The Mississippi River in West Tennessee

Shall We Gather at the River?

2010-07-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

On Friday & Saturday, Sept 24-25 more than 300 people from communities of faith along the Mississippi will come together in Memphis at the BRIDGES Center to learn about how we can all protect and preserve our River.

Gather at the River: A Conference for People of Faith is the creation of a group of caring people of faith who cherish the Mississippi River as a sacred trust and want to equip each of us to address issues facing the river. God lent us this treasure and it is time to unify the communities of faith for common cause - protecting water as a potent symbol.

Speakers will include:

John M. Barry, author of best seller Rising Tide, will share some of the Mississippi River’s history and importance to our region, country & the world.
Ellen Bernstein, author of The Splendor of Creation: A Biblical Ecology will ground us in an appreciation of the biblical concern for the care of the Earth.
Michael Reuter of The Nature Conservancy and Rosanna Cappellato, Ph.D. Rhodes College Environmental Science Professor, will educate us on the health of the Mississippi River watershed globally and locally.
The Rev. Fletcher Harper Executive Director Green Faith Alliance, will lead us in discussions of how communities of faith can be leaders in the environmental movement and how we can all play a part in the preservation of the Mississippi River and our other natural resources.

Over 15 breakout sessions covering a range of topics such as: youth based environmental curriculum, Mississippi Watershed & Its Implications for the Gulf of Mexico, Spirituality of Photography & the River, Role of the Corps of Engineers, and others.

Participants will leave inspired, spiritually fed and equipped with:

People and Ideas for partnership
10 Things You Can do At Home to Protect the Mississippi and how to organize your green efforts within your faith based organization
Sunday School Curriculum that incorporates this work as a work of God and fosters an understanding of how to “plug in” to the stewardship that God asks of us
Fellowship with Colleagues who think likewise as well as a general understanding of the “green” efforts taking place in our region.
Tools and Information on how to protect the river specifically in the context of our faith.

Registration starts at 3 pm on Friday, Sept. 24. Conference events run from 6 to 9:30 pm on Friday, Sept. 24 and from 8 am to 6 pm on Saturday, Sept. 25.

The BRIDGES Center is located at 477 North Fifth St. in Uptown Memphis.

You can learn more, register or donate at: www.GatherAtTheRiver.org

Greenways & Byways: A Reional Forum for Sucess

2009-10-30T13:26:00.004-05:00

Save the Date:
Greenways & Byways: A Regional Forum for Success
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
9:00am - 4:00pm
Mud Island/River Terrace

For more information, read the Newsletter

Tennessee Photographer John Guider’s Journey,  The River Inside, opens at the Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island River Park - Memphis

2009-06-30T15:55:00.007-05:00

Memphis, TN, June 9. 2009 – Tennessee photographer John Guider stepped into his 16-foot canoe on Spencer Creek in Williamson County five years ago and began his journey down the Harpeth, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio rivers, paddling toward the mighty Mississippi and his final destination of New Orleans. The River Inside, which opens at the Mississippi River Museum on July 20th, tells the story of Guider’s solo journey through the camera’s eye. The opening Reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, August 7th at River Terrace on Mud Island at the Memphis riverfront. The event will run from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

Guider, who completed the upper portions of the Mississippi in three subsequent solo canoe trips taken from 2005 to 2007, captured more than 10,000 scenes of America’s waterways on film during his trips. He then selected and processed just 75 platinum prints representative of the people and places he encountered along the way. The images offer a revealing perspective on the natural and controlled inland waterways that bisect the nation.

In a journal he kept chronicling his daily routine, Guider recorded the life he observed along the riverbanks and the details of what he felt were narrow escapes from life-threatening situations.

He often paddled eight to 10 hours a day and was sometimes alone for five to six days at a time; the quiet, almost haunting solitude of Guider’s journeys are vividly evident in the resulting photographs. Artifacts from the trips, along with his canoe, river maps, and camera equipment will also be included in the exhibition.

The exhibit’s title, The River Inside, which was drawn from the importance of rivers as prime conduits of vital commodities, and as overlooked by-ways, speaks to the resonance between life-sustaining water sources and human beings.

A book authored by Guider, which shares the same title — The River Inside, will be available for purchase during the exhibition. Published by Tennessee’s FRP Books, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwestern/Great American, Inc. and designed by McNeely, Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Guider’s book is a compelling narrative of his life-changing journey, as well as a work of art, with high-impact photographs and graphics. With a cast of colorful characters, a series of near-deadly mishaps, a respect for the Mississippi as a wonder of nature and of commerce, and the wit and wisdom of a true poet, The River Inside is a one-of-a-kind tale with an important message: To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “The seas are around us, but the river is in us.

Guider, whose photography is in the corporate collections of Broadcast Music, Inc., Dollar General, Opryland Hotel, Vanderbilt Hospital, and Warner Brothers, earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and studied photography under the tutelage of Hasselblad Foundation International Photography award winner Ernst Haas and International Center of Photography Affinity Award winner Jay Maisel. His images have been exhibited at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Red Mountain Museum of Art, The Parthenon, the Nashville Public Library, Nashville International Airport, as well as at many area galleries.

The River Inside is proudly sponsored by
AT&T
Memphis Riverfront Development Corporation, Bass, Berry & Sims
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and
Tennessee Valley Authority
The exhibition is organized by the Tennessee State Museum and sponsored by the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee

The exhibition will be on view through October 31st at the Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island River Park. Hours are 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The Museum is closed on Mondays.
General admission to the Park is free but the Museum admission (which includes roundtrip Monorail Ride and Guided River Walk tour) is $ 8.00 for adults and $ 5.00 for youths (5-11). Children under 4 and under are free.

A Teachers Workshop will be held in August and student tours will run weekly during the exhibition tour in Memphis.

John Guider’s photography from the The River Inside:

Boy Fishing from a Harbor Tug Mooring Shed,
Mississippi River near Natchez, MS

Robert, Deckhand on the Harbor Tug Marjorie, near Natchez, MS

Canoe at River's Edge, Sunset along the Mississippi River

Ten Things You Can Do for the Mississippi River

2009-05-19T13:33:00.003-05:00

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. America’s Greatest River is an economic engine for our state’s tourism, agriculture and industry, a vital home for wildlife, an important source of drinking water for 20 million people, and a place for families and recreation. Our greatest authors, musicians, and explorers have been inspired by its power. But sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help.

Today, the once mighty Mississippi River is vulnerable and needs our protection from pollution, overdevelopment and local neglect. Fortunately, it’s not too late to make a difference. You can do your part by choosing just one thing below to help protect our Mississippi River.

Join a River Cleanup

Nearly every Mississippi River community holds an annual river cleanup. Besides being good for the River, cleanups are fun, often with free food and live music. You'll meet other river lovers, introduce kids to river stewardship and spend a day in nature. Give something back to the River and your local community by joining like-minded volunteers who are working to improve and protect the Mississippi River for the residents and families of our next generation.

Get Your Lawn off Drugs

Avoid using costly and dangerous chemical fertilizers and pesticides in your yard and garden. These chemicals, which are often over-used, are carried in run-off from rain and sprinkler water into local storm drains, which may pour into the Mississippi River and its streams and wetlands.

Buy Organic, Locally-Grown Produce

When you buy organic, locally-grown produce, you’re playing a key role in reducing the leading source of pollution in the Mississippi River: fertilizer. In addition to supporting your local economy, organically-grown foods are a great choice for your family because they taste great and don’t rely on the phosphorous and nitrogen-based chemicals that pollute the waters and kill off fish and other aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.

Act Locally

Is your city putting off improving its sewer system? Is it filling in wetlands to build an industrial park? Does a local business have a lot of hazardous waste accidents and spills? In many communities, just a couple of persistent citizens can motivate local officials to do a better job. Speak up and demand that polluters and others who threaten the River’s health be held accountable. Ask for clean water protections for you, your family and your community.

