Fresh air calendar
› Local Tennessee Ornithological Society meeting:
Today, 7 p.m., Ascension Lutheran Church, 720 S. Germantown Road. Contact David Stone at rockyturf@comcast.net or 2384234.
› Soddy-Daisy chapter of Tennessee Trails Assn. hikes:
Saturday, Virgin Falls, strenuous 8 miles (meet at 9 a.m. at Durham Street parking lot in Soddy-Daisy); Tuesday, Signal Mountain MS/HS loop, easy to moderate 3.5 miles (meet at 9 a.m. at Food City parking lot in Red Bank); April 22, Retro Hughes Road to Heiss Mountain trailhead, strenuous 10 miles (will stage vehicles, meet at 9 a.m. at Durham Street lot); April 25, White Oak Mountain, moderate 4.5 miles (meet at 9 a.m. at Target parking lot on Hwy. 153); April 29, Black Mountain, moderate to strenuous 6 miles (meet at 9 a.m. at Durham Street lot). Contact George Bonneau at george.r.bonneau@gmail.com or 842-3619.
› Leave No Trace trainer course: April 22-23, Lula Lake, hosted by Outdoor Chattanooga (registration deadline April 10); fun, practical workshop on the ethics & practice of minimum-impact recreation, camping & travel; completion certifies participants to teach awareness classes; $85 with meals, transportation included. Call 643-6888.
› Adaptive cycling program:
April 24, 6 p.m. from Hubert Fry Center at Tennessee Riverpark; sponsored by SPARC & city of Chattanooga therapeutic recreation division; 3-wheelers, hand cycles & tandem bikes available; free but pre-registration required through Jerry at jhightower@ctiengr.com or 596-5268 or Elaine at adams_e@chattanooga.gov or 697-1345.
› Dream Bass Tournament:
May 6, Chester Frost Park, safe light to 3 p.m.; $150 per boat, breakfast & dinner included, $10 for big-fish opportunities; register at Sportsman’s Warehouse on Lee Highway at 153. For more info call Brent Brady at 718-0326.
› U.S. Masters Swimming open-water national races:
June 2-4, Chattanooga; registration underway; 1-3-mile national championship on June 3, 9-plus-miler on June 4, both in Tennessee River; 1-mile fun swim on June 2; must be USMS member to compete for national titles. See chattswimfest.com.
› Wild Trails 200 Mile Club:
Encourages improved fitness; cover 200 miles in three months under one’s own power, whether by running, biking, swimming, paddling, walking or other aerobic activities. Anyone interested can start at any time by registering at wildtrails.org/200mile-club and recording his or her progress there. Getting to 200 makes one a member, and the membership card secures discounts at a variety of places. Club activities include a campout, barbecue and 15k/5k trail races every three months at Lula Lake Land Trust.
Outdoors note
› Grundy angler All-American: Grundy County High School senior angler Kyle Palmer from Estill Springs is one of the dozen 2017 selections for the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The B.A.S.S. announcement release this week noted that Palmer has won six tournaments in the last year, including a Bassmaster High School divisional with 160 boats on Chickamauga Lake and a 93-boat competition on Percy Priest. He had five top-10 finishes besides the wins in that span and recently accepted a fishing scholarship to Bethel University.