Tennessee Riverline Convenes Partners, Exhibits Student Work, Plans for Future
Director Brad Collett opens the 2020 Tennessee RiverLine Partnership Summit by presenting on the successes and lessons learned from 2019.
The fourth annual Tennessee RiverLine Summit convened members of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, Pilot Community partners, UT officials as well as other key project stakeholders in January. The summit gives partners time to reflect on experiences in the past year and plan for the next phase of the Tennessee RiverLine vision.
The Tennessee RiverLine is a multi-generational vision for a 652-mile paddle-hike-bike trail experience along the Tennessee River from its start in Knoxville to its end in Paducah, KY. The visionary project began in 2016 as a studio project at the University of Tennessee (UT) School of Landscape Architecture. It quickly gained momentum and now partners, as well as UT faculty, staff and students, have engaged hundreds of citizens in communities along the river to determine how this project can catalyze their economy, impact quality of life and help them access, protect and celebrate the Tennessee River.
The summit, held January 21-23, focused on highlights and next steps presented by the five 2019 Pilot Communities as well as organizational development and outreach planning for the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership. The Partnership is a group of dedicated river advocate agencies from across the Tennessee River watershed who contribute to the development of the project’s vision.
Attendees included representatives from Tennessee Valley Authority, National Park Service, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee RiverLine 2019 Pilot Communities, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful and students, faculty, staff and administrators from UT Knoxville.
UT Senior Sydney Bittinger presents her team’s work to representatives from Roane County leadership.
As part of the summit, students from the UT School of Landscape Architecture hosted an exhibit of unique work produced in their fall 2019 Tennessee River Studio, led by Director of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and Associate Professor Brad Collett. The exhibition showcased student achievement and community engagement through conceptual designs for the 2019 Pilot Communities. This exhibit was the first time Pilot Community leaders had seen the students’ work, spending one-on-one time with each group to learn about their research and idea.
“The Tennessee RiverLine – one of the UT’s premier community outreach initiatives – is a spirited example of the university’s commitment to serving citizens and communities in the State of Tennessee and beyond,” said Matthew Scoggins, UT, Knoxville, Chief of Staff in welcome remarks to the group during the exhibit. “I look forward to the day when I can travel the 652-mile Tennessee RiverLine, and I know it will happen because of the dedication I see in this room tonight.”
During the two-day event, the Partnership recognized several individuals and groups for their commitment to developing the Tennessee RiverLine. TVA was awarded the organizational “Partner of the Year,” and Julie Harris of the River Discovery Center was given individual “Partner of the Year.”
Summit guests also attended a private tour the TVA River Forecast Center, which monitors weather conditions and adjusts water levels for the Tennessee River system to keep its communities safe.
Additional programming will be added in spring 2020; applications will be available soon at tnriverline.org.
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Watch the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine unfold.
Request a copy of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership’s 2019 Annual Report at info@tnriverline.org.
