Senator Jack Johnson praises Tennessee Parks and Greenways at Sunset on the South Harpeth event

Saturday night was the fifth annual Sunset on the Harpeth event to raise money for the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. TPGF is a non-profit organization that has saved many of the most endangered and beautiful of Tennessee's natural treasures, places like Virgin Fall and Stillhouse Hollow Falls and Cummins Falls and Black Mountain and Devilstep Hollow Cave and others.  In addition to saving specific beautiful places, TPGF has helped keep thousands of acres of rural Tennessee, rural and scenic by encouraging conservation easements and being recipient and guardian of the easement. The founder and Executive Director of the organization is my sister, Kathleen Williams, of whom I could not be more proud.



Senator Jack Johnson; Kathleen Williams, my sister Executive Director of Tennessee Parks and
Greenways Foundation and me (Rod Williams)

The Sunset on the Harpeth is a fun event in a beautiful setting of a lush valley with farms bordering the Harpeth River. The event includes a nature walk and hay rides and canoeing and live music and good food and  a bar and a big bonfire. It gets underway about 4PM. Some people come for the dinner and speech, others stay till late into the evening, and some camp for the night. I did not know it in advance  but was pleased that the keynote speaker at this year's event was Senator Jack Johnson.

Senator Jack Johnson is a Republican and the State Senator Representing Williamson County.  In his remarks, Senator Johnson praised Johnathan  Openheimer for establishing a conservation easement on 1363 area in Williamson County and he said, Mr. Openheimer has taken that acreage and created a business and is creating jobs. “Don’t let anyone tell you that conservation and job creation can’t go together.” 

“One of the things that make Williamson County so appealing is the green space,” he said. “Tennessee is one of the most beautiful States in United States of American,” said Senator Johnson. “We have such incredible Natural Resources and they need to be preserved and  that is why I am happy to be here and why I am happy to write a check to support the Tennessee and Parks Greenway Foundation."

“The great thing about Parks and Greenway Foundation is that they are preserving those valuable resources we have. With this effort, to take the private dollars which you are raising right here today (by being here) and marrying those with certain tax dollars, we are protecting those resources. People are looking to relocate their business, they are looking to relocate their families, and people are coming to Tennessee in droves, and one of the reasons is because of our beautiful natural resources and I am just grateful that you are here today to help us preserve as many of those as possible.”

Randy Hedgepath, the State Naturalist for Tennessee State Parks led a Nature Walk and  shared
 his knowledge of flowers and plants and birds. His humor and personality added to the knowledge
 he imparted. That is me, my niece Becca and by sister Kathleen with her grandson Edmond she is holding.
 We are in the second row of walkers.

I am delighted that Senator Johnson went out of his way to honor and support TPGF. Conservatives and liberals may disagree on some particulars of environmental policy, but there should be little disagreement on conservation and the importance of saving and protecting Tennessee's natural treasures.

This the third of the Sunset on the Harpeth events I have attended. A downpour mid-afternoon swelled the river and canceled any canoeing or nature walk along the river bank but did not distract from the evening and luckily there was no rain during the actual event. It was a beautiful cool evening with a bright moon and I stayed until late in the night. I enjoyed the beautiful outdoor sitting, Blue Grass music, grilled hamburgers and other good fare, and good conversation and adult beverages, and just relaxing.  Having been stressed by my wife's advancing illness, it was great for me to have a fun and relaxing evening and I could not think of a better place to have it.

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"Heal yourself on a Tennessee trail," by Kathleen Williams

Cummins Falls

Kathleen Williams is Founder and Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. TPGF has been responsible for saving numerous waterfalls, beautiful vistas, and critical habitats and helping place thousands of acres of land in conservation easements. I reported on the dedication of Cummins Falls in this blog in May of 2012.  Cummins Falls has got to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. When I die, I think that is where I would like my ashes to be scattered.

Since saving Cummins Falls, TPGF was instrumental in saving Virgin Falls, a water fall that falls out on one cave and into another. It is unique in that it has no upstream or downstream. Many people thought this fall was already protected but it was not. The State had a long-term lease on the property that was set to expire. The falls could have been lost to public use, it not for the work of TPGF.  I have never visited the falls myself but look forward to doing so.



Virgin Falls

Tennessee conservatives who love nature should get behind the work of TPGF. TPGF is privately funded and has no condemnation authority, or coercive authority of any kind, yet has saved many of Tennessee's natural treasures. Kathleen Williams is my sister and I am extremely proud of the work she is doing.

Heal yourself on a Tennessee trail

Kathleen Williams

by Kathleen Williams, Tennessee Voices, The Tennessean, June 6, 2014 - For a healthier path, get on
a trail. Preferably hike in an old forest or near water to get all the benefits. Breathe in the ancient air. One hundred twenty chemical compounds — many unknown — will lower your blood pressure, your diabetes will improve, your mood or attitude will be transformed, you will think more clearly. You’ll be less stressed, more creative, more affectionate, playful, even elated. And you’ll live longer. (link)

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Governor Haslam to Dedicate Virgin Falls State Natural Area Wednesday, Dec. 11.

