Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation
Saving Tennessee's natural treasures
from the Mighty Mississippi to the Great Smoky Mountains and beyond . . .
| Home |
| Membership and Mission |
| Make A Donation |
| Events |
| News |
| Why Act Now |
| Current Projects |
| History and Strategies |
| State Park Connections |
| Accomplishments |
| Board and Staff |
| Greenways and Trails Action Guide |
| Landowner Options |
| Contact Us |
| Links |
| Mississippi River Corridor |
|
Last updated Monday June 23, 2008 |
|
2008© Copyright by
Tennessee Parks and Greenways |
|
Web Site
design by |
|
Tennessee Greenways
and
Trails |
|
|
We received a Recreational Trails Program Education Grant to update and reprint this booklet. Kamie Bruner is currently updating the Guide. Please feel free to contact her at (615) 386-3171 or by email at projectstpgf@earthlink.net. |
|
|
Tennessee is a beautiful green garden: a rich and varied place with mile-high mountains in the east, the grand Mississippi River in the West and 19,000 miles of sparkling rivers in between. Tennessee is dotted with bountiful farms, crisscrossed with scenic back roads and blessed with rolling hills and abundant wildlife. Across our state, Tennessee citizens are wrapping a gift . . . for future generations . . . and tying it in beautiful green, and sometimes blue ribbons . . . called greenways. Tennessee greenways and trails will help celebrate and preserve the splendid character of our state. Move down this page:
Greenways are linear parks or corridors of protected open space. They follow natural features such as rivers, streams, ridgelines or mountain-tops. They may also be established along abandoned railroad lines, utility rights-of-way, scenic roads or other man-made features. Greenways provide connections. They link nature preserves, parks, historic sites, schools and neighborhoods. Greenways connect communities to each other, and all of us to the natural world. Greenways may provide pathways for people and wildlife. And they can protect the most important places in our natural world. Greenways preserve the beauty of places that we know and cherish. And Greenways provide new beauty spots, yet to be discovered. Greenways and trails are not synonymous. Trails are paths. Greenways are corridors of open space. Some of these corridors include trails; others do not. Greenways can be scenic corridors, wildlife corridors or corridors established to protect farmland or a riparian area. Often, however, greenways do offer public access with trails. Trails provide opportunities to view scenic vistas, plants and wildlife, natural treasures, historic places and much more. Trails can get us across town or to the top of the tallest mountain. Trails can test our physical limits or soothe us by providing an easy walkway for quiet reflection. According to Webster's, a trail is a rough path made across country. Trails that exist in Tennessee may make Webster add to that definition. In Tennessee, there are handicapped-accessible trails, barrier-free and sloped correctly for wheelchairs; there are trails that accommodate roller-blading, cycling, hiking, strollers, off-road vehicles and horseback riding. Greenway trails can be mulched foot-paths or 10-foot wide multiple-use bikeways. Let science, opportunity and interest guide your design. Greenways and Trails - A bit of history Before there was a state called "Tennessee", there were trails here. When Hernando de Soto crossed the Appalachians into the upper Tennessee Valley in the mid 1500's, he found and used an elaborate system of trails, centuries-old buffalo traces and Indian trade routes. These trails provided pathways for explorers and early settlers. Later they became wagon roads and then, the highways of today. Hiking for pleasure became popular in the early 1900's but little recreational trail development occurred until the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was formed in 1933. The CCC built miles of trails in state and national forests, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and in TVA's demonstration parks around the Norris Reservoir. The Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) was organized in 1968 to encourage more trail development. TTA selected a pilot project, The Cumberland Trail, to prove the feasibility of a statewide trail system. In 1971, the Trails System Act passed the Tennessee legislature. This was the first state trails system act. It designated seven state scenic trails and provided for connecting trails. Although these trails and the state system are not completed, this vision provides an important component to the new greenways and trails system. Additionally, Tennessee's Greenways and Trails System will involve corridors important for water quality and wildlife