 100-year-old Cypress trees that tower above the water distinguish this vast wetland area.
The state began purchasing land in Tigrett, already known for its wildlife and hunting opportunities, in the 1960s. The Army Corps of Engineers originally bought the land as “mitigation” so the Corps could continue channelization of the Forked Deer and Obion rivers. Channelization was meant to drain areas for agricultural purposes and flood control but, instead, caused pooling that created the Tigrett management area. The objectives now are to improve water quality and wildlife habitat on this manmade wetland. To date, about 13,000 acres of 43,000 acres have been purchased by the Corps in Tigrett and deeded to the state.
Dressed in the traditional light- and dark-green TWRA colors, Wirwa looks the part of someone who said he “never just dreaded going to work.” On any given day, there are access roads to maintain, water levels to adjust, fields to plant –– and the state continues to purchase more land. He pulls on hip boots as he prepares to release his boat into the water; minutes later, a hard-to-start motor propels the boat over shallow, cloudy water that covers once prime cropland. Minutes later, the boat takes a left and then a right turn into a narrow water passage, bordered on either side by dense stands of green pond lilies bearing intense yellow flower bulbs that are about to bloom.
“We call this Cypress Tupelo Swamp,” he said, noting that the area is covered with water 12 months of the year, although levels rise and fall with the seasons. The boat picks up speed to cross a small beaver dam that lies just ahead. Boat traffic keeps the path open in some areas; in this location, the path is a ditch dug many years ago to manage water containment.
“What we would like to do here is something that we’re not able to do,” he said. “We would like to pull the water down completely in the summertime. … And that would really add to the timber component, get the Cypress, (and) get hardwoods growing again. But, because of the channelization and because of some legal aspects, we’re not able to do that. So we deal pretty much with a ponded swamp.”
Another beaver dam lies ahead, this time too large to cross with the boat. So, he kills the motor, grabs a pitchfork-type tool and walks the length of the boat to step out onto the structure. A water snake slithers from just under his feet as he digs away the mass of twigs, but Wirwa barely reacts, grabbing the startled reptile and tossing it out of the way.
“I would like to see our river systems going back, meandering like they originally did,” he said. “It slowed the velocity down, but it followed the natural drop in the elevation. When you go straight, you go over high ground, you go over low ground, and that ditch really doesn’t drain everything, and that’s why we’ve got ponding.
“Now, you would think a guy that manages wetlands wants wet, but that’s not necessarily the case. The key to wetlands is a yearly, and actually monthly, fluctuation of water levels. A true wetland is dry in the summer-time. It may have pockets of wet spots, but a true wetland needs to have that drying-out factor to work.”
Although not an optimal wetland, the environmental importance of the area is significant. “If you’ll look around at all the vegetation out through there, and you think about chemicals –– agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals –– coming through this system, it settles out, and a lot of it is absorbed through the plants and cleaned,” he said. “ … By the time it gets to the other end, you’ve got relatively clean water. It works very much like a filter.”
Migratory Birds Find a Home
Once beyond the beaver dam, Wirwa talked about one of his passions: migratory birds. The area is largely undisturbed, which makes it attractive for migratory birds, some populations of which are on the decline.
“One of the things we try to focus on, especially around here, is wading birds: egrets and herons and those sort of birds,” he said, adding, “Of course the more land that we drain, the less habitat (there) is for those wading-type birds.” These birds require permanent water and a plentiful fish supply, both of which are available at Tigrett. Water levels are raised and lowered to create the shore-like habitat they prefer.
The boat veered slowly left into a denser stand of Cypress trees, bringing into view the only eagle nest on the 7,000-acre management area. Wirwa kills the motor, because barely 50 yards ahead, a baby bald eagle, called a fledgling, sits quietly in the huge nest and surveys its surroundings. Neither the boat nor the presence of visitors appear to disturb the bird.
This is a second-year nest, Wirwa said, and the eight-week fledgling will spend the next few weeks flapping its wings, lifting a few feet off the nest and settling back down, gradually gaining the strength needed to fly. He restarts the motor, and the boat circles the tree slowly at a distance to get a better view. Shortly after stopping again, one of the parents flies into view clutching a small mammal in its claws, signaling feeding time for the young eagle.
“This type of area is good for eagle habitat in the fact that it is a fishery,” Wirwa said, explaining that fish is the eagle’s primary food. Besides the awe-inspiring sight of these majestic birds, Wirwa said that the presence of the eagle family is positive from an environmental standpoint. “ … You know, when they pick (an) area to nest, things are good. You’ve got seclusion. You’ve got a habitat. You’ve got food. You’ve got the proper trees for them that they like.”
A Duck Hunter’s Paradise
It’s no secret that duck hunting is a main attraction at Tigrett, a resting area for a healthy duck population. The area provides thermal cover for ducks in the winter, protecting them from the cold, wind and elements. Seventeen hunting blinds are available, and an annual draw for the entire waterfowl season is held on the first Saturday in August at the Dyersburg fairgrounds. In August 2005, about 3,000 hunters drew for the 17 Tigrett sites. The hunter drawn first gets the pick of location and hunts the site all season. The good news is that anyone can hunt in Tigrett, but other hunters must be 200 yards from the draw sites.
For the average person, the area offers excellent duck hunting opportunities at an affordable cost, a point of pride for Wirwa. “You know, a man that wants to duck hunt shouldn’t be kept from duck hunting just because he can’t afford it,” he said. He conservatively estimates the annual lease value of one blind at $10,000, if the blind was privately owned.
While minimal management is needed for duck hunting at Tigrett, he later talked about the management-intensive Bogota unit to the north. Open for the first time in the 2005 hunting season, the area is located on the 10-year flood plain. Low-level terraces were built that create water units, allowing these areas to be flooded with pumps in the fall and drained so that crops and natural wetland vegetation are grown in the spring. Also differing from Tigrett, this innovative hunting area has no duck blinds, creating a back-to-the-basics hunting experience.
The first computer draw for Bogota came in August 2005; 178 hunters were drawn out of the 3,200 hunters who applied. “We (had) a lot of people from East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee apply for this hunt,” Wirwa said of Bogota’s first year. “And I think the reason is they don’t have a lot of duck hunting in East Tennessee, and they don’t have a place to hunt in East Tennessee. So they can apply for this hunt, and everything is set up for them. We’ve got water. We’ve got ducks. All you have to do is bring your decoys and your shotgun, and you come down and hunt for three days.”
His reference to a three-day hunt is another Bogota innovation in that hunting is only permitted Friday through Sunday. The other days are set aside so that the ducks can feed and rest. Hunting success that first season was a duck and a half per hunter per day, which is the state average. “What we’re striving for with this type of management is to have a quality hunt,” he said, adding that he expects the Bogota average to improve over time.
Looking Ahead
The remainder of the morning brought more discussion about the Tigrett area and what lies ahead. For example, Wirwa speculates that silt could fill the area in roughly 100 years, but to him, this is the natural progression of events. He likens this to the gradual filling of Reelfoot Lake in Northwest Tennessee, which has received significant public attention.
Of more immediate concern is the fear that migratory birds will bring avian influenza into North America and the United States. Shorebirds could be the biggest carriers as they travel from Asia, nest in Alaska and then head south. Although wildlife officials are told of no direct threat to humans, his role will be to watch for unusual bird deaths or behaviors because of illness. He’s not the only Wirwa involved in this work as his youngest son, Drew, is pursuing shorebird research as part of his master’s degree program. After harvesting shore birds to monitor the birds’ diets, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials want to examine them for signs of avian influenza.
Regardless of the challenges or what he does on any given day, Wirwa is especially pleased that his work benefits average people. “As state-owned land, we like to keep the costs down as much as we possibly can for the average person,” he said. He also relishes opportunities to make presentations about his work to civic clubs, school groups and anyone who cares about wildlife and the environment.
Even after his many years with the TWRA, Wirwa remains excited about managing the lands under his care for the benefit of future generations. His own sons are well on their way to taking up their father’s calling. And, the next duck-hunting season is never too far away. These are just a few reasons why Carl Wirwa’s work is more than worthwhile.
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