Respect the Storm Sewers

Storm water is a major contributor to water pollution in the Mississippi River and its many watersheds. Household waste, from pets and garden chemicals to automobiles and street litter, are carried into our community storm sewers by rain and snowmelt. Although each storm sewer drain contributes just a small amount of pollution, there can be thousands of such sewer inlets around your community! These storm sewers often drain untreated waste water into local streams, rivers and wetlands. You can help reduce storm water pollution by never pouring paints, oils, and other chemical wastes down the sewers and by committing to keeping a drugfree lawn.

Landscape with Native Plants and Trees

The Mississippi River region is home to an endless supply of beautiful native plants, flowers and trees. When you choose native plants for your lawn and garden, you not only save yourself money and trouble, you also help to reduce flood levels in your community. Native plants are accustomed to our local soil types, weather patterns, pests and diseases. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they support our wildlife and natural systems of flood control.

Support River Access

Parks, gardens and recreational trails beautify our communities and, when properly managed, help protect the Mississippi River. Green spaces filled with native trees and plants and managed with limited chemical fertilizers and pesticides provide homes for wildlife, clean our air, and help maintain our underground water resources. River trails, boat launches and other access points bring added value and tourism dollars to our communities.

Get to Know Your River

Never been to your nearby riverside park? Pack a picnic and your kids, grandkids or neighbors and head out to explore America’s Greatest River at your doorstep! Sign up for a canoe trip and have fun identifying waterfowl and other wildlife. Visit an interpretive nature center or join other families at a community riverside event. Research your town’s historic River connections and discover why the Mississippi River is an important part of your community and family heritage.

Be a River Citizen in your Community

If you love the Mississippi River, don’t be shy. Tell your friends, neighbors and elected officials that the Mississippi River is important to you. You can make a difference.

Earth Day Harbor Clean-Up

2009-04-10T14:31:00.001-05:00

Join us for an Earth Day Harbor Clean-Up!

Where: Cobblestones at the Memphis Riverfront - Riverside Dr. at Monroe - next to Jefferson Davis Park

When: Saturday, April 25, 2009 @ 9 a.m.*

At NOON all volunteers are invited to join us for an Earth Day Celebration Lunch.

Earth Day Harbor Clean-Up is a collaborative effort to clean-up the downtown riverfront organized by The Mississippi River Corridor - TN (MRCT), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Clean Memphis, Comcast Cares, Friends for Our Riverfront, The Sierra Club and Riverfront Development Corporation. Interested volunteers should sign up via our Facebook event page or email janet@cleanmemphis.org to sign-up.

Volunteers will meet at the cobblestones adjacent to Jefferson Davis Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2009 to commence trash pick-up. Bags and gloves will be provided by the City of Memphis Division of Public Works; however, it is also recommended that volunteers bring a pair of gloves in the event that we have more volunteers than gloves. Complimentary water and assorted sodas will be provided by Pepsi America.

*Rain date: Sunday, April 26th 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The History and Culture of City Parks, Urban Greenspaces and Urban Planning: A Workshop

2009-03-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

The History and Culture of City Parks, Urban Greenspaces and Urban Planning:
A Workshop

Culminating in a round table discussion of Memphis's Greenspace Heritage and its Future

7 April 2009
4:00-7:30 PM
Ballroom, Bryan Campus Life Center

Contact: Michael Leslie

Tel.: 901 843 3715; leslie@rhodes.edu

The aim of this workshop is to set our contemporary and local debates over green spaces in Memphis and Shelby County in the context of two centuries of debate over environmental protection and urban planning.

Overton Park and the Memphis Parkway system, planned by George Kessler, were designed explicitly with an eye to F.L. Olmsted’s famous New York developments of Central Park and Prospect Park. But the Olmsted parks were not just objects of beauty: Olmsted was passionately convinced that such green spaces contributed both to the social cohesiveness and fairness of a modern urban society and to the health of urban populations.

His ideas for urban parks were formed as a result of his travels in Britain and Europe, in particular by his experience of Birkenhead Park, in Northern England. Designed by the great engineer Joseph Paxton and opened in 1847, Olmsted considered that Birkenhead Park achieved a democratisation of urban experience and produced significant health benefits for one of the 19th century’s great industrial cities.

Paxton was an innovator, but he too inherits a dynamic tradition of urban planning and sanitation reform from the 18th century. Birkenhead Park draws from the new towns of Edinburgh and Bath. The creation and maintenance of green spaces are an urgent concern from the very moment at which rapid urbanisation and industrialisation emerged in the western world.

Speakers

Dr. Rosemary (Roey) Sweet

Professor of Urban History and Director of the Centre for Urban History, University of Leicester

Author of The Writing of Urban Histories in Eighteenth-century England (Oxford Historical Monographs) (1997); The English Town, 1680-1840: Government, Society and Culture (Themes In British Social History) (1999); Women and Urban Life in Eighteenth-century England: On the Town (2003); and Antiquaries: The Discovery of the Past in Eighteenth Century Britain (2004) (among much more)

Dr. Roey Sweet will survey examples of polite spaces in newly-urbanising 18th-century Britain, revealing intellectual underpinnings that range from enthusiasm for Druids through to a recognition of the need for open space and traffic management in the battle against disease, appalling living conditions, and the moral failings of the poor. Dr Sweet will also caution against taking overly seriously many of these assertions of noble motives, pointing out that the creation of open spaces also contributed to the enhancement of property values and the attraction of an elite population.

Dr. Katy Layton Jones

Lecturer, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the University of Leicester

Author of Places of Health and Amusement: Liverpool's Historic Parks and Gardens (Informed Conservation) (2008)

Dr Katy Layton-Jones will carry the story into Britain’s famous 19th-century parks movement. Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the British landscape was transformed by industrialisation, urbanisation and suburbanisation. This physical transformation of space was accompanied by a conceptual one, through which existing notions of public and private, rural and urban, were reappraised and challenged. Central to this process of redefining and reshaping the British landscape, was the ‘creation’ or designation of public green space in the form of walks, cemeteries, and perhaps most importantly, municipal parks. This paper will look at how the process of creating public green space, the designs of influential figures such as Joseph Paxton and Edward Kemp, and representations of the finished landscapes, all contributed to a re-conceptualisation of the British urban realm in the long 19th century.

Dr. Michael Leslie

Rhodes College

'Birkenhead Park, Frederick Law Olmsted, Central Park, and the Design Brief for Overton Park'

Dr. Michael Leslie will briefly document the influence of these 18th and 19th-century urban green space developments on the most important urban landscape designer in American history, Frederick Law Olmsted, the principal designer of both Central Park and Prospect Park in New York and the creator of urban parkway systems. He will point to the continuation of many of the themes identified by Drs. Sweet and Layton-Jones in American urban space creation, not least in the Tennessee example of Memphis’s Parkways and Overton Park, designed by one of Olmsted’s disciples, George Kessler.

Refreshments

Roundtable

Participants expected to include Jimmy Ogle (Citizens to Preserve Overton Park), Lauren Taylor (Hyde Foundation), Diana Threadgill (Mississippi River Corridor - TN), Ritchie Smith and Lissa Thompson (Ritchie Smith and Associates).

Mud Island River Park Input Needed

2009-03-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

Do you have ideas for how Mud Island could be better utilized for the public? If so, please attend one of the Public Meetings and give your input!

Public meeting schedule:
Mar. 23 (Mon.) - Mud Island River Park Harbor Landing, 101 Island Dr.
Mar. 24 (Tues.) - Raleigh United Methodist Church, 3295 Powers Rd.
Mar. 31 (Tues.) - Whitehaven Community Center Gym, 4318 Graceland Dr.
Apr. 2 (Thurs.) - Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Rd.

All of the meetings are from 5:45 pm to 7:15 pm.

Whether or not you are able to attend the public meetings, please be sure to also fill out the RDC survey for the Land Use Study for Mud Island.

Save the Date - April 25th!

2009-03-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Clean Memphis, Sierra Club and Friends for our Riverfront to organize a clean-up of our Mississippi River/Harbor in downtown Memphis on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

We invite you to spend a few hours helping us with this important task on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Please mark your calendars, and stay tuned for additional information.

Thank you!

URBANEXUS Memphis

2009-03-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Another Memphis event to attend after Memphis 101.

Memphis
The Salon: The New Face of Civic Engagement

Thursday, March 19th 2009 6:00pm
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
926 McLemore Avenue, Memphis

Join Next American City for their URBANEXUS salon on the role of civic engagement in moving Memphis forward. Join seven local representatives - Eric Matthews of Launch Memphis, Dr. Charlie Santo of Coalition for Livable Communities, Tim Sampson of Stax Museum, John Weeden of UrbanArt, Cardell Orrin of New Path, Derwin Sisnett of NDCC Power Center and Gwyn Fisher of MPACT Memphis - as each presenter uses 4 slides per minute for 4 minutes to share how their organizations are making creative approaches toward civic engagement. An audience Q&A and reception will immediately follow the presentations.

Admission is free.

Presented by Next American City.

Sponsored by:
Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning & Development
MPACT Memphis
Sustainable Shelby

In Partnership With:
Urban Land Institute
Coalition for Livable Communities
Community Development Council

Leadership Academy - Memphis 101

2009-03-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

At the MRCT we are always happy to share information about groups and activities which portray our city and region in a positive light, so we wanted to make sure you knew about this event:

MEMPHIS 101
get to really know this town

Mayor AC Wharton, Featured Speaker. Larry Jensen, Special Presentation.

Candid, compelling, enlightening, Memphis 101*, sponsored by First Tennessee Foundation as part of the Celebrate What's Right series, is an interactive crash course in Memphis culture, people and politics. Join The Leadership Academy as we offer a fresh perspective into our city's personality. All are welcome! There is no charge for this event but we do need your RSVP. (Subsequent Memphis 101s will be for a fee unless participating in MemphisConnect.)

March 19th, from 3:00-5:00pm

Second Presbyterian Church
4055 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111

RSVP Didi Crandall, at dcrandall@leadershipacademy.org or 901.527.4625, ext. 10.

*Developed and owned by archer>malmo, the largest marketing and communications firm in Tennessee, Memphis 101 is licensed to The Leadership Academy on an exclusive basis.

MemphisConnect. Building a better Memphis. Recruiting and Retaining Talent.

Ghost River Rentals

2009-02-17T15:41:00.000-06:00

How can you get out and paddle the Mississippi River? If you'd like to rent a kayak and a guide, read about Ghost River Rentals below.

Mark Babb and Don Hailey started Ghost River Rentals in 2007. Mark is a physical fitness and outdoor enthusiast who grew up boating and camping on the Mississippi River with his father and brothers. He worked several years on Mississippi River Towboats and was a licensed Towboat Pilot. Also a sailor, he has explored all of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Barrier Islands on a seventeen foot catamaran. As a paddler he has explored over 100 miles of Mississippi River, Wolf River from LaGrange to Memphis, Horn Island and many others. Don is also a lifelong physical fitness and outdoor enthusiast. He is a PADI certified Rescue Diver, holds a Commercial Pilots license (non-active), and is an avid Harley rider. As a paddler he has explored many miles of the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers, as well as an overnight trip to Horn Island. Mark Babb & Don Hailey are both career Firefigher Paramedics with over 30 years combined experience in Emergency Services, so safety is never a worry when touring the rivers with these two.

Most of their kayak/canoe trips are Wolf River focused due to demand, but when interviewing Mark, he mentioned that he would love to see more of a demand for Mississippi River excursions, and would offer weekly tours if the demand increased. When asked why he thought there was less demand for paddling the Mississippi River he stated that many people feel it is not safe to paddle because of the strong current and scary reputation. Education and safety are the keys to overcoming these fears, and as long as the river is respected, paddling it can be especially rewarding. While Ghost River Rentals offers guided tours of both the Wolf and Mississippi Rivers, he recommends contacting Outdoors Inc. (www.outdoorsinc.com) or Memphis Whitewater (www.memphiswhitewater.com) for courses on kayaking technique for those who wish to become kayakers on their own.

Bluff homes overlooking the river and Mud Island are creating new demand for and interest in the river, instead of just seeing it as dangerous and polluted. He also mentioned that he personally feels safer on a kayak than a power boat on the river, because if the motor goes on the power boat, you're stranded, but with a kayak, you have more control over the situation. His personal (and experienced) preference for kayaking the Mississippi is a 17’ sit-in touring kayak.

For additional information on Wolf River excursions and pricing, please visit their website at www.ghostriverrentals.com or contact them via email ghostriverrentals@yahoo.com or telephone: 901-485-1220. Their Mississippi River excursion prices are not on the website, but were quoted at prices of $45/boat and $100/guide. There is a minimum requirement of 6 boats and typically 2 guides for more inexperienced paddlers to book a Mississippi River excursion. The boats they use for the Mississippi River are sit-on-top kayaks which have no spray skirts nor require any bail-out if cap-sized and they float and can be flipped back over for ease of use. Their most requested Mississippi River excursion is the all day float from Meeman-Shelby Forest to downtown Memphis, and they also offer sunset floats where they launch from the north side of Mud Island, paddle across the river to Loosahatchie Bar and then back to Mud Island around the south bend and into the Wolf River Harbor. He stated that these trips would be much easier with better access to the river, because he believes the Auction Street boat ramp is currently closed, and he has been turned away from the Mud Island Marina in the past. So, be a part of the demand, and let's ensure we all have access to our river. For those who are interested in a more robust experience including camping, they also offer the chance to kayak the river from Golddust, TN (in Lauderdale County) to an end point of either Memphis, TN or Tunica, MS.

2009 Greenways & Trails Forum

2009-02-12T16:59:00.000-06:00

2009 Greenways & Trails Forum
"Connect with Tennessee"

Thursday, April 2, 2009 – Saturday, April 4, 2009*

D.P. Culp University Center
East TN State University
Johnson City, TN

Featured Forum Speaker: Dan Burden

*See PDF brochure or visit their website for a detailed schedule of events and additional information.

Dan Burden is a nationally recognized authority on bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs, livable communities, healthy streets, traffic calming, and other design and planning elements that affect roadway environments. Time Magazine recently listed Dan as "one of the six most important civic innovators in the world." The Transportation Research Board (National Academy of Sciences) honored Dan by making him their Distinguished Lecturer in 2001, the national Smart Growth Coalition awarded Dan its first Lifetime Achievement Award and the League of American Bicyclists lists Dan as "one of the 25 most significant leaders in bicycling for the past 100 years."

Experience: Dan has thirty years of experience in the livable communities field. He served for 16 years as Florida DOT's first State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. This program became a model for other statewide programs. In 1996, Dan founded Walkable Communities, Inc. This nonprofit group has been assisting North American communities to become more walkable. Then in 2005, Dan and Walkable Communities joined Glatting Jackson, where Dan now works as a Principal and Senior Urban Designer. Glatting Jackson is a firm recognized for its excellence in livable communities design and innovative urban transportation planning and design services.

Method: In the past 11 years Dan has personally photographed and examined walking, bicycling and transportation conditions in over 2,500 cities in the U.S. and abroad. He worked as a bicycle consultant in China for the United Nations in 1994, and he has also worked in Australia, Canada, the Caribbean and many European countries. His pictures have been published in such diverse publications as the National Geographic, New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Sierra Club and Weekly Reader. Presentations given by Dan are always richly illustrated with examples from near and far. Dan's visual, information-rich workshops, with National Geographic quality images, showcase the most modern and best ways to plan and design better streets, town centers, and neighborhoods. Today many state and national organizations select Dan as either a featured or keynote speaker for their annual conferences.

Goal: Dan uses his experience and photography to teach people to speak one common language; his goal is to bring many professions closer together, to retool and rebuild for present and future urban living. Common professions and groups that learn to speak one universal community building language include the following: engineering, planning, health, development, placemaking, architecture, advocacy, historic preservation, and landscape architecture. Designs that incorporate this process lead to highly engaging activity centers, prosperous business districts, quiet, pleasant, well connected neighborhoods, and great waterfronts, parks, trails and open spaces with an emphasis on people and active living.

Wolf River Boardwalk Hikes

2009-02-05T16:09:00.000-06:00

Boardwalk Hikes this Saturday, February 7, at 10:00 a.m.

Please join Allan Trently, a state biologist, on two Boardwalk Hikes w/The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Division of Natural Areas. TDEC Biologist Allan Trently will lead two, short guided hikes on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the William B. Clark and the Ghost River Natural Areas in Fayette County. Participants should meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot at the William Clark Preserve located about one mile north of Rossville on State Highway 194.

The first hike will begin at the 460-acre William B. Clark conservation area, which features a 1,600-foot interpretive boardwalk that meanders through bald, cypress-water tupelo forest in the Wolf River. Participants will then drive approximately 10 miles to the Ghost River State Natural Area situated just outside of LaGrange. While at this 2,220-acre natural area, hikers will walk along the 600-foot boardwalk that crosses through a very scenic stretch of the Ghost River section of the Wolf River.

Both hikes will be guided by the Division's Stewardship Ecologist Allan Trently, who will interpret the ecology of the natural areas, which occur along un-channelized reaches of the Wolf River. A variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats along the boardwalks offer opportunities for observing snakes, turtles, amphibians, beavers, wading birds and aquatic vegetation. Participants can expect to see cypress knees protruding from the moist forest floor and shallow water.

"The Wolf River and its sloughs provide excellent habitat for rare and endangered freshwater mussels and other aquatic organisms," Trently said. "Additionally, the Ghost River Natural Area includes other ecologically significant uplands and sandy hills adjacent to the floodplain."

Reservations are required for the guided hikes and can be made by contacting Allan Trently by phone at (731) 512-1369 or by e-mail at allan.trently@state.tn.us by Feb. 6. For directions to the William B. Clark Natural Area, please visit: www.tn.gov/environment/na/natareas/wbclark.

Recreation on the Mississippi River

2009-01-26T11:59:00.000-06:00

One of the projects we are working on here at the MRCT is a proposed Blueway on the Mississippi River between Meeman-Shelby Forest and downtown Memphis. We hope to encourage additional recreation on our mighty river and believe that the more we foster recreation on and access to our river, the more our community will grow to love and care for our river, because there is work to be done to make it cleaner and healthier. Please read the article run in today's Commercial Appeal about our proposed Blueway.

We had a trial run of regular folk kayaking down the Blueway back in 2007 for our Paddle & Float event, and great fun was had by all.

We even had a catered picnic lunch on Hickman Bar, which is a beautiful sandy beach along the river with excellent camping potential.

Joe Royer and Outdoors Inc. has been a pioneer and an incredible force in advocating a recreation river for us here in Memphis & west Tennessee. Every year Outdoors Inc. has a Canoe & Kayak Race on the downtown portion of the Mississippi River, and they celebrated their 27th year last May!

If water sports are not for you, there are also opportunities for walking and bicycling along our river.

Outdoors Inc. produces a Cyclocross race annually for those who enjoy a more challenging bicycle race.

And the Mississippi River Bicycle Trail extends along the entire western coast of the river in West Tennessee with beautiful bluff vistas available to enjoy along the way.

Chickasaw Bluff No. 2 - GPS Coordinates: N 35° 30.539’ W 089° 54.375’

Chickasaw Bluff No. 1 - GPS Coordinates: N 35° 37.047’ W 089° 52.961’

Researchers from Illinois and Wisconsin have paddled past our port in order to study the health of the river (see our blog post with the details of that expedition)...

...and photographers such as John Guider have paddled the river to document its mighty nature and unabashed romantic allure. Stay tuned for more information, as we are bringing his incredible photo exhibit to Mud Island this spring!

Now get out there and enjoy our Mississippi River!

Loosahatchie Bar

2009-01-20T11:00:00.000-06:00

Congratulations!
Every once in a while, we like to congratulate and showcase one of our Partners in a significant accomplishment for our great river and the Mississippi River Corridor – Tennessee.

This month we've chosen The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee and their recent completion of the Loosahatchie Bar Conservation Project. Directed by Dr. Ron Nassar, in consultation with the Memphis District Corps of Engineers, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and several federal, state and private sector partners, this project is part of a landscape-scale conservation plan – "Restoring America's Greatest River."

Location
Loosahatchie Bar, located in two counties in two states (Shelby County, Tennessee and Crittenden County, Arkansas), is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River directly across from the city of Memphis.

History
In the 1960s it became necessary for the Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct rock dikes to divert flow from Loosahatchie Bar back to the river to maintain a safe navigation channel.

Sedimentation has increased within the Loosahatchie Bar, causing the loss of aquatic habitat and restricting the passage of fish through the area.

Although parts of the channel have a water depth of 10 feet during the spring and early summer, much of the area often dries completely later in the year.

Conservation Success and Benefits
In the fall of 2008, the LMRCC constructed 12 notches in eight of the stone dikes, and restored the flow of the Mississippi River through more than 11 miles of the Loosahatchie Bar.

The project will benefit the Least Tern, Pallid Sturgeon and Fat Pocketbook Mussel, which are federally endangered species found in the area, as well as improve habitat for recreationally and commercially important fish species.

Revitalizing the Lower Mississippi River ecosystem and providing outdoor recreational opportunities will improve our quality of life in the Memphis region. It will also promote nature-based tourism, one of the fastest growing segments in both the international and national tourism industries, which provide an economic stimulus of $2 Billion/Day worldwide.

The project will also restore aquatic habitat for wetland-dependent birds using the Mississippi Flyway migration corridor and provide additional opportunities for conservation education.

Our great thanks go to our valued partners, The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, for their wonderful work in conservation and restoration of the Lower Mississippi River.

Scenic Byways Historic Assets

2008-12-29T12:15:00.000-06:00

As part of the process to apply for a National Scenic Byways designation for our Great River Road in West Tennessee, we were to select up to 15 assets in our 5 counties bordering the Mississippi River which reflect intrinsic historic qualities per the definition they provided:

Historic Quality encompasses legacies of the past that are distinctly associated with physical elements of the landscape, whether natural or manmade, that are of such historic significance that they educate the viewer and stir an appreciation for the past. The historic elements reflect the actions of people and may include buildings, settlement patterns, and other examples of human activity. Historic features can be inventoried, mapped and interpreted. They possess integrity of location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association.

Listed from North to South, our 15 selected assets:

1) Jones Chapel Church of Christ Cemetery, Great River Road Tennessee, north of Tiptonville, Lake County, Tennessee

© Dr. Carroll Van West

This National Register-eligible cemetery is the resting place for the mass burial of 75 Confederates from the Island No. 10 battle during the Civil War, the oldest identified marker dates to 1838.

2) Island No. 10 Battlefield Memorial, Great River Road Tennessee, north of Tiptonville, Lake County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

This state-developed marker for the Battle of Island No. 10 interprets this pivotal
Civil War battle for control of the Mississippi River and was erected c. 1960 as part of the state's Civil War centennial.

3) Reelfoot Lake, White's Landing Boardwalk, Great River Road Tennessee, Lake County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

This lone fisherman is an example of the fishing activity that takes place in the
midst of beautiful old cypress trees in this natural fish hatchery lake created as a result of the New Madrid earthquakes which occurred in the early 1800s.

4) Heloise Landing and the Mississippi River, Great River Road Tennessee, Dyer County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

This access point to the Mississippi River port was once a prominent stop for
agricultural trade during the time between the Civil War and World War II eras.

5) Alex Haley’s Boyhood Home, Great River Road Tennessee, Henning, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

This one-and-one-half story weatherboard bungalow where Alex Haley lived from
1921 to 1929, was the house of Alex Haley's grandfather, Will Palmer and his time there served as inspiration for his popular book Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976).

6) Fort Pillow State Historic Park, Great River Road Tennessee, Lauderdale County,
Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

Civil War re-enactments are periodically held at this historic site to remember the
events that occurred at Ft. Pillow during the Civil War.

7) Lauderdale County Courthouse Ripley, Great River Road Tennessee, Lauderdale County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

The Lauderdale County Courthouse has a unique design among Marr and Holman's Public Works Administration (PWA) courthouses due to its use of buff-colored glazed brick as the main exterior material and its cruciform plan.

8) Tipton County Courthouse, Covington, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

This late nineteenth century Victorian-styled Courthouse and gazebo in Covington serves as an anchor to surrounding historic commercial and public buildings ranging in age from the 1870s to the 1970s.

9) Canaan Baptist Church, Covington, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

Built from 1916 to 1917, the Canaan Baptist Church has played a significant role
in the social history, religious history, and the ethnic heritage of African Americans in Covington and Tipton County.

10) Randolph, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

Randolph was founded in 1823 and undoubtedly occupied the best potential site available for water-borne commerce, due its direct access to the Mississippi River, and as such provided an excellent harbor for steam and flatboats at all stages of the river.

11) National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

As showcased at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the struggle for civil rights continues to play a major and historic role in our society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cut down by an assassin's bullet in 1968 at this shrine to his life's work and quest to secure the rights of equality, liberty and justice for all people in the world.

12) Mud Island River Park & Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee

© Mud Island River Park & Museum

The historic Mud Island River Park and Museum is a unique 52-acre recreational,
educational and entertainment facility dedicated to telling the story of the Mighty Mississippi River and its people. The River Walk on Mud Island is a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi river, from Cairo, IL, to New Orleans, LA.

13) Beale Street, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee

© David Richtmyre

Beale Street, while primarily known for being the home of the Blues, is also steeped in African American history. In the late 1870's Memphis was fighting a Yellow Fever epidemic and lost its city charter in 1879. At this time, Robert Church purchased land around Beale Street which eventually lead to his becoming the first black millionaire from the south. In the early 1900s, Beale Street was filled with clubs, restaurants and shops, many of them owned by African-Americans. In 1889, NAACP co-founder Ida B. Wells was a co-owner and editor of an anti-segregationist paper called Free Speech based on Beale. Beale Street Baptist Church, Tennessee's oldest surviving African American Church edifice built in 1864, was also important in the early civil rights movement in Memphis.

14) C. H. Nash Museum & Chucalissa Archaeological site, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

Operated by the University of Memphis, the Chucalissa site and museum serves as a gateway into understanding the science of archaeology and the interpretation of Native American history in the mid-south.

15) National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee

© Amie Vanderford

The National Ornamental Metal Museum is located on the grounds of a former U.S. Marine Hospital on the Memphis bluff over looking the Mississippi River. This bluff was originally the site of Native American Indian mounds, then in the 1600s was the site of a French fort, and eventually the site became Ft. Pickering during the Civil War.

Happy Holidays from the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee!

2008-12-22T12:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,

2008 was an incredibly good year for the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee! We are so very grateful for our dedicated supporters, donors and advocates, whose contributions have enabled us to accomplish much towards advancing our mission to identify, conserve, and interpret the region's natural, cultural, and scenic resources to improve the quality of life and prosperity in West Tennessee.

Highlights from a few of our projects this year include the production of a new film, "The Fort Pillow Story," for the Ft. Pillow State Historic Park in Lauderdale County; participation in a 10-state Geocaching event with the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, that brought numerous visitors to the unique sites we selected to hide caches for the event, and we completed and submitted a milestone Corridor Management Plan to the Federal Highway Administration and TDOT for a National Scenic Byways designation. During this process, TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely designated our Great River Road - Tennessee as a Tennessee Parkway! Thanks to the regional effort and work done by all six of the MRCT counties, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for in the coming year.

While our work as a non-profit organization continues to grow and evolve, along with our influence and public outreach, we need your financial support now more than ever to keep the momentum rolling into the New Year! Next April 2009, we will be hosting a Conference for the Mississippi River Parkway Commission that will bring all ten Mississippi River states to Memphis. We will also be working toward the implementation of strategic plans created to help us all enhance and develop our Corridor resources for increased economic and community development in west Tennessee.

As we enjoy this holiday season and look forward to a exciting New Year, we ask that you consider the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee in your holiday gift giving and end of year financial support for charitable organizations. Please visit our website at www.msrivertn.org and click the "Donate" button to make a donation online, or just give us a call at (901) 278-8459. We would love to discuss the many donor options available to you.

Please support the only regional organization in west Tennessee dedicated to the restoration of our mighty Mississippi River, the enhancement and preservation of our most treasured resources, and improving the quality of life for our present and future generations.

Have a wonderful Holiday season!

From the Staff, Board of Directors and Advisory Council members, we thank you and Happy New Year to us all!

Mississippi River Canoe Trip

2008-11-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen the Chickasaw Bluffs from the Mississippi River? If not, this is the trip for you. Take a 3 day/2 night canoe trip down a 58 mile portion of the Mississippi River in West Tennessee with John Ruskey of the Quapaw Canoe Company.

December 12-14, 2008
See Chickasaw Bluffs Nos 1, 2, 3 & 4 from Ft. Pillow to Memphis, Tennessee
58 river miles

Narrative: Fabulous views of the Chickasaw Bluffs along the Western edge of the state of Tennessee and adjacent bottomland hardwood forests, including the bluffs at Fort Pillow (1st Chickasaw Bluff), Richardson’s Landing (2nd Chickasaw Bluff), Meeman-Shelby State Forest (3rd Chickasaw Bluff) and finally the sweeping view of the Memphis skyline, including the Memphis Bridge and the Pyramid, and downtown Memphis (which straddles the 4th Chickasaw Bluff). The vista from the river is unparalleled! Points of interest include Anderson-Tully Wildlife Management Area, The mouth of the Hatchie River, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and the mouth of the Loosahatchie River. The vista from the river is unparalleled! You've never seen downtown Memphis if you haven’t viewed it from the river! Cost depends on number going. For 6 or more its $55/day/person + shuttle. 5=$65/day. 4=$75. 3=$85. Shuttle will be divided between participants, should run between $45 & $65 each (to pay for transportation & driver to start place).

Put in at Ashport, and take out at the foot of Beale Street in the Memphis Harbor. Total mileage = 58 miles on the Mississippi River. Meet in Memphis morning of Day I, camp two nights, take out afternoon/evening Day III.

Day I:
Shuttle: Meet at Memphis Yacht Club, 6am
Put-In: Put in Ashport Landing, 9am
Camp I: Lookout Bar (an island opposite the 2nd Chickasaw Bluff)
Points of Interest: Fort Pillow Bluffs (1st Chickasaw Bluff), Anderson-Tully Wildlife Management Area, The mouth of the Hatchie River, Richardson's Bluff (2nd Chickasaw Bluff: massive red, blue orange & grey bluffs collapsing into main channel. Fantastic scenery! A colorful muddy "glacier" calving into the river!)

Day II:
Camp II: Island 35
Points of Interest: Island Archipelago "Hen & the Chicks," Richardson's Bluff (2nd Chickasaw Bluff), Dean Island Chute.

Day III:
Take-Out: Memphis Harbor, 3 p.m. (subject to change)
Points of Interest: The mouth of the Hatchie River, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (3rd Chickasaw Bluff), Brandywine Chute, Hickman Bar, Mouth of the Loosahatchie River, Mud Island, I-40 Bridge, the Pyramid and downtown Memphis (4th Chickasaw Bluff)

All expeditions are outfitted with first-aid kits, rescue ropes, life preservers, cellular communication, and VHF marine radio. Please remember itinerary is dependent on river level and prevailing weather.

When on the river, there is no time but "River Time."

More more information, or to register for this trip, please email Keith Kirkland of the Wolf River Conservancy.

Call for Submissions: Documentary Expression and the American South

2008-11-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

Call for Submissions: Documentary Expression and the American South
Proposals due January 30, 2009

Southern Spaces (http://www.southernspaces.org) invites proposals for essays, photography, and multimedia projects about documentary expression in the various regions and places of the U.S. South. We encourage submissions that combine innovative scholarship and commentary about documentary work with ideas for digital media elements such as images, maps, audio, or video. We also welcome the submission of original documentary projects.

For this series, Southern Spaces will to publish projects that explore documentary expression in audio, film, art, photography, and other media. Original pieces might examine the work of one or more documentarians; analyze coverage of particular persons, places, or events; or compare the treatment of ideas or images across several documentary works, genres, or decades. To engage with space and place, projects might examine geographically specific sites, imagined geographies related to the U.S. South, migrations and displacements, or relationships between places.

For information, please visit: http://www.southernspaces.org/abo_cfp_doc.html

This notice is being provided by the MRC-T for your information only. All correspondence regarding this submission should be communicated directly with Southern Spaces.

Your Views on the Mississippi River

2008-10-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi River Corridor - TN would like to know how you feel about the Mississippi River, particularly as it relates to west Tennessee.

Tell us your stories, send us some photos, or answer a few of the below questions. We want to hear from you.

What, if anything, do you love about the Mississippi River?
What does it mean to you to live by one of the world’s largest and most important rivers?
How often do you visit the river?
Are there road blocks to your experiencing the river? If so, what are they?
Did you know that there are magnificent tall bluffs all along the river in West TN?
What can we do as organization to help you understand and become better acquainted with the river?
What do you see as the top issues facing our river?
How do you feel the river affects our lives?

Feel free to post your responses as comments to this blog, or email us, if you prefer.

The Fort Pillow Story film

2008-10-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi River Corridor - TN and the William Bearden company are pleased to present "The Fort Pillow Story." Run time: 20 minutes, streaming 15 MB.

To see our film on the 'big screen,' please visit the museum at the Ft. Pillow State Historic Park off of TN Highway 87, west of Henning, in Lauderdale County, TN. Enjoy nature, history and more at one of west Tennessee's greatest state parks.

2nd Annual Paddle & Float

2008-10-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

Our 2nd Annual Paddle & Float was held on the Memphis Queen III riverboat on October 2, 2008. The event included great food, excellent music from Delta Blues pianist Eden Brent, and the film premiere of The Fort Pillow Story, produced by Willy Bearden. The main star of the show was, of course, the sunset on our mighty Mississippi River.

On deck for the sunset

Willy & Cheryl Bearden

Joe & Carol Lee Royer

Eden Brent

Nernii, Garland and Estie dance it up

And we celebrated a few birthdays while we were at it!

Ripley & Covington Historic Architecture

2008-09-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

Lauderdale County Courthouse
Its design is unique among Marr and Holman's PWA courthouses due to its use of buff-colored glazed brick as the main exterior material and its cruciform plan. Located at the center of the cruciform, in the first floor rotunda, is an inlaid terrazzo map of the country, showing its towns and transportation systems. The rotunda ceiling has coffered panels surrounding a ceiling medallion set within a central concave area. "Zig-zag-influenced angular Art Deco decorative decorative elements," noted architectural historian Trina Binkley, enliven both the exterior and interior, "framing doors, doorways, windows, and at the ceiling line." (7) Plus, the new courthouse did not overwhelm the Public Square; new landscaping helped to highlight the building. A county historian remarked in 1957: "few prettier spots exist in the United States than the lawn about the courthouse, for here are a few of the ancient trees, and many new pecans, maples, locusts, and shrubs which sit of a carpet of green grass with squirrels playing." [Text from C. V. West, The New Deal Landscape of Tennessee (UT Press, 2000)]

U.S Post Office - Ripley
One-story red brick Colonial Revival-styled post office. Works Progress Administration funds were used in 1941 to construct the post office, designed by Louis A. Simon in a Colonial Revival style. A mural, Autumn, produced through the federal artists' program, still decorates the post office interior. Painted by Marguerite Zorach, the mural reflects hunting and nutting in the West Tennessee country.

Wardlaw-Steele House - Ripley
A massive, decorative two-story Classical Revival portico added in the early twentieth century enlivened what had been a typical two-story frame Tennessee I-House initially built in 1842. One of the most striking examples of domestic architecture in the county.

Courthouse Square - Covington
The late nineteenth century Victorian-styled Tipton County Courthouse is surrounded by historic commercial and public buildings from the 1870s to the 1970s. Many buildings have been restored and adapted to new uses, and a recent streetscape project has improved the appearance of this important public space.

Ruffin Theatre - Covington
This deco-styled theater from the 1930s has been restored for community theater, concerts, and other events.

St Matthews Episcopal Church - Covington
This Gothic Revival-styled building from the mid-nineteenth century survived the Civil War to become one of the town’s defining settlement and religious landmarks.

Former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant - Covington
This impressive Art Deco building, built in the 1930s and designed by Memphis architect Everett Woods, has long been a landmark along U.S. Highway 51 in downtown Covington.

Hotel Lindo - Covington
This turn of the century downtown hotel served railroad travelers as Covington expanded its business and commercial district in the twentieth century. Few historic hotels still exist on courthouse squares in Tennessee.

Covington South Main Street Historical District House
Radiating south from the town square, this residential district is truly diverse in its architectural types, including a suburban version of a Louisiana plantation house, Queen Anne homes from the early twentieth century, and red brick bungalows.

Charles B. Simonton House - Covington

Save the Date!

2008-08-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

Invites your Participation in a River Celebration!

The 2nd Annual

Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Memphis Queen III
Riverside Drive at Monroe - Cobblestone Landing

Come down to the great Mississippi River and enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise on the beautiful Memphis Queen III.

Featured Blues Artist

Eden Brent

Blues Foundation Award Winner 2007

We'll rock the night away with the best blues pianist in the Delta!

Enjoy cocktails and a wonderful dinner as we travel on the mighty Mississippi.

Please mark your calendar today and show your support for the only regional organization in west Tennessee dedicated to "connecting people to the great river."

Cruise and Dinner Ticket Price $75.00 per person

For More Information contact: Diana Threadgill - Executive Director at (901) 278-8459 or e-mail: dianathreadgill@comcast.net for event
details.

www.msrivertn.org

Beale Street Landing Groundbreaking Ceremony

2008-07-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

Photos from the July 30, 2008 - Beale Street Landing Groundbreaking Ceremony - Memphis, TN. For more information about the project, please visit the Riverfront Development Corporation's website.

Dr. Benjamin Hooks & Mayor Willie Herenton

Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware & Mayor Willie Herenton

Memphis Queen III

Riverfront Development Corporation Chairman Greg Duckett

Mayor Willie Herenton

Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware

Dr. Benjamin Hooks

City Council Members Janis Fullilove & Scott McCormick

The Choir

Mayor Herenton Signals the beginning of the Groundbreaking.

Breaking Ground

John Stokes, City Councilman Scott McCormick, John Sheahan and Memphis Queen Captain

John Stokes & City Councilman Scott McCormick

RDC President Benny Lendermon, Mayor Willie Herenton & John Stokes

Photos © Amie Vanderford

Henning, TN

2008-07-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

If you’re up in Lauderdale County for Ripley tomatoes or to visit the Ft. Pillow State Historic Park, you should also stop in Henning for a look at “Roots” author Alex Haley’s Boyhood Home & Museum and the new Interpretive Center they’re building. There is a ‘secret cache’ hidden outside of his home, too, so if you have your GPS handy, be sure to find the cache, get the ‘secret code’ symbol on the card inside the cache cover to participate in the National Great River Road 70th Anniversary Geocaching Event.

Have lunch at one of the local restaurants while you’re there, but be sure to bring cash, because credit cards are not accepted most places, nor is there an ATM machine handy.

If you wonder why you see a Chicago Cubs’ logo on the wall (I did), it’s because former Major League Baseball player Jim Hickman was born in Henning, and he played for the Cubs at one point.

