Spotlight on Electrification in the Tennessee River Valley
The Tennessee River Valley’s history is a story of generations of explorers, beginning with early explorations of the New World to today’s explorations of Space. What we see today is possible because of the vision of people that came before us. Alabama has been celebrating her Bicentennial over the past three years by honoring the people, places, and events that have defined the state’s past. Celebrations have included workshops, local events, as well as the traditional state events reserved for dignitaries. The State’s decision to fund project at both county and community levels has provided an opportunity for local citizens to participate and discover Alabama’s rich and varied history. How cool is that?
One of the community projects captured our attention with its clever use of art to tell a story. The project, A Bright Idea, is a newly dedicated light bulb sculpture in the City of Athens that commemorates the 85th anniversary of “turning on lights” in the city. The first street lights were installed in 1908, and in 1934, became the first city in Alabama to receive power from the newly created Tennessee Valley Authority. The City of Athens stated in their press release that “the light bulb sculpture pays tribute to the ingenuity behind providing electrical power, preserves our local history, and honors those who have lost their lives and those who risk their lives to ensure the lights stay on.”
We see this as a fitting tribute of celebrating the Valley’s history through the art of Placemaking.
An Ode to “Voluntourism”
The Tennessee River Valley’s rich bio-diverse habitat also serves as an important recreational and commercial address for the people and communities located in the watershed. The challenges of stewarding the public lands and waterways begins with the agencies that are charged with protecting the lands and waters, and extends to the many non-profit friends groups that build trails, pick up litter, organize public programs, and work to conserve these wide open spaces for future generations.
Across the Valley, there is a movement for friends groups to partner with public agencies and private entities including visitors to the area. On any given weekend, you may find the Friends of Land Between the Lakes guiding a paddling group that is also assisting with litter collection; a Knoxville brewery hosting a tap night to raise funds for Keep Tennessee River Beautiful; a kayak regatta event hosted by the Alabama Scenic Rivers to introduce youth to river paddling and river conservation, a TVA hosted BioBlitz on public lands; or one of the many bike/ hike trail clubs that host trail day days across the region.
Voluntourism is geotourism. Kudos to all of the voluntourists who engage, learn, and explore.
(use with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful) https://www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/content/conservation-comes-naturally-in-the-tennessee-river-valley/ten13b09b91b4f0f64cb
Annual Board Retreat set for June 18 in Ringgold, GA
The TRV Stewardship Council will hold their annual board retreat on Tuesday, June 18 in Ringgold, GA at the Farm to Fork restaurant. Annually, the TRVSC meets to set an annual budget, strategic plan, and to elect board officers.
The mission of TRV Stewardship Council (TRVSC) is to further the goals of geotourism, which is defined as tourism that sustains and enhances the geographical character of local and regional communities, and related public lands in the Tennessee River Valley Watershed. The primary activities of the TRVSC are to educate and advise public, private, and governmental organizations on the principles of geotourism; facilitate the networking and collaboration of individual and regional geotourism projects and councils; and to serve as an information and training resource for geotourism projects, businesses, site managers, and other councils.
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