For many years the Tennessee Wildlife Federation has been among the leading organizations advocating for Wildlife and the Environment at the Tennessee General Assembly and  in State Administrative Agencies.  The Federation  has been recognized as one of the top organizations nation wide. And there are important issues: Degradation of habitat,   Invasive Exotic Plants and Animals,  Mining, … Continue reading "Interview with Mike Butler, Tennessee Wildlife Federation"

There is a statewide movement going on to preserve and revitalize the Main Streets and town squares of Tennessee.   One of the prominent leaders in this effort in our guest Kim Parks,  Executive Director of Historic Lebanon, and Manager of the Lebanon Mainstreet  Program.    Kim and Mark discuss the  remarkable success this small city … Continue reading "Tennessee Mainstreet Program, Interview with Kim Parks"

There is an active myth about our historic landscape:  The forest which our ancestors first witnessed was so prominent ,  that a squirrel could travel from the Atlantic to the Mississippi without its’ feet touching the ground.  Not so says Dwayne Estes.  And understanding the facts about the historic landscape and the role of grasslands … Continue reading "Dr. Dwayne Estes, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative"

Community Recreation has come a long way since 1960!  In Nashville,  Tennessee, this is in no small part due to the efforts of our guest Mary Wherry.  The first women to receive the TRPA Distinguished Fellow Award,  Her achievements include the initiative for Nature Study programs in Nashville Parks (which led to the establishment of … Continue reading "Interview With Parks And Recreation Fellow, Mary Wherry"

For the past 40 years our guest Bobby Fulcher has been involved in a quest to seek out and document the wonderful elements of Tennessee Folk Culture.  He initiated the Tennessee State Parks Folklife Program in 1979 and continues today to explore and to promote the music and  ways of life of the authentic Tennessee.  … Continue reading "Interview With Bobby Fulcher, Tennessee State Parks Folklife Program"

Tennessee is just finishing Invasive Plant Awareness Week. Many of  our State Parks have conducted a Weed Wrangle (TM). This is an opportunity for Volunteers to come together and assist the Parks in removal of bush honeysuckle ,privet and other invasives which threaten natural landscapes.  Today’s podcast brings the focus of attention to identification of trees, shrubs and vines … Continue reading "Invasive Plants In Your Backyard, Interview with Mike Berkley"

My guest today is Gail Eichelberger,   Host and author of the Clay and Limestone Blog  (gardening for wildlife with native wildflowers).   Gail is truly one of Tennessee’s  experts on native plants.  Starting with her struggles to attain the garden of her dreams here is Middle  Tennessee, she turned that struggle into a revelation. Native plants have … Continue reading "Gardening with Native Plants, Interview with Gail Eichelberger"

Nashville has seen extraordinary growth over the past 20 years.  An estimated 100 new people move to Nashville every day.  All this growth has caused traffic congestion which is now intractable.   In a visionary effort to deal with this problem the City of Nashville has proposed a very ambitious plan for Mass Transit, called  Lets Move … Continue reading "Lets Move Nashville, Interview with Walter Searcy about Nashville Transit Plan"

Bill Terry is a recognized leader in City Planning here in Tennessee  and is also deeply involved in various Conservation related organizations.  Bill and Mark discuss the history of Planning in Tennessee and the important role which local Planning Commissions play.  We also discuss the current state of affairs, with the abolition of the Tennessee State … Continue reading "Tennessee City Planning Overview with Bill Terry"

The Tennessee Conservation Voters  (TCV) is an organization  which works in our Tennessee Legislature on behalf of its organizational members to achieve progress in protecting the natural environment.  Each year the Legislature considers many pieces of legislation effecting such widely diverse  topics as  park land, water quality, mass transit, hunting and fishing,  surface mining and  … Continue reading "Conservation Voters Update with Stewart Clifton"