NASHVILLE. TN Press Release – Governor Bill Haslam, along with leaders from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation will be officially dedicating the purchase of Virgin Falls State Natural Area this Wednesday, December 11.

Through the support of a number of private/public partnerships, the state acquired the land in November 2012. Prior to that, Virgin Falls had been under private ownership, but managed by the state as a natural area for nearly 40 years. Working closely with the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, the state of Tennessee was able to purchase the 1,551-acre parcel near Sparta through a combination of funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and private donations.

A favorite hiking destination for decades, Virgin Falls features a waterfall that exits a cave at the top of a cliff and then disappears into a second cave at its base. Nature lovers have noted the existence of unique flora and fauna and amateur geologists have explored the composition and structure of its many caves.

My Comment: I had the good fortune to be at the dedication last year when the state acquired Cummins Falls. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend tomorrow's dedication ceremonies. I wish I could be there. Kudos to my sister, Kathleen Williams, Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, who was instrumental in making this happen. We are fortunate to live in Tennessee which has some of the most precious natural treasures in the world. I think it is important that we save beautiful waterfalls and vistas and critical habitats for future generations. 

If you are reviewing your end of year giving and looking for a good cause to support, join me in contributing the the Tennessee Parks and Greenways foundation and help save Tennessee's natural treasures. Without the work done by TPGF and similar organizations, these natural treasures would be lost for ever. State government is slow and cumbersome. An organization like TPGF can raise private money, purchase the property or option the property and then sell it to the state when the state is ready to purchase it. Without the intermediary roll of TPGF, these treasures would be lost forever.

“This is the fifth land project for our small non-profit foundation in the corridor that connects Fall Creek Falls to Virgin Falls.  We’ve helped protect more than 4,500 acres along the Caney Fork, the Cane Creek Gorge, Welch’s Point and now Virgin Falls,” said Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. 

Saving Virgin Falls had been a priority of TPGF for  more than a decade.

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Rejoicing in my daughter's wedding

Rachel reading her wedding vows

Last week my daughter Rachel got married in a beautiful ceremony in Chattanooga at Crabtree Farm. The setting was rustic, yet classy. Crabtree Farm is a non-profit farm and for three years Rachel and her fiancee Joshua were members, exchanging their labor for produce. The farm is a very special place for them.

Joshua Bennett is the son of Jeff and Jodie Bennett of Madison Mississippi. Joshua is a find young man and he and Rachel have dated for almost four years. Last fall, they had a three-month adventure touring and living in Peru. Joshua, like Rachel, has an adventurous spirit. They are madly in love and I could not be more pleased.

The late afternoon wedding was attended by about 140 people and took place outdoors in the shade of two large poplar trees. The farm was transformed for the wedding with stings of small white lights and candles creating a romantic glow. The potting shed became the bar serving signature drinks of bourbon highballs and raspberry lemonade and other choices.

The barn was the buffet line and after the meal, became the dance floor. A large white tent adjoining the barn was where we ate and celebrated after the wedding. The tables were decorated with linen table cloths, some of them antiques I am sure. Each table was decorated with a beautiful bouquet.  The wedding flowers were created by my sister, Rebecca Mandel, who is a talented florist. The flowers were beautiful.

The food was delicious with barbecue all the side dishes and several great salads. The barbecue was absolutely some of the best I ever ate. The wedding cake was a carrot cake and there was a table laden with desserts providing lots of desert choices. Everything was just wonderful!

The only think that could have been better is if it had been a little cooler.  It was a hot day, but that did not put a damper on the party. People ate, drank, socialized and danced until after midnight.

Dancing at my daughter's wedding

It was a pleasure to meet Joshua's family and so many of Rachel and Joshua's friends and to share this joyous occasion with my extended family. The day before the wedding we had the wedding rehearsal and helped decorate the farm and set up the chairs and in the evening we had the rehearsal dinner.  I rented a restored old Victorian house in Chattanooga which Louella and I shared with our friend Sue and my sister Rebecca and her husband Dale.  It was a wonderful weekend.

My sister Kathleen Williams conducted the ceremony. Below is the text of her homily.

"Rejoice ever more. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks."

Words from 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Words to live by.

Kathleen Williams-Mooradian and Joshua Bennett

If you both apply this to your life and to your marriage, you will be forever blessed. You will be happy and fulfilled.

Rejoice ever more. It’s not about a natural disposition – although it comes more naturally to some of us. But for most people it takes practice. So…practice rejoicing. Make it a habit. When you feel happy, say it.

Ask yourself every day. What am I happy about? What am I excited about? What am I enjoying? Don’t allow yourself to ask the opposite – don’t look for trouble. Troubles will find you. Look for joy. Share it with your husband or wife. Share it with your friends and family. Give joy away. Smile. Rejoicing is contagious. It makes it pleasurable to live with the other person – to wake up to them every day.

 And there is so much to rejoice about -- wonderful, wonderful, life. And what wonderful lives are being joined here today. Already rich with experiences to brighten a lifetime.

Purchasing passion fruit from a street-side stand in Kensington Market, Toronto. Tiny little crackles of sound as they opened the orange skin, and slurped the fruit down. Rachel says, "It was beautiful and sensual and in that moment they knew there was a whole world of treats to experience and that we wanted to know of them together."

Camping in the woods and fresh water swims in cold cricks. Hikes along the humid Tennessee forest floor. Heavenly.

Allie Stafford and Allen Hartley provided the music

Biking across a totally empty beach at Sapelo Island and stopping for a swim and then an impromptu picnic on found fresh grapefruits.

Or Cooking in Cusco, Peru. Winding through cobblestone streets to shop colorful Andean markets, marveling at all the fresh produce and then sharing scrumptious fare.

Hiking through the Andes, to white fields of drying salt, and most recently the triumph of touring with Joshua’s music across the eastern united states. These experiences are exotic and rare but Rachel and Joshua also know how to relish the simplest experiences …again to use Rachel’s beautiful words: they are blessed by the everyday … "a normal Saturday morning that holds wonder."

When you have been this blessed, it’s wrong to despair. So Rejoice.

Take time to Rejoice in the everyday life …This green meadow – these broad trees. These loved ones around you now and those far away and some now departed whose love we still feel. Oh wondrous life.

Oh wondrous love. Rejoice in it always and be glad. And your marriage will be blessed.

Pray without ceasing. I don’t understand it and I know that it doesn’t cure all the disease or suffering, or wars, or bad news that bombards us every day. But I know that there is a place you can go – call it the heart of God – the spirit of the Universe – call it Love. There all suffering ceases.

Toast of the bride and groom.

Seek comfort even if it just means being still. Quieting the mind. To find the heart. In Psalms 46:10 the verse says, “Be Still and know that I am God.”

Go to the woods where I know you two feel this most profoundly. Where Moses and Jesus and John the Baptist went too. Go to the river. Get washed in the waters. Go to the wilderness. It soothes. There you can always find a fresh start, cleansing, peace.

Poet and farmer Wendell Berry Says: “Come into the peace of wild things…into the presence of still waters…and rest in the grace of the world and be free.”

One of the greatest Americans - Conservationist John Muir felt all “hard money-gaining, material thoughts loosen and sink off and out of sight, and says: one is free from oneself and made captive to the fresh wildness and beauty, obeying it as necessarily as unconscious sun-bathed plants.”
 
“Leaving no place for the old fears in a spirit filled to its capacity with wonder.”

Pray or Meditate on your aspirations for your family. For you work. For your health. Know what you are praying for. Pray for strength to accomplish your dreams. Pray for peace. Pray for each other. Pray for your marriage.

And then rest. Depok Chopra says: Spending time in nature will give you access to infinite creativity, freedom and bliss. It’s about appreciation for the Here and Now. And it’s for strength.

Even though my faith is weak and I cannot define sometimes what or who I pray to I seek the “quiet room. The holy presence." The spirit that will aid me in all we share and do. And do your best to believe that as Jesus says, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Prayer will bring peace to your marriage … a peace that passeth understanding.

In everything give thanks. Count your blessings. Be present. Give thanks. Ask yourself – what am I thankful for.

Believe it or not – someday when it’s not your wedding day, and the laundry is backed up and the bills have yet to be paid or worse can’t be paid and you find something wrong with the other person, it’s so helpful to also be thankful and to have this habit developed every day. It’s a reserve you can draw on.

I’m so thankful that my husband of 25 years this past month is so faithful, so smart, so respectful, such a good father, kind, and good to look at. The bills or laundry become so unimportant when weighed against all those great attributes.

And sometimes it’s okay to be sad about the things you find disappointment in. No –one will meet every expectation, all the time. Allow yourself to be sad about some things so the other person doesn’t have to be perfect to satisfy you.

And say how thankful you are often. And say thank you. Good manners make good room mates. Thank you honey -- Goes a long way toward making a good marriage.

In the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, author Annie Dillard studies God and nature for a year and at the end even though she acknowledges the violence and cruelty of nature… of life, she exhorts us all to: "Go your way and your left foot says 'Glory' and your right foot says 'Amen'; in and out of Shadow Creek, upstream and down, exultant, in a daze, dancing, to the twin silver trumpets of praise."

If you Rejoice evermore - pray without ceasing. and give thanks. Life and your marriage will be Blessed.

The Williams Family

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Tennessee is our Eden

This poetic and  poignant speech was given by Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation at the dedication of Cummins Falls State Park on Tuesday, May 22.

Tennessee is so green and lush.  Tennessee is our Eden. As we stand here together today by the banks of beautiful Blackburn Fork River, we are thankful.  Thankful to God.  Thankful for this community who came together to conserve this place of wonder and magic.  And thankful to you Governor Haslam.  You are here at a crucial time for Cummins Falls and for Tennessee and we are grateful. 

Tennessee’s garden is bountiful – we’re river rich.  We have seven of the top eight most biologically-diverse rivers in America.  (That means our rivers have a lot of critters in them.) Tennessee has more species of trees than throughout all of Europe.  Crossed with scenic back roads, blessed with abundant wildlife and dotted with more caves than any other state in North America.  Waterfalls and wildflowers, dragonflies and fireflies to give magic to the night. 

But we know that competing demands threaten our homeland.  So… we are thankful that you Governor Haslam know that what is good for the environment is also good for the economy.  We are thankful for your support of funds for a Forever Green Tennessee.

Conserving Tennessee provides raw materials for undiscovered medicines, for crops, timbers, fibers, soil-restoring vegetation, petroleum substitutes, and other products – and this gives our grandchildren the same economic opportunities that we’ve enjoyed. 

A healthy population needs outdoor recreation and the tonic that wilderness provides. 

People will visit and business will move to Tennessee of its quality of life … its parks, wildlife and greenways.

Tennessee’s economy depends on tourism.  Tourism is the second largest industry in Tennessee, employing 184,000 and generating $14 Billion in economic return. 

And Parks are our most visited attractions. For every $1 invested in state parks, Tennessee gets back $37!  That’s a great pay-off for doing something that is so beneficial in so many ways.  Brock Hill knows it and that is why he is working so hard and doing a great job to make our parks environmentally sensitive and attractive for visitors. 

And increased tourism will more than justify the additional rangers or wildlife officers that new destinations will need. 

Plus, our economy and environmental health both require sustainable, abundant natural resources for pollination, agriculture, cleaner drinking water, renewable resources and the very air we breathe.  Conserving corridors of forests along rivers and ridges is the best way to save the best Tennessee has to offer.

Tennesseans understand this across party lines – when asked 76% of republicans and 82% of democrats support conservation. So Governor Haslam, please know that Tennesseans will support you in every good thing you do to conserve our homeland.   

We have all we need in Tennessee to live  --  wild species and conserved land for our food, water and air.    And we need the sustenance provided by the beauty of a waterfall – Cummins Falls is the 8th largest waterfall in Tennessee and arguably the most beautiful.  People will come and will be blessed by these good tidings.  They’ll swim, paint, be baptised, have an adventure with their kids, fish, exercise their body and spirit.  We thank you Governor Haslam for this gift to Tennessee today and for our grandchildren.  We thank you all for making this possible.

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Cummins Falls, Tennessee's new state park, is safer venue for nature lovers

Woman who lost son glad state took over 

by Elizabeth Bonner, The Tennessean, May. 23, 2012

While others touted the beauty of Cummins Falls during its dedication Tuesday, Carol Hudelston saw a greater purpose in the new state park.

 The Cookeville woman lost her 18-year-old son, Bryan, in an accident at the falls in September 2009. Tears flowing, she joined the crowd Tuesday to show her support for the state takeover of the site and its provisions for visitor protection.(read more)

This is another good report on the dedication of Cummins Falls State Park yesterday. I like this excerpt:

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me, ‘I was baptized there.’ ‘I got engaged there.’ ‘I got my first kiss there,’ ” said Kathleen Williams, president and CEO of Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. “It’s a magical, wonderful place.”

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Cummins Falls State Park dedicated. Wonderful event!

Today a crowd of dignitaries, nature lovers, and local people gathered in a forest clearing overlooking Cummins Falls to dedicate the opening of a new state park and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of  the Tennessee State Park system. 

Cummins Falls State Park was officially dedicated, becoming the 54th official state park and the first state park opened in 14 years.

Kathleen Williams reads the sign

Cummins Falls State Park is a 211 acre park located nine miles north of Cookeville on the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River in the rolling hills where Putnam and Jackson Counties meet. The falls are dramatic and are the eighth largest waterfall in the state. The roaring stream gives way to a 75 foot drop into a pool at the bottom, which  Travel and Leisure magazine has listed as one of the top 10 best swimming holes in the United States. 

Last year I had the opportunity to hike down to the bottom of river gorge and swim in the cold waters at the foot of the falls. The hike was a challenge and only for the hearty. A new trail the state has built makes the trek less treacherous but still a strenuous hike.

About 500 people attend the dedication.

This beautiful natural treasure would have been lost without the vision and hard work of Kathleen Williams, President and Executive Director of the  Tennessee Parks and Greenway's foundation and supporters of that organization, various donors, and State agencies and elected officials.   

The York Institute Color Guard prepares

for presentation of the Colors.

Once before the land that adjoins the falls had already been sold to a developer but the developer went bankrupt and the property went back on the market. 

Governor Haslam views the falls

Two years ago the property was being sold at public action and TPGP purchased the property outbidding a Kentucky developer.  The Chairman of the Board of TPGF, Dr. Chuck Womack and members of the board of TPGF and other contributors put up the million and half dollars to purchase the land and then raised the money to repay themselves and eventually sold the land to the state at a discounted price. 

That is the process often used to save critical habitats and beautiful vista's and natural treasures such as cave access sites and waterfalls.  

authentic acoustic mountain music 

The state is less nimble and cannot move quickly when needing to do so, or the State can not do the kind of negotiating that a non-profit organization can do.

Governor Bill Haslam dedicates the new park

Today's ceremonies opened with the presentation of the Colors by the World War 1 York Institute Junior ROTC and a moving solo violin performance of the national anthem. 

Kathleen Williams speaks about the

importance of saving our Tennessee

natural treasures.

Various speakers at today's event spoke about the economic return on investment in Tennessee's natural beauty, about the importance of protecting the bio-diversity of our streams and woods and the importance of preserving natures wonders for future generations. Various people were recognized for their contribution is making the park a reality.  Kathleen Williams was praised for her role in saving the land and making the park happen and Governor Haslam was honored for the role his administration played in the decision of the State to purchase the property and turn it into a State park.  

I enjoyed getting to chat with

the Governor after the event.

  

 Prior to and after the ceremony an acoustic band played traditional music and a barbeque meal was provided courtesy of Wildwood Manor Bed and Breakfast.

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Cummins Falls Saved. Thank You Kathleen.

I was delighted this morning to see in the Tennessean a picture of the falls and the news that Cummins Falls had been purchased by the State. Ann Paine writes that on Monday the Tennessee Building Commission authorized acquisition of the 211-acre tract which contains the falls.

Cummins Falls is a 75-foot cascade with a large swimming hole at the bottom. I had the pleasure of going on a hike to Cummins Falls this spring with my sister Kathleen, brother Don, and their spouses and several of my nieces and nephews and my daughter Rachel. We had a wonderful time. We took a strenuous hike up stream to the falls where we had a picnic on rocks at the edge of the swimming hole. It was a warm day, but the water was bone-chilling cold. I swam at the foot of falls but not for long.

The falls are breath-takingly beautiful and the surrounding woods are also beautiful with an abundance of diverse flowers and variety of trees. Travel and Leisure has listed Cummins Falls as one of the top ten swimming holes in America. The falls are in Jackson County north of Putnam County near Cookeville and  is the largest waterfall in private hands in the state. The volume of water makes it the eighth-largest waterfall in Tennesee.

Kathleen Williams

My sister Kathleen Williams gets the credit for this happening.  She is Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. In a nutshell, this is how she is able to save sites like Cummins Falls: TPGF ties up the land with an option to purchase. This takes money. TPGF seeks contributions for land acquistion. After getting an option on the land,  they then try to get the state to purchase it. They only go after highly prized sites that they know the state may be interested in. If the state does not purchase it in a timely manner, then TPGF must raise the money to complete the purchase and then hope the state does purchase it at a later time.  The state moves slow and is less agile than the non-profit TPGF.  Many sites would be lost to developers or subdivided in such a way that the integrity of the site would be destroyed it not for TPGF.

The purchase price of Cummins falls and the surrounding acreage was $1.2 million dollars. I know Kathleen has had sleepless nights worrying about how to raise the money. She has worked tirelessly to raise money and get pledges in order to complete the sale should she have to do so. Making this happen was a major undertaking. This Tennessee treasure is now secure for future generations. In the past, it could only be visited by the few who  knew about it and were daring enough or hardy enough to get to it. Now, many can enjoy it.

Knowing Kathleen, she will celebrate and sleep better tonight knowing this project has reached a successful conclusion and the weight is lifted off of her shoulders. Knowing Kathleen, she is already lusting after the next Tennessee treasure to save.

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Kathleen Williams named Conservationist of the Year by TWF

On Tuesday, April 19, Kathleen Williams will be honored by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation as the Land Conservationist of the Year.  The award will be bestowed at the 46^th Annual TWF Conservation Achievement Awards and Legislative Reception in ceremonies at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville at 5 p.m. To attend the reception, call 615-353-1133 or email tnwfintern@tnwf.org.

Each year since 1965, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) has honored a select group of leaders in the conservation and stewardship of wildlife and their habitat in Tennessee.

“These awards recognize those individuals and organizations that have made truly meaningful contributions to conservation in Tennessee and to TWF,” says Michael Butler, TWF’s chief executive officer. “The great work of our past winners lives on today, and the current generation is building upon those successes. Without their willingness to take action, we would have failed in our mission, and we are proud to honor their contributions.”

Kathleen is Executive Director of The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. TPGF is a statewide non-profit organization that seeks to conserve and protect Tennessee’s rich heritage and natural resources.  It seeks to identify and protect the most beautiful, ecologically-rich, and historically-significant places in Tennessee. It has protected many beautiful vistas, privately-held waterfalls, critical habitats, and worked to place conservation easements on thousands of acres of land. The Foundation is funded by individual donations, grants, and other tax-deductible gifts.


Last year Kathleen was instrumental in getting the State Legislature to restore the land conservation fund whose dedicated funding had been diverted to the general fund.

Kathleen is my sister and I am very proud of the work she is doing. An added bonus of being her brother is that I get to take some beautiful hikes and see some marvelous waterfalls that are little known and not yet open to the public. 

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Keep Tennessee green; stop diverting funds from conservation

Kathleen Williams is president and executive director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. You can contact her at http://www.tenngreen.org/; or by e-mail: tenngreen@earthlink.net.

By Kathleen Williams • The Tennessean, May 7, 2010

If you care about the beauty of our homeland, Tennessee, read this message and call the governor and your legislator TODAY.

Tell them to ensure that all land conservation funding is returned in 2010 for Tennessee. Protecting special and fragile lands and waters is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, our children and future Tennesseans.

[Excerpt] In recent years, the approximately $16.5 million in annual revenue produced by the transfer fees has been diverted to the general fund to help balance the state budget. That is NOT why the legislature established these dedicated fees; it is wrong to take them for other purposes. (link)

Comment

I support the funding for conservation in Tennessee. I think it is important to preserve the quality of our water and fragile habitats and preserve the natural beauty of our state for future generations. The state needs funds to save beautiful vistas, expand parks and purchase beautiful waterfalls.

On the other hand, I know that this is probably the most difficult budget year the state has ever faced. I understand the temptation of the State Legislature to take money wherever they could find it in order to craft a budget that avoided the job-destroying $85 million tax increases of the Bredesen budget. $16.5 million of that $85 million was found by raiding the conservation fund.

Despite understanding the temptation to raid this fund, I think it was wrong. I think it is an important principle that taxes should not be imposed for one purpose and then diverted to another purpose.

Years ago, we saw a portion of the water bill that each Nashvillian pays diverted to pay for construction of the Titans football stadium. That water rate increase, when passed, was supposed to be dedicated to addressing non-point source pollution, but the then-Mayor Bredesen wanted to fund the Titans stadium. He devised a scheme that required the water department to pay an "in-lieu of tax" payment to the city using that payment to pay the bonds on the stadium. Water rates are supposed to fund water related functions, not fund the construction of a sports arena. To take money for one purpose and spend it for another purpose is wrong. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

If the money is not needed for the original purpose for which the tax was imposed; repeal the tax. Bait and switch is immoral. The state legislature should restore the conservation fund and go back to the drawing board and continue working to create an honest budget.

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Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey supports a "FOREVER GREEN TENNESSEE" and is AGAINST mountaintop removal.

I am glad to see Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey emphatically state that he is against mountain top removal. Previously it had been reported that he was in favor of this method of coal mining in which the top of mountains are blown off and pushed into the valleys to get the the coal beneath. I am glad to see him set the record straight.

I am also pleased to see that he supports the Forever Green campaign. This clip shows Kathleen Williams, Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, leading a delegation of conservationist, including former Governor Winfield Dunn, meeting with Governor Ramsey to secure his support of the Forever Green Campaign. Forever Green Tennessee is a campaign to restore the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds. These funds dedicate approximately $20 Million per year for Tennessee land acquisition and conservation. In previous years these funds where diverted to the general fund, despite spicifically beind dedicated to land acquisition and conservation when the tax was originally passed.

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A green Tennessee benefits everyone

by Kathleen Williams, Guest Editorial, The Tennessean, Feb.5, 2010

Do only greenies and tree-huggers need clean water, clean air and abundant food? Supporting policies that safeguard our environment is Christian and it's patriotic. It's for people who love their homeland and this beautiful world. It's also for people who want a strong economy, white collar jobs, tourism to thrive in our state and a stable tax base. (link)

Commentary

Kathleen Williams is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, a non-profit conservation agency. She is also my sister and I am very proud of the work she is doing.

TPGF has saved thousands of acres of land in Tennessee and convinced land owners to put conservation easements on thousands of additional acres. TPGF has also made grants to other agencies that have used the money to enhance trails and make wilderness land more accessible to hikers and other outdoor enthusiast. In my view, as important as is the amount of land that has been saved, it is what has been saved that is important. Due to Kathleen’s efforts, beautiful waterfalls have been saved for public enjoyment and beautiful vistas have remained beautiful vistas.

Two years ago, the revenue from a State real estate transfer tax which was supposed to be dedicated to a conservation land acquisition fund and related purposes was diverted to the general fund. The legislation that created the tax over 20 years ago specified how the funds generated from the tax could be used.

Kathleen has been working tirelessly ever since the fund was raided to have that fund restored. I thought she was titling at windmills. I did not think she would get the fund restored. One should never underestimate Kathleen. She is charming and passionate and persuasive and determined.

Of course, the fight is not over. The governor has only restored the funds in his proposed budget; the legislature has not acted. The state of Tennessee is in dire straights as are many states in these hard economic times. Services, including TennCare, are being cut and over a thousand state employees will loose their jobs under under the proposed budget . This year, Governor Bredesen was able to craft a budget by making strategic cuts and by using federal stimulus funds and “rainy day” reserve funds for reoccurring expenses. The legislature very well may make changes to the proposed budget and the land acquisition fund could still be at risk. In the next budget cycle, the next governor will have even a harder time developing a budget. The temptation to take money from where ever it can be found in order to hammer together a budget is tempting.

I can understand the temptation to raid a fund like the land acquisition fund in order to balance the budget but I think it is unwise. I love Tennessee. Our state is beautiful. As the population grows however and has coal companies and timber companies start selling off their holdings, that beauty is threatened. To keep Tennessee beautiful and green, there need to be funds available to save threatened natural treasures. When a beautiful vista becomes doted with houses the wilderness experience will never be the same. I want to save Tennessee’s wild and scenic beauty for future generation.

Not only is raiding the land acquisition fund unwise in my view, but I think it is immoral. When a tax is passed for one specific purpose it should not be diverted to another purpose. If the purpose is no longer worthy of funding, repeal the tax.

Some years ago Governor Bredesen was Nashville’s Mayor Bredesen and he was trying to find the funding to build the football stadium that became home to the Titans. To put together the financial package to pay for the bonds to build the stadium, he diverted funds generated from a fee that had been added to people’s water bill. The purpose of this fee was to combat non-point source water pollution and clean up the waste water discharge into the Cumberland River. The Nashville community was so gung ho about building the stadium that no one objected to diverting these funds, including the environmentalist community. I was not in the Council at the time the stadium was funded, but I was in the Council when the fee was passed that increased peoples water bill. I thought it was necessary at the time and I voted for that fee. I was misled and the people were robbed.

I hope that our legislators and future Governor are wise and moral and leave the land acquisition fund in tact. We can trust Kathleen to work to see that they do.

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This mining will only boost profit, harm lands

By Kathleen Williams, The Tennessean, August 6, 2009

At the urging of an unscrupulous coal industry, miners from West Virginia and Kentucky have announced plans to boycott visits to Tennessee because Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., is sponsoring national legislation to keep them from blowing the tops off our mountains.

Sen. Alexander, on behalf of our ancient mountains, our irreplaceable water supply and the millions of people who treasure both, thank you for your willingness to stand up against the bullying tactics of the manipulative and desperate coal companies.[Read More]

Comment: As Kathleen says in this article, "If a handful of miners choose not to visit our state because we value our lands more than a dollar, that's OK. Let them stay home and enjoy their scarred half-mountains, run-off flooding, former creek beds and poisoned drinking water."

Kathleen Williams is my sister and is president of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. I am proud of the work she is doing in preserving the natural treasures of Tennessee. I am also proud or our Senator Lamar Alexander who is a Republican conservationist in the tradition of Theodore Roosevelt. We must stop Mountain Top Removal.

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Rolling, Rolling, Rolling, Blogrolling

I spend a lot of time surfing the net and I often come across sites that I really like. I have added Blogroll to my blog so I can more easily list these sites and share them with visitors to this blog. Previously I had my own list of links called “Links to the Good Side” and “Good Links to the Other Side”. I have deleted those categories and am throwing everything into Blogroll.

Listed in my Blogroll will not only be blogs but also publications and the link to the web sites of organizations. Not all of the sites I have listed are sites that I agree with politically. To be informed, I think one needs to read information from a wide variety of sources. I think one of the downsides to the Internet information age is that too many people tend to get a lot of information from sources that simply reinforce what they already believe. I make a conscious effort to read from a variety of points of view. If there is a link to a left wing or liberal site in this list it is because it is a site that I think is thought provoking, informative, or entertaining and a site I want to return to myself; it is not an endorsement of the political viewpoint of that site. For that matter, many of the Conservative sites are too neocon or religious right or global-warming-denying for my taste but I still think the sites have value anyway. Not all of the sites are of a political nature. I have interest other than politics, so I am basically linking to anything that I like and would like to share.

In using blogroll, if you hover your mouse over the link, you will get a short description of the site. I have not included that feature for all of the links however. Also, if the site has had an update in the last 24 hours, the words “new post” will appear next to the site title. Sites will open in a new window so you may return to my blog after you visit a site. My blogroll is in no particular order except that the newest additions are at the bottom of the list. So, if you return and want to see what new sites I have been added, look at the last entries.

At any one time only 30 sites will be featured but more sites may be achieved. From time to time, I will be deleting sites when I become bored with them or they may get replaced with similar sites that I think are better. Those sites that are linking to my blog will tend to stay on the list.

Here are just a few of the sites that I would like to call your attentions to:
Truth Serum This is the site of Don Williams. Don is an award-wining Journalist, a talented writer and he is my brother. Unfortunately he is very liberal.
Republicans for Environmental Protection Some Republicans do believe in global warming and sensible environmental policy.
Don and Earl Homepage Family and those who know me may be interested in this site. Don Williams of Don and Earl was my father.
The Charlie Daniels Band Charlie Daniels of CDB is quite the social conservative.
Cato Institute Cato is a libertarian think tank and offers analysis of the issues of the day from a classical liberal viewpoint without being so far out as to be irrelevant.
Hillbilly Savants Being from East Tennessee myself and having lived in upper East Tennessee, I enjoy this sites for its reporting on the true Appalachia instead of the Appalachia of movie stereotypes.
The Carbon Tax Center This site advocates for a carbon tax, an issue I feel strongly about.
Debt Free As a housing counselor teaching economic literacy and money management skills, I find this site a good source of practical information.
Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundations My sister Kathleen Williams is Executive Director of this worthwhile organization.

Please visit often to see what new sites I have discovered. If you have a site you think I might be interested in and would like to recommend for my blogroll, either let me know in this comment section or email me. I will take a look

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Land Deal Protects Cave with Ancient Drawings

Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation buys 385-acre site south of Crossville

By ANNE PAINE Staff Writer The Tennessean (link)

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — The green, 385-acre Devilstep Hollow has guarded a secret since prehistoric times. A cave lies underground with bird-man creatures and other mysterious images carved into the limestone or painted on the walls.

This is one of only about 60 cave art sites documented in the Southeast, and 48 in Tennessee, according to Jan Simek, distinguished professor of science and interim chancellor of the University of Tennessee.

The Devilstep cave art should survive modern times because the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation has acquired the land, and the state is buying it at cost, about $2.1 million, including surveying and fees. This will protect the natural area and spring that helps form the Sequatchie River, but the cave is its most unusual feature.

My Comment: Last summer I spent a weekend at Devilstep hollow. The site being protected is a beautiful lush green valley and the mouth of a cold mountain stream flowing out of a cave. The site is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Thanks to the work of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation this archaeological treasure and this beautiful spot of God's good earth is being protected for future generations. Kathleen Williams, the Executive Director of the foundation is my sister. I am proud of the work she is doing to protect the waterfalls, wilderness, and scenic vistas of Tennessee.

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Grant to preserve wilderness land near Caney Fork

By ANNE PAINE
Staff Writer, The Tennessean, Oct. 22, 2007

Another piece of the wilderness that lies in a corridor between Fall Creek Falls State Park and Scotts Gulf has been protected.

"The rugged, spectacular scenery rivals scenery anywhere in the world," said Kathleen Williams, executive director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, one of the groups that worked to secure the funding.

Agencies and nonprofits today have conserved about 53,000 acres, including a 1,500-acre tract the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts recently acquired and Virgin Falls, where the waters appear from an underground cave before tumbling off a bluff. They disappear into another opening at the base of the falls. (To read full article....Grants to Preserve Wilderness)

My Commentary
Many people visit the Great Smoky Mountains, but in Middle Tennessee there is a natural treasure every bit as beautiful. It is unspoiled by the commercial tourist industry that borders the Smokies. Small sleepy towns and well tending farms dot the country side. The mountains of the Cumberland plateau has beautiful scenery, hiking trails, trout fishing streams, babbling brooks, caves, massive stone formations, and hundreds of waterfalls including Fall Creek Falls, the highest waterfall east of the Rockies.

The land has some of the greatest diversity of plants and wildlife species in America. The land is beautiful to explore any time of the year. Taking a Spring hike you may find dozens of variety of wildflowers in bloom. And, if you visit the same trail a week later, some of those flowers will no longer be blooming, but new varieties will have bloomed out. For two months, the same trail can be a different hike each time. In the fall the Cumberlands can take your breath away as you gaze at a hill side and see the ribbons of fall colours. I find that a day trip to the Cumberland restores my soul and wipes away a months worth of daily stress.

This beautiful land is being threatened, however, by the growing population and development and by clear-cutting of timber. An organization that is taking the lead in preserving this treasure is The Tennessee Parks and Greenway Foundation. If it was not for this organization, many of the most beautiful sites in Tennessee would be lost. One reason this organization can be successful when state government cannot, is because they can act faster than the state government to save endangered sites. The wheels of government turn slow. By the time annual budgets are approve, legislation is passed, and studies are done, a threatened site is lost. TPGF can purchase the site and hold it until a state agency can purchase it. Also, TPGF has fewer bureaucratic processes to go through, so they can purchase sites at less cost than if purchased by the state, and since they are not in business to make a profit they can sell the property at a saving to the state of Tennessee.

TPGF operates on a shoe-string budget with low overhead and almost all the money donated to the foundation goes into purchasing endangered sites that have a natural feature worth preserving such as a waterfall or are home to an endangered species. In addition to purchasing property, TPGF saves the land by accepting donation of "construction easements" on property which limits future developments. In addition to the land that eventually goes into state hands in the form of state parks or wilderness areas, many farms will remain as farms or open space due to the owners voluntarily giving away their development rights. TPGF educates property owners on how they can bequest the beauty of the Cumberlands to future generations by placing these development restrictions on their property.

I am glad to see the natural beauty of the Cumberlands being preserved. Piece by piece, much of this beautiful mountain land is being saved. Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation is my sister. I am proud of her and the noble work she is doing. If you love the beauty of the Cumberlands or support the work of those that are saving our natural heritage you may wish to make a contribution to support this worth while organization.

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