Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning
A Brief History of the Project
As one of the originators of the Tennessee Rivers Assessment Project, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you my personal recollection of the vision, beginning and development of the Assessment. It’s an interesting story that speaks well of the value of voluntary state-private partnerships guided by a sense of common good rather than regulatory requirements.
The Tennessee Rivers Assessment is successful because of the vision, guidance and expertise of a number of people, agencies and institutions. The inspiration for the project can be traced to one specific river: the spectacular White’s Creek in Rhea County. Flowing through land owned by the Bowater Southern Paper Company, White’s Creek is a favorite creek to paddle on cold winter days after the rain has fallen on the Cumberland Plateau, a place where clear water can propel a canoe over white and brown variegated sandstone and sightings of bald eagles are almost guaranteed. Rhododendron and mountain laurel crowd its banks in places where the cherty cliffs give way and thin, sparkling waterfalls seem to play in the cold sunshine. I first experienced White’s Creek in the winter of 1990. It is a very special place.
The winter of 1990 also provided an opportunity to attend a workshop in Burlington, Vermont on state initiatives to prioritize environmental risks. It was there that I first heard about states which were assessing their rivers and streams in order to work them into their risk prioritization process. I also learned about a National Park Service Program, the Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program, which partially funded these various state rivers assessments around the country. I wondered if Tennessee had ever considered such a program.
I contacted Mike Countess, then Assistant Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Conservation, who immediately became enthusiastic about initiating our own rivers assessment. Mike was encouraging, but he could make no promises about funding. I approached the Lyndhurst Foundation in Chattanooga about the possibility of privately funding this initiative. After learning that the Lyndhurst Foundation was interested in hearing more about the project, I thought it a good idea to enlist the support of the largest rivers-interest organization in the state, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSRA). Bill Allen, then Chair of the Conservation Committee of TSRA, was enthusiastic about the project, and his skills as a writer, editor and negotiator were invaluable as we wrote and submitted our proposal.
Bill and I were excited when we learned that the Lyndhurst Foundation had accepted our proposal and would provide initial funding for the project. However, the Lyndhurst Foundation specified that since the Rivers Assessment would benefit the state, the state needed to match their grant. We went back to the Department of Conservation to ask for matching funds, this time accompanied by Jack Murrah and Bruz Clark of the Lyndhurst Foundation. The Department of Conservation showed a great deal of interest in ensuring that the Rivers Assessment become a reality and arranged meetings with us and other agencies interested in playing key roles in the program. We talked with the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA recognized the value of integrating this program with their Clean Water Initiative and volunteered the financial commitment of matching funds. The Department of Conservation agreed to provide some in-kind support and assigned a staff member, Elizabeth Bunting, to direct the project. With this, the Tennessee Rivers Assessment became a reality in the fall of 1991, thanks to the creative combination of vision, money, services, talent and hard work.
A Steering Committee composed of federal, state and local agencies as well as conservation groups and nongovernment organizations was formed to guide the project, while technical assistance was provided by the National Park Service’s Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program. After several meetings, a consensus emerged among Steering Committee members that would serve to focus efforts on the categories and specific questions that would guide the Assessment.
Over the years, many changes have taken place. The Department of Conservation was transformed into the Department of Environment and Conservation. Strategic partnerships with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennesee Scenic Rivers Association were formed. Personnel changed over the years, but the vision has remained constant. The project was open to the general public as over two hundred fifty Tennesseans have taken part in the process. Specific data sets were developed by finding willing partners and funding sources to obtain the needed information. In this way, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Nashville District became a key ally, as did the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Technological University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
And White’s Creek? It’s still a paddler’s dream in winter and early spring. It’s still unprotected, but in the Assessment, Tennessee has a new tool that will allow for proactive planning for White’s Creek and the many streams like it.
Jenny Freeman, President
Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning
