Nashville wasn't always known as Music City. Did you know it was at one point referred to as Powder City? Join us as we talk with Davidson County Historian Dr. Carole Bucy on stories from our region. Hear how the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic impacted Nashville, the role our waterways played in the Trail of Tears, a brief history of our drinking water system, and much more. Plus, you'll hear how powerful family storytelling and trips to a cemetery led to a career in history and Dr. Bucy's personal calls to protect water in our region.

Support the Cumberland River Compact's River Talks program: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

Check in with the Historical Commission for updates on Nashville 101 courses: https://www.nashville.gov/Historical-Commission.aspx  

Learn more about the Trail of Tears in Nashville from the National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/trte/planyourvisit/places-to-go-in-tennessee.htm 

Discover the history of Metro Water Services in Nashville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5UBA20XC1A

In May 2010, Nashville experienced severe flooding across the city. As Nashville recovered, the city aimed for policies and practices to ensure we can be more resilient to future flooding events. Roger Lindsey, the Floodplain Manager with Metro Water Services, will share how the city has responded, including new low-impact development guidelines, stormwater infrastructure, and floodplain buy-outs. Roger will also discuss flood mitigation work at our water plants that provides protection from future flood events.

Check out Roger Lindsey's full presentation on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2AZ9hGYOGg

Learn more about building a rain garden or installing a rain barrel with the Cumberland River Compact: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/what-we-do/urban-water-stewardship/

Learn more about Nashville's Low-Impact Development Manual: https://www.nashville.gov/Water-Services/Developers/Low-Impact-Development.aspx

Sign-up to join the Citizens Water Academy: https://www.nashville.gov/Water-Services/Community-Education/Citizens-Water-Academy.aspx

Contact Metro Water Services to report an issue: 615-862-4600 option 4

Support the Cumberland River Compact's River Talks program: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

Annie Goodhue is a retired Aquatic Biologist who now teaches the Creek Critters program with the Cumberland River Compact. In this interview, she shares about her work as a biologist, some of her favorite stories as a scientist, and why clean water is so important.

Check out our curated at-home environmental education resources, including the nature journal activity mentioned in the interview! https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/2020/04/08/activities-resources-for-environmental-education-at-home/

Kevin E. Smith, Professor of Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, will discuss some of the stunning human effigy ceramics created between A.D. 1300 and 1475 by ancient Native Americans centered in Nashville.  Two key characters presented time and again are the Middle Cumberland Hero Twins – revered deities whose stories center on their adventures at the Time of Creation.

Like this talk? Support the free River Talks programming by donating today: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

Learn how Nashville reclaims water and valuable nutrients from the wastewater treatment process and generates methane gas for energy use. This sustainable recycling process benefits the neighborhood, the environment, and the local economy.

Support River Talks today by donating to the Cumberland River Compact: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

Greenways are more than just a scenic walking or biking trail. They provide alternative transportation, greater mobility, and a healthier lifestyle. In some cities, greenways have been the catalyst for economic investment. Mark Deutschmann will discuss the benefits of greenways, Nashville’s greenways network, and the development of the 23-mile City Central Greenway.

To help us to continue to provide this free programming, you can donate here: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

Follow John's Talk with his photo presentation.

In December 2018, John Guider boarded the 100-year-old, 3 masted sailing vessel Bark Europa as part of the volunteer crew and sailed over 2400 nautical miles to the frigid waters of Antarctica. The Europa was able to access remote bays, too small for the larger cruise ships and enabled landings to view the nesting grounds of the Continent's unique summer inhabitants. Many of the species are in danger of extinction due to the effects of climate change. In this episode, we hear stories from his journey crossing the famed Drake Passage and connect how our actions in relation to the environment can affect the landscape and well being of its wildlife halfway around the word.

Donate to support River Talks programming and the River Talks podcast today: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/

DONATE: https://crc.kindful.com/?campaign=1038309

Follow along with the presentation slides referenced in this talk: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1filwmHq24B8uqAV4HqaA14W8nzGltNUx/view

Did you know that TDOT historians work to save historic bridges on the state’s roadway network?  Tammy Sellers, a historian with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, will discuss historic bridge preservation in Tennessee by telling the stories of several of the historic bridges throughout the state that have been preserved by TDOT.  These preservation successes range from the only Baltimore-Petit Truss bridge remaining in the southeast to an early concrete arch bridge built by the state highway department.  Learn the stories of these bridges and the efforts TDOT has made in preserving these unique pieces of history that we drive over daily.

DONATE: https://crc.kindful.com/?campaign=1038309

If you would like to follow along with the presentation slides, you can do so here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzf_uxReF_ioUXhBNmh1Mkx3WnVfRlNON2lDSjdzMi1WcUFB/view

Tennessee is home to world-class whiskey, wine, beer, and other fine spirits. The craft spirit producer's connection to the people, land, and resources is a relationship in which sustainability plays a vital role. Tennessee Sustainable Spirits is a voluntary recognition and technical assistance program administered by TDEC which seeks to reduce operational costs and environmental impacts for wineries and winegrowers, breweries, and distilleries as well as serve as a gateway to sustainability education through popular brands.

This talk covers the ways the breweries can prioritize sustainability with the help of programs like Tennessee Sustainable Spirits, from water conservation to energy, to packaging and more. Are you a homebrewer or just like local wine, brews, and spirits? This talk is for you too! Learn some tips for small scale operations, and how to buy more sustainable products. 

https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/events/river-talks/

DONATE: https://crc.kindful.com/?campaign=1038309

If you would like to follow along with the presenter's slides you can do so here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqx5oUMhiVIo0OS59zOaPl0gnfK7nYZm/view

Annual flooding was a fact of life that early settlers had to contend with. As early as 1841, concerned Nashville citizens were holding meetings to develop a plan to construct a canal and a lock and dam above the city  to improve navigation, create water power for manufacturing, and decrease flooding.  The  editors of “The Nashville Daily Gazette” called for finding a way to “arrest the annual destruction of property, and the distress and misery”  caused by flooding.  The responsibility for doing this fell to the  Army Corps of Engineers.  After the Civil War,  the Corps  began to consider ways to make the channel of the river deeper for year-round navigation and prevent flooding  that included building a series of locks and dams  that could be raised and lowered as needed.  Thus began the taming