Photos © Amie Vanderford

Discovery Park of America

2008-07-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, July 1, 2008 ground was broken for the project Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tennessee.

Discovery Park of America will be a 50-acre, $100,000,000 project conceived to be a tourist magnet and historical preservation facility that will attract visitors from all areas of North America. The park will consist of a world-class museum, outside displays and gardens, a first-class tourism center and a convention and conference center.

Robert and Jenny Kirkland

Funded by the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation, Discovery Park of America will be a celebration of life, emphasizing the culture, spirit and accomplishments of the human race. It will improve our understanding of other forms of life - past, present and future. The park will be dedicated to the history of progress, art, nature and mankind. It will be a combined tourism and learning center for children and adults alike. It will benefit people from both this region and the entire country. Discovery Park of America will teach, welcome, and entertain all visitors as well as spotlight this region to the rest of the world (Source: The Discovery Park of America website).

B. Lee Mallory

It was a festive event with many people from the community in attendance to show their support. Robert and Jenny Kirkland, along with their family, were in attendance and made some remarks along with architect and designer of the museum, Douglas Cardinal; Jim Rippy, Jr., President/Chairman of Discovery Park Board of Directors; and Susan Whitaker, Commissioner Department of Tourism, State of Tennessee.

Marty Mabry and Susan Whitaker

We at the MRC-T are excited about the potential of this new asset to West Tennessee. "Serving as the major northern gateway into the Mississippi River Corridor in Tennessee, the Discovery Park of America is a triumph in vision and a remarkable cultural asset for the region. It will attract thousands of new visitor footprints with huge economic benefits for our citizens. We applaud the efforts of Jenny and Robert Kirkland, Jim Rippy and the hundreds of volunteers who have made this dream a reality in northwest Tennessee," says Diana Threadgill, Executive Director of the Mississippi River Corridor - TN.

Robert Kirkland and Diana Threadgill

John Sheahan and Pamela Marshall

Robert Kirkland and Guests

The Museum and complex are expected to open in 2010!

Photography © Amie Vanderford

Intrepid Scientific Kayakers

2008-06-27T13:23:00.000-05:00

On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 25, 2008, kayakers Aaron & Sarah Reedy and Patrick Hanlon arrived in Memphis, Tennessee after 8 days of kayaking on the mighty Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. I, along with James Baker of the Sierra Club and John Gary of the Memphis Yacht Club, went down to greet them and hear about their trip so far.

Aaron & Sarah Reedy are school teachers from Chicago, Illinois. He’s a biology teacher, she’s a history teacher. Patrick Hanlon is an environmental inspector out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aaron & Sarah met Patrick while in the Peace Corps in Vanuatu in 2005. After their experiences kayaking there, Sarah thought it would be a great idea to kayak the Mississippi River when they returned to the U.S. They subsequently received a Fund for Teachers Fellowship Program grant for a summer sabbatical which would inspire new teaching ideas for their students. Their scientific focus will be water testing and large woody debris, or snags, though they were not able to study the woody debris for the first 200 hundred miles because of high water. They are updating their blog with details from the trip as they are able, so keep up with their awesome journey there.

They started in St. Louis (30 miles further south than intended due to high flood levels there). It took them 8 days to get to Memphis and they’ve averaged 45 miles per day. They report that paddling has been fine and high water has increased speed some, and that the challenges they faced were in first 200 miles of trip trying to find a place to camp. They’ve been battling with sunburn and poison ivy, but keeping their spirits up. In order to find camping in the first 200 miles of flooding, they had to paddle over flooded boat ramps and into flooded streets to find dry ground. One night they stayed on a beach after cutting through overgrowth with a machete to find a dry patch, and that’s where the poison ivy came in. The water level rose during that night and Patrick even had to get up to move his tent because of the rising river. They said camping became much easier after they passed through the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

Over the course of their trip thus far they traveled 61 miles on their longest day, and have gotten up to 13 mph at their sprinting speed. They said they averaged a speed of 9 mph when going with the river, and the slowest speeds were between 5-6 mph when they went against headwinds.

They have been collecting MS River water samples along the way and are testing the water for nitrate and phosphate levels, along with dissolved oxygen and temperatures. They reported that they have had some trouble with accurate readings with the nitrate test.

Description of their testing methods and scientific equipment (from their blog):

To measure nutrient pollution and dissolved oxygen in water samples we will be using a Hach DR850 colorimeter. A colorimeter is a piece of equipment that measures the absorbance of light as it passes through a solution. Reagents will be added to each sample to test for nitrates, phosphates and dissolved oxygen. In the presence of these substances the samples will change color and less light will pass through them. The colorimeter will measure how much light passes through the sample and will give a reading for the pollutant being tested in milligrams per liter (mg/L).

The colorimeter basically looks like an oversized calculator with a well towards the top. A glass container, called a cuvette, holds the water sample and gets placed in the well for testing. A cover is then placed over the sample during testing to keep out outside light as the colorimeter passes light through the sample.

For our study of large woody debris, or snags, we will simply be counting and marking the locations of snags in selected sections of river. We will be paddling close to the shore during these counts. The equipment we will be using for the counts will be our eyes, a pencil and notebook, and a handheld water proof GPS unit.

They departed Memphis this morning (June 27th) for New Orleans, with a planned arrival of July 15th. We wish them a successful and safe journey and look forward to hearing about the rest of the trip!

Story and photos by Amie Vanderford

Geocaching Fun

2008-06-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

We have placed three (3) caches out for your geocaching enjoyment, and as a side bonus, there is a 10-state wide contest opportunity which is detailed below. In our watertight boxes you will find a log book and pencil, so be sure to sign your name if you find it. You will also find a variety of trinkets from keychains to stickers and buttons, please take one when you find it, and if you have something you'd like to leave in it's place for the next finder of the cache, we would appreciate ya!

Listings with GPS coordinates may be found at the below geocaching.com links.

If you don't know what this geocaching is all about, please read what it is here. We warn you, you may get hooked!

Alex Haley House
Covington First Baptist Church
Hunt Phelan House

What is not noted in the listings on geocaching.com is that these caches are also part of a Mississippi River Parkway Commission ten state-wide contest to get people out along the Mississippi River.

As part of the National Great River Road’s 70th Anniversary in 2008, the Mississippi River Parkway Commission is creating a special geocaching event (the contest rules are here).

The "National Great River Road 70th Anniversary Geocaching Event" will feature a series of geocaches created specifically for the 70th Anniversary celebration. Caches will be located throughout each of the ten Mississippi River States. Each of the caches will be historically themed.

Contests, prizes and other fun activities will appeal to geocachers of all ages and levels of geocaching experience.

For more information about the contest, please visit the FAQ.

Important note: In order to enter the contest you must make note of the symbols/icons in the lower right-hand corner of the white info card inside the cache lid.

West Tennessee Tour

2008-06-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

On June 6 - 7, 2008, the Mississippi River Corridor - TN staff , along with some professors from the University of Memphis, toured various natural, historical and cultural assets in the 6 counties of West Tennessee that border the Mississippi River.

Duvall Landing in Tipton County:

Chickasaw Bluff No. 2 in Tipton County:

Turnage Grocery in Tipton County

Land by the Mississippi River in Randolph, Tipton County

Henning Deli & Grill in Lauderdale County

Flippen's Barn in Obion County - they moved their store into Union City. This place has the best fried fruit pies anywhere.

From Fish Gap Hill in Obion County you can see part of Reelfoot Lake.

Sunset on Reelfoot Lake

Farmers up and down the six counties had more wheat crops than I recall in the past.

Views from Highway 19 in Lauderdale County, TN:

Sandy Beach along the shores of the Mississippi River in Lauderdale County, near Ft. Pillow State Historic Park.

27th Outdoors Inc. Canoe & Kayak Race

2008-05-13T20:16:00.000-05:00

Photos from a great race on a beautiful sunny day on Saturday, May 3, 2008 on the Mississippi River downtown Memphis.

Get race results here.

1st Place Greg Barton

Tipton and Lauderdale Counties - Bluffs & Landscapes

2008-04-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

Flooded field in Lauderdale County near Ft. Pillow State Historic Park.

Ft. Pillow look-out to the Mississippi River

Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge

Farm with Hatchie River overflow in the background

Barge comin' around a bend in the mighty Mississippi. Seen from a portion of Chickasaw Bluff No. 1.

Farmland atop Chickasaw Bluff No. 2 in Tipton County, TN:

Chickasaw Bluff No. 2 views:

Photos by Amie Vanderford

Mississippi River high water levels near Memphis

2008-04-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

On March 26, 2008:

Also at Meeman-Shelby Forest on River Road:

Kayaking on Greenbelt Park was an unusual site, as well:

On March 28, 2008

On April 3, 2008

Spring 2008 Quarterly Newsletter

2008-03-23T18:54:00.000-05:00

Our first quarterly newsletter has been published!

Please feel free to download the PDF version (< 2 MB) and find out more about what’s happening in West Tennessee along our Mississippi River.

March 7 Snow in Memphis

2008-03-07T19:06:00.000-06:00

When I heard that it was going to snow today, I figured it would snow like two days ago and not stick. Well, I was wrong!

Photos by Amie Vanderford

Battle of Island No. 10 - Civil War Re-enactment

2008-02-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

On Friday, February 15 through Saturday the 17th, Lake County hosted the first re-enactment of the Battle of Island #10. The re-enactment took place at the Reelfoot Airpark Inn, north of Tiptonville. The 15th Tennessee Infantry, known as the Madrid Bend Guards, hosted the unit. The re-enactment was a prelude to a celebration and unique water-based re-enactment scheduled for 2012, the 150th Anniversary of the historic battle.

What's to love about Memphis? Everything!

2008-01-21T11:05:00.000-06:00

By Amie Vanderford

When I open the paper each morning, I read about the crime and unsightly 'blight' of Memphis, but when I leave my house with my camera, I see a different Memphis.

Breaking it down by areas, I'll start with Downtown.

The Downtown Elementary School:

The Hernando Desoto Bridge:

Main Street Trolley:

The old Tennessee Brewery:

The Civil Rights Museum:

The Arcade Restaurant:

The St. Jude Children's Hospital Dome:

And now a look at Midtown.

The "Summer" statue in front of the Brooks Museum of Art:

Joe's Sputnik (who would NOT love this sign??):

Overton Park in morning mist:

The Zoo:

The arched walkway at Christian Brothers University:

The Crosstown Sears Building:

Now on to Orange Mound... did you know that Orange Mound was the first African-American neighborhood in the United States to be built by African-Americans? I think that is a piece of history to be proud of!

Glenview Park:

Maxine's Beauty Salon:

The old Lamar Theatre:

Hawk's Bar & Grill:

Exquisite Hair Care:

Uptown and north Memphis.

First Baptist Church Chelsea:

Soul Food Specials:

East Memphis

Summer Ave. Antiques:

Bar-B-Q Baby!

The Botanic Gardens:

Getting into South Memphis.

The Road to Soulsville!

Pointing to Stax:

Stax Museum Marquee:

And oh yes, I could go on and on. I love this city!

The Veteran's Museum and Halls, TN

2008-01-03T20:10:00.000-06:00

Halls, a small town in Lauderdale County, population 2,311, has many unique points of interest for those traveling along the Mississippi River Corridor.

Founded in 1884, the town boasts beautiful historical homes located on tree-lined streets, an award-winning library, an Antiquarian Map and Globe Shop, a bank that was built in 1899, a former hotel that was built in 1898, and a church which was originally built in the late 1800s and has been destroyed by nature twice. The visitor will enjoy all of these Halls' assets.

One of the major points of interest was not a part of the 1800s, but was built in 1942 as the U. S. responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor by building air bases all over the United States to train airmen.

The Dyersburg Army Air Base was one of these and was in operation from 1942-45. During that time a full complement of military personnel and local civilians manned a base that trained 7,700 B-17 Crewmen for service mainly in the European Theatre of Operation. When the Base closed in late 1945, Halls and the surrounding towns returned to sleepy little southern towns as though the base never existed.

All that remains to remind visitors of this important history is acres of concrete, Norden Bombsite storage vaults, one B-17 hangar, an active airport known as Arnold Field Airport, concrete pads throughout the base, and two original buildings.

To preserve the history of the base and its importance to the area, The Dyersburg Army Air Base Memorial Assoc., Inc. was formed in 1992. In 1997, the Association built its first 4,000 sq. ft. museum on the now 66-year-old ramp. In 2004, the 4,900 sq. ft. Edith Tanner Addition was completed.

The Veterans' Museum has exhibits from WWI through Iraq with major emphasis on the Dyersburg Army Air Base and WWII. Many of the exhibits deal with how the base affected the area and how it became to be known as "the young girl's dream and the widows' delight" as well as how it impacted the civilian population.

In addition to an excellent display of military vehicles, uniforms, typewriters (German and U.S.), the art exhibits are outstanding.

The three murals were painted by artist and base veteran Ernie Berke, who now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. "Tribute," a 6' X 16' mural is original and was painted for Open House, 1945. "For the Want of a Nail" and "Interrogation/Briefing" were destroyed but have been replicated. All three of them are in the West Tennessee Healthcare Conference Room at the Museum.

Although the Museum reflects the U.S. during war and conflicts, it is personal. As a New Year's Day Russian visitor remarked "this is much more than a Museum." Owned and operated by the private, non-profit organization, and maintained by volunteers, this museum is open Saturday - Tuesday, 2-5 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is not charged except for special events. If visitors enjoy the experience, they nearly always leave a donation.

Written by Pat Higdon from the Veteran's Museum
Photographs by Amie Vanderford

Dyer County

2007-12-10T15:15:00.000-06:00

Dyersburg Courthouse

Dyersburg Store Front Tops

Old City Cemetery - Dyersburg

Mississippi River Bridge

Tigrett Wildlife Management Area

Train Trellis over Forked Deer River

Covington, Tipton County, TN

2007-12-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

Thank God for the "golden hour" - shots of town square in Covington, TN (Tipton County)

Ruffin Theatre

MRC - T - 1st Paddle & Float

2007-12-06T14:39:00.000-06:00

The Full Set of Event Photos

What better resource does West Tennessee have than the Mississippi River? None at all! October 6, 2007 was the first annual Paddle & Float, an event to raise awareness about what an incredible asset we have with the Mississippi River. A group of us (thanks to the Mississippi River Corridor organization) met at Mud Island Marina. The group divided into Floaters (those who rode in boats) and Paddlers (those who took the shuttle up to Meeman-Shelby Forest and canoed). Both groups met on Hickman Bar for exquisite natural beauty, good food, bluegrass music and ponderings by Mark Twain!

Outdoors Inc. Cyclocross

2007-12-06T14:36:00.000-06:00

Yes, it was overcast for the event, but it was a nice event all the same. Outdoors Inc. sponsored the 21st Annual Cyclocross at Greenbelt Park on Mud Island.

First a couple of kids' races

Racin' by the river

Obstacle Course and also the top 3 finishers, Frank Strickland 1st place, Russ Griffin 2nd place, and 3rd place Boomer Leopold

Smiling - prior to start of race

ReelfootLake

2007-12-04T23:53:00.000-06:00

ReelfootLake
Originally uploaded by amiev

Located in Lake & Obion Counties, Reelfoot Lake was formed from a series of earthquakes along the New Madrid fault back in 1812, the largest of which occurred on February 7, 1812. The town of Tiptonville borders the lake in the south. While the fall foliage is breathtaking, here's a tip for you: if you want to see Bald Eagles in the wild, visit Reelfoot Lake during the winter months, tours are available. The 4th Annual Eagle Festival will be held February 1-3, 2008.

Chickasaw Bluff No. 2

2007-12-04T10:46:00.000-06:00

Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee, Conservation Design Forum, and Bartlett Chamber on the Bluff: