In the summer of 2014 we met some young people who are very serious about clean water. They are members of the Tennessee Aquatic Project, a group that connects kids with the outdoors through activities that almost always involve water. One of those projects involved helping the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association build some access points on Whites Creek in Nashville. When the access points were finished the kids put them to use, going for a celebratory paddle down the creek. Along the way they saw lots of trash and a sign warning them to stay out of the water, which motivated them to adopt the stream and work to clean it up. Wild Side Guide Ken Tucker takes us out to a creek that is much cleaner now, thanks to the hard work of the kids and many others.
We’d like to send out a big Wild Side “thank you” to those kids for getting out and taking such an active role in helping clean up White’s Creek…way to go! And that includes the folks with TDEC and Metro Nashville who are working hard to protect our streams! Keeping our water clean is a community responsibility and we all have a role to play. If you live in Metro Nashville and want to report water pollution within streams, storm drains, or storm ditches call 615-313-PURE or email StormWaterQuality@Nashville.gov.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is responsible for managing, protecting and enhancing the quality of the state’s water resources through voluntary, regulatory and educational programs. You can learn more on their website.
The Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association is another group that has been heavily involved in the cleanup at Whites Creek. Their work in and around the stream is just one of many projects TSRA is involved in across the state. To learn more about paddling in Tennessee, as well as volunteer opportunities and paddling workshops or classes, visit paddletsra.org. The TSRA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and restoration of the scenic, free-flowing rivers of our state. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the organization has hundreds of members across the state and the south.
The Tennessee Aquatic Project is a non-profit organization that works to connect young people with the outdoors through education, outdoor adventure, and community service projects that almost always involve water. Focused primarily on at-risk and inner city young people ages 8-18, TAP helps kids learn about themselves, the environment around them, and the community they live in. You can learn more about the program and how you can get involved on their website, TennesseeAquaticProject.org.
From show 3011