enhancement, conservation of historic structures and places, alternative transportation, and green space to control urban sprawl. Greenways aren't a new idea. In the 1860's, Frederick Law Olmsted designed and built "parkways" (for foot and carriage traffic) and proposed Boston's Emerald Necklace, a 4.5 mile arc of green around that city. The Minneapolis - St. Paul Park system, which now stretches 40-miles, was designed by H.W.S. Cleveland, in 1895 and Benton MacKaye proposed the Appalachian Trail in 1921 as a greenway to prevent urban sprawl and to provide recreation for large urban populations. Today his vision exists as a 2000-mile National Scenic Trail. But the recent popularity of greenways and trails stems from the 1987 President's Commission on Americans Outdoors, chaired by Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander and directed by Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe. It called for the "establishment of a network of greenways across America." Likewise, In 1986, the Tennesseans Outdoors Report recommended the establishment of four statewide north/south recreational corridors in Tennessee and the development of bicycling trails, rail/trail conversions and urban greenway programs. In 1996, to make this vision a reality, Governor Don Sundquist challenged Tennessee communities to create 200 miles of new or expanded greenways and trails in celebration of Tennessee's 200th birthday as part of a statewide system. Governor Sundquist delegated the responsibility to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. To fulfill this vision, the Governor established a small planning grants program and is developing a diversified Greenways and Trails Advisory Board to ensure the needs of all Tennesseans are realized. What are the benefits of a greenways and trails system? Greenways vary in width and function, depending on opportunity and community interests. In urban areas, limited space often dictates that greenways primarily support recreation and non-motorized transportation. In rural areas, large corridors may be established strictly for wildlife or water quality protection. Greenways provide many benefits. They can:
From the Mighty Mississippi . . to the Great Smoky Mountains and beyond. . .Greenways and trails are catching on in Tennessee The Mississippi River marks Tennessee's crinkled western border. Although there's no contiguous greenway yet, the Mississippi River is dotted with public lands. And, in April, 1996, the 185-mile long Mississippi River Bike Trail opened, primarily using secondary roads as its route. It snakes along the river's edge connecting the 14,500-acre Reelfoot Lake - twenty miles long and two miles wide - with Memphis, our state's largest city. The 450-mile long Natchez Trace Parkway runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, with some 80 miles in Tennessee. The parkway preserves the historic Trace, an ancient trail once used by native Americans, and later by Kentucky and Tennessee boatmen. Tennessee farmers traveled rivers flowing south to sell produce in New Orleans and Natchez. The Natchez Trace was the homeward route farmer-boatmen used after selling their produce (and dismantling their boats) in Natchez. The Cherokee National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park together encompass about 850,000 acres along Tennessee's eastern border. Along the crest, mountain peaks exceed 6000 feet elevation. Over 800 miles of hiking trails meander through the forest. Many wildlife areas and parks are linear in nature and already have the benefits of greenways. Many others lie in close proximity to each other, making their eventual linkage possible. This occurs because these individual public jewels are protecting and celebrating some wondrous geological feature such as along the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, along the Cumberland River or the Tennessee River or any number of sparkling tributaries or rugged ridgelines. The patterns that these individual parks create on the map, like some constellation to uncover, cry out for the seer to make the connections. These constellations could be the beginning of Tennessee's statewide greenway and trail design. Community Greenways and Trails Through citizen action, Tennessee communities are developing greenways and trails all across the state. In 1996, through the Governor's Bicentennial Greenways and Trails Planning Grant, many communities were awarded grants to begin planning greenway and trail systems. Greenway and trail planning is now underway in Loudon, Parrottsville, Oneida, Sparta, and more than a dozen other small communities. The Tennessee Riverpark is our state's most famous community greenway. When completed, this riverfront greenway will stretch 20 miles along the Tennessee River from TVA's Chickamauga Dam through downtown Chattanooga to the Tennessee River Gorge. The Riverpark celebrates the river and links its attractions including the Tennessee Aquarium, the world's largest fresh water aquarium, and America's longest pedestrian bridge - the Walnut Street Bridge. Since Chattanooga's re-discovery of the Tennessee River, over $350 million has been invested along Chattanooga's riverfront. Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport are all working on greenway and trail plans. Kingsport has over 5 miles in existing greenways and plans for 9 total miles, along the Holston River and Reedy Creek. Two of the first Tennessee greenways were developed in East Tennessee. Oak Ridge's 8-mile North Ridge Trail Corridor was created in the mid 1960's. And Maryville's first two miles were developed in 1968. Now Maryville and the adjacent city of Alcoa are expanding the existing greenway to 8 total miles of trails connecting 6 schools and featuring Pistol Creek. Knoxville and Knox County both have aggressive greenway and trail plans. Knox County opened its first 1.25 greenway trail along the Pellissippi Parkway in 1996. In 1997, the Beaver Creek Greenway in Powell (1 mile) and a greenway along 10-Mile Creek in the Walker Springs areas (1 mile) are both scheduled to open. In Knoxville, the Third Creek Bike Trail opened in 1974. In 1993 an additional section of the trail was constructed which links Tyson Park with Neyland Drive to UT and totals over 5 miles long. In July 1994 a greenway coordinator was hired and numerous projects are underway along the Tennessee River, the Holston River, Second Creek, Ten Mile Creek and the Pellissippi Parkway. Volunteer Landing, Knoxville's premier riverfront park on the Neyland Greenway, includes a pedestrian bridge from the City/County Building to the riverfront area - linking downtown Knoxville to the Tennessee River. Murfreesboro now boasts Tennessee's best example of a greenway that links historic community resources. Murfreesboro worked with the National Park Service to create the 3-mile Stones River Trail that allows visitors and residents alike to tour one of the bloodiest and most famous civil war battlefields. The Nashville Greenway Commission just acquired two large tracts to add to their new greenway system: a hilly, 1500-acre tract adjacent to Marrow Bone Lake Wildlife Area, and Shelby Bottoms, 810 new acres adjacent to Shelby Park. The Shelby Bottoms Greenway will offer 8 miles of trails, along the historic Cumberland River. Nashville's downtown greenway, scheduled to open in late 1997, will link Shelby Bottoms, across the Cumberland River on the Shelby Street Bridge to Riverfront Park, the Bicentennial Mall and the U.S. Tobacco Company Warehouses and Museum. Clarksville's greenway effort has focused on a 2.5 mile stretch along the Cumberland River. The main attraction of The Riverwalk is McGregor Park, Clarksville's downtown riverfront park and festival area. Clarksville's long range plan calls for tying into the 50-mile Cumberland Rail/Trail. Currently a half-mile segment is being developed that connects three parks. Jackson has plans for a 9-mile greenbelt linking wetlands and using existing utility easements. One completed section uses boardwalks to move pedestrians through a swampy cypress forest where, at The Cypress Grove Nature Park, visitors can view hawks, owls and a golden eagle. The Jackson Greenbelt will link five "anchor" sites: Kate Campbell Robertson Park, Fairgrounds Park, Cypress Grove Nature Park, The UT Agricultural Experiment Station and the Madison County West Industrial Park. In Southwest Tennessee, greenways popularity is growing. Collierville, Bolivar, Germantown and Memphis all have greenway plans. Memphis has plans for a total of 5 miles along the Memphis Waterfront that celebrates America's most famous river, the Mississippi. Memphis' early name was Chickasaw Bluffs because it was there that the Chickasaw Indians embarked on journeys up and down the Mississippi River. This trail is known as the Chickasaw Bluff Trail, commemorating Memphis' history. Germantown is developing a 22-mile greenbelt that will completely encircle the city. All lands and existing trail construction have been donated. Its most significant scenic feature is the Wolf River. The trail will link schools, parks and shopping centers to neighborhoods throughout Germantown. Germantown's greenbelt success is partly due to its mandatory parkland dedication policy. Regional efforts are developing across Tennessee. Some of the newest efforts include the Watauga River Greenway in upper East Tennessee. The Watauga River is one of the best trout fishing streams in the Eastern United States. The Watauga River Greenway will link historic sights of national importance like Rocky Mount -- the 1700's capital of the southwest territory -- to Fort Watauga and Sycamore Shoals State Park. The Smoky Mountain Regional Greenway - unites 10 governmental agencies from Knoxville to Gatlinburg, from Pittman Center to Newport. This greenway system will offer a welcome entryway into our nation's most visited national park. The Cumberland River Corridor Task Force hopes to link Land Between The Lakes, Clarksville, Ashland City and Nashville primarily following an existing inactive rail corridor alongside the Cumberland River. Ashland City has completed 3.4 miles that contributes to this corridor. The Wolf River Conservancy, in partnership with The Conservation Fund and the State of Tennessee, recently acquired 4000 acres and hopes to eventually protect the entire Wolf River corridor from Memphis to its headwaters near Michigan City, Mississippi. This 90-mile long river features sections like the Ghost River where currents lead you to a cypress swamp where the river seemingly loses its channel. How To Create Successful Greenways And Trails 1. Dream with other members of your community about what your greenway and trail system could be. Get your community excited about greenways. Two key ingredients for success are visionary leadership and unique natural or cultural feature(s). 2. Organize a coalition/committee/support group. Accurately record group decisions to avoid rehashing discussions. 3. Define your vision: What river or mountain, stream or historic route are you hoping to preserve and celebrate? Who or what will benefit and what kinds of uses do you want to accommodate? 4. Conduct a common sense evaluation. Consider costs, political support, ownership, scale of your greenway or trail project and who could operate and maintain your greenway. 5. Build grass roots support. Sell the vision to everyone you can. Speak at community meetings, civic groups, and governmental committee meetings. Incorporate new ideas. Systematically sign up supporters. Successful projects have tremendous community involvement. 6. Integrate your effort into your local governmental body by developing a political/governmental advisory committee. 7. Evaluate your community. Review transportation, recreation environmental, utility and open space needs. Review land-use laws and ordinances and local economic development goals. Visit planning departments, the local chamber of commerce office and the convention and visitor's bureau. 8. Involve the public to identify your broad greenway corridor(s) or trails. 9. Map your greenway. Prepare overlay maps that show opportunities for acquisitions or easements. Map land ownership and utility easements, railroad abandonment, existing public lands, other points of interest, water corridors, any land designated as non-buildable because of topography, vegetation or wildlife habitat. 10. Prepare a concept plan that will inspire public support and that offers alternative routes. Present alternatives/conduct public workshops. Sell/adjust your plan. 11. Seek partnerships/sponsors. 12. Inventory and analyze the community and greenway resources. 13. Prepare a master plan and get it approved by your local government commission or council. Include a pilot project recommendation. 14. Select a pilot project, based on the analysis. Your pilot project should be feasible, funded and built within one year. Select a highly visible and easily accessible pilot project. The purpose of the pilot project is to inspire more greenway and trail accomplishments. 15. Develop implementation strategies for your master plan. Create greenways and trails! Rejoice with every success! Your work will outlive you in the form of beautiful, green places to be treasured by generations to come. Never identify individual parcels of land or greenway/trail routes unless you have secured an easement, or completed a purchase, or already know that the land is in public ownership. Involve the public through every step of your greenway planning process. Resources Available To Assist You Tennessee Dept. of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) Recreation Services Division -This division is the primary state contact for greenways and trails. Phone: 615-532-0748 Services available:
Archaeology and Historic Commission The divisions listed below have site
listings for your community for possible greenway linkage/protection. Natural Heritage Division a) Information on rare plants and animals State Parks Division a) State parks management Water Pollution Control Division a) Technical assistance for water-related
issues, including watershed management, erosion control, Best Management
Practices, water quality Geology Division - map sales office - 615-532-1516 Tennessee Department of Agriculture Phone: 615-360-0117 Forestry Division: a) Urban and community forestry
program/field foresters Agricultural Resources Division Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Phone: 615-781-6552 a) Wetland Acquisition Fund Tennessee Department of Economic
and Community Development Phone: 615-741-1888 Main Street Program Phone: 615-741-2158 Tennessee Dept of Transportation Phone: 615-741-2848 a) State Bicycle Coordinator Tennessee Parks and
Greenways Foundation Phone: 615-386-3171 Fax: 615-386-3115 a) Technical assistance The Conservation Fund Phone:703-525-6300 a) Small grants program - American
Greenways Dupont Awards Program American Farmland Trust Phone: 202-659-5170 a) Provides support for protecting
agricultural resources through public education
Land Trust Alliance Phone: 202-638-4725 a) Publications and assistance on creating
land trusts Tennessee
Wildlife Federation Phone: 615-353-1133 a) Statewide policy issues
Nature Conservancy of Tennessee Phone: (615) 383-9909 a) Assistance on the protection and
ecological management of outstanding natural areas Tennessee Development Districts Phone: 615-862-8828 a) Local development district office to
assist with grant-writing Tennessee Rails-to-Trails Phone: 615-726-4848 a) Technical advice Trust for Public Lands -
Southeastern Region Phone: 904-222-7911 a) Land acquisition assistance National Park Service Phone: 404-331-4916 Planning and technical assistance U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phone: 615-736-5115 a) Sighting wetland mitigation along
greenways U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Phone: 615-528-6481 a) Technical assistance for wildlife and
fish planning U.S. Forest Service Phone: 404-347-5214 a) Timber bridges U.S. Forest Service Phone: 423-476-9700 a) Timber bridges TVA Recreation Services Phone: 423-632-1575 Technical planning assistance on TVA lands TVA Clean Water Initiative Phone: 423-751-7328 a) River Action Team partnership efforts USDA Natural Resource Conservation
Service Phone: 615-736-5471 a) Regional Resource Conservation and
Development Council A Tennessee System of Greenways and Trails - Our gift to the next generation for this millennium We need to build greenways and trails in Tennessee NOW. Tennessee's population grew from 3.9 million in 1970 to 5 million in 1990 and is estimated to reach 6 million by 2010. Increased population will mean more development, less open countryside and more need for access to nature and outdoor recreation facilities. Economics and practicality dictate we can't save everything. Greenways are a common sense approach to conservation. Greenways and trails make the most of the parks and other public lands we already own. Because of their linear form, they provide greater access to more people at less cost than traditional parks. And, greenways and trails create important partnerships between local, state and federal agencies, private citizens, businesses and the non-profit sector. Greenways and trails make the most of what we have. Greenways make good common sense. A system of protected corridors - a Tennessee Greenways and Trails Network - that is our goal and our dream. About a dozen different public and private agencies manage conservation areas in Tennessee. Using their combined resources, a statewide system of greenways and trails is possible. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is developing a plan to unite these agencies and link these lands through a system of protected corridors. Like scattered pearls, these parks and wildlife areas can be strung together in an unbroken strand of precious gems, for you and your descendants to discover and enjoy. As a united strand, the value of each "pearl" is more precious. A statewide system of greenways and trails will provide us and our descendants limitless opportunities for exploration and adventure and with the experience of wilderness. These are the ingredients necessary for the well-being of our souls. A statewide greenway and trail system will create a green infrastructure that will protect the character of our beloved Tennessee. What a wonderful gift we can leave for our descendants, tied up in green, and sometimes blue ribbons, called Greenways and Trails. This information was originally produced in booklet form with assistance from The Conservation Fund's Tennessee Greenways Program. Contributors: This publication was made possible through the generous financial and/or editorial contributions of the following agencies or individuals: Furthermore..., Knoxville Greenways Coalition, Lyndhurst Foundation, Nashville Community Foundation, National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Forestry Division, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Recreation Services Division, Tennessee Conservation League, Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. |
|
||||||