If you like to fish over on the Holston River near Church Hill, this will come as good news. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said because of the success of the initial year of a public fishing program on the installation in 2007, Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HAAP) will provide the opportunity for the general public to fish the Holston River within the installation's boundaries once again in 2008.

The installation's public fishing program was approved by the plant commander under a strict set of guidelines designed to insure that safety and security standards are maintained while each fishing event is being held. Individuals interested in fishing on the plant must apply for the opportunity to fish and will be selected by a random drawing.

There will be four fishing events held on the plant this year which are scheduled for: Saturday, June 28; Sunday, June 29; Saturday, July 12; and Sunday July 13. Participants will have approximately seven hours to fish during each event.

The following guidelines will be implemented during each event. All fishing will be done by wading, and no boats will be allowed during any event. This will be a catch-and-release program and participants will not be allowed to keep any fish they catch.

Participants will not be allowed to use live bait such as minnows, crayfish, etc. Each participant will be required to bring, and wear, an approved life jacket at all times while fishing. On the morning of each event, participants will be assigned specific sections of the river in which they may fish and will be monitored at all times by installation personnel. The quota for each event will be 16 participants. Two alternate participants will be selected for each event to replace no-shows. HAAP will reserve the right to cancel a fishing event if installation personnel determine that water conditions caused by rain events, etc. are unsafe.

Eligible participants must be at least 13 years of age (at the time of the event) and all participants must possess valid Tennessee fishing licenses and permits as required by state law. Minors (17 years and younger) must be accompanied by a non-fishing adult (21 years or older) during any fishing event. Due to the way in which fishing areas will be assigned, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply in a group of two, however, applicants may also apply individually. Applicants may not apply in groups consisting of more than two people. When applying as a group, both applicants must request the same dates.

To apply, send an application and application fee to: Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Attn: Fishing Program, 4509 West Stone Drive, Kingsport, Tennessee 37660.

The following data is required by the Privacy Act of 1974 Authority 10 U.S.C. 3013 and E.O. 9397. This data will be used to distinguish individual applicants for the installation fishing program. Disclosure of your social security number is voluntary. However, failure to provide a SSN may delay or disqualify the applicant from being issued a fishing permit on the installation.

An application will consist of a note (preferably on an index card) with the individual's name, address, age, social security number, phone number, and a list of the dates requested in order of preference. Applicants should include a $3 nonrefundable application fee per person with their application. The application fee must be paid with a Money Order or Cashiers Check made payable to: A DAO, Rock Island. Personal checks or cash will not be accepted. Applicants who submit more than one application will be disqualified.

If selected, applicants will be required to purchase an installation fishing permit for $20 at a later date. All applications must be received at HAAP by June 9. Successful applicants will be notified by mail by June 16 and will receive additional information at that time. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified by mail. Questions concerning the program should be directed to Bruce Cole, the HAAP Natural Resources Manager, at 423-578-6276.

On Saturday, June 14, the TWRA is offering a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Field Day at the John Sevier Hunter Education Facility on Rifle Range Road in Knoxville.

The field day is primarily aimed at women, but is an opportunity for anyone 18 years of older to learn outdoor skills usually associated with hunting and fishing, but useful for many outdoor pursuits.

There are seven sessions offered, from which each participant can choose two. Sessions offered are: All Terrain Vehicle Operation, Women's Self Defense, Introduction of Pistol Shooting, Introduction to Firearms, Basic Archery, Dutch Oven Cooking, Outdoor Perils, Backyard Wildscaping, and Boating Safety Education. There will be one session in the morning and one session in the afternoon.

The fee for the day-long workshop is $25 and covers lunch, snacks, materials and instruction. For more information, contact Donald Hosse (615-781-6541) or check out the TWRA web page at www.tnwildlife.org and click on Becoming An Outdoors-Woman Field Day - Knoxville, TN.

With turkey season wrapping up this weekend, there's still some hunting to be done. Tennessee's spring squirrel season will open 30 minutes before sunrise this morning. The TWRA said the season will run through June 8. As in fall hunting seasons, fox, red and gray squirrels are allowed to be harvested, with a daily bag limit of 10 squirrels.

Several wildlife management areas are also open for spring squirrel hunting during this time. Some WMAs in East Tennessee with a spring squirrel season are: Buffalo Springs, Chuck Swan State Forest, Cove Creek, Kyles Ford, Nolichucky, Royal Blue, Sundquist, and Tellico Lake.

Hunters need to refer to the 2007/2008 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide for specific regulations and license requirements. Regulations are also available on the TWRA web page at www.tnwildlife.org.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) heard the 2008-09 hunting season recommendations from TWRA staff among items on its agenda at its regularly scheduled April meeting, held at the TWRA Region II Ray Bell Building.

These proposals and others that affect hunting in other parts of the state will be voted on by the TWRC at its Season Setting Meeting on May 21-22, 2008 at the TWRA Region II Office.

The following are proposed changes which would affect Region IV (Tennessee's eastern 21 counties).

Increase antlerless deer gun opportunities:

* Increase hunt from three to nine days to Anderson, Carter, Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Jefferson, Johnson and Loudon (East of I-75).

* Increase hunter quotas in Carter, Johnson, and Sullivan

* Make antlerless hunt non-quota in Hawkins, Knox, and Loudon (West of I-75).

* Increase bag limit to two in Sevier.

* Extend the bear archery still hunt from Sept. 27 - Oct. 24. Added Sept. 27 - Oct. 10 to private lands in Blount, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Johnson, Monroe, Polk (east of 411 & north of 64), Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties.

* Add fall turkey hunting opportunities in Anderson, Blount and Knox.

* Set the 2009 Spring Turkey opener for March 28, 2009 (Young Sportsman March 21-22).

* Defined a legal antler point as a projection of at least one inch long, measured from the tip of the point to the nearest edge of the beam, following the mid-line of the tine.

* Proposed to allow a turkey hunter to take two bearded birds per day if one is a bonus bird taken on a quota WMA hunt and the other is a statewide bird.

* Propose to open Jefferson County (East of Hwy. 411) to bear hunting and bear dog training.

* Propose to open private lands in Blount, Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties to bear dog training.

* Clarify youth accompaniment requirements. A supervising adult would be allowed to accompany more than one youth hunter as long as the adult is in position to take control of each hunting device.

* The Commission requested the Agency to look into expanding the deer archery seasons throughout the historic closed days in Unit B.

Campbell County High School senior Brandon Sharp is the overall winner in the 2008 Tennessee Federal Junior Duck Stamp art competition. The TWRA said Sharp, age 18 of LaFollette, had entered the contest each of the past three years.

The Agency serves as a partner in the contest, which is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Best of Show award winner was of a pair of mallards. More than 400 individuals entered Tennessee's 14th Junior Duck Stamp Contest in four different age group categories.

Sharp will receive a $1,000 scholarship, provided by known stamp collector, former Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commissioner and long-time supporter of the event, Mrs. Jeanette Rudy. Sharp's winning artwork will move on to the national competition held at the San Diego Zoo in California to be judged on April 18 along with the winners from the other 50 states and District of Columbia.

The winner of the national competition will be used as the design for the 2008-2009 Federal Junior Duck Stamp. The winner's artwork will then travel throughout the country on display in galleries and wildlife museums for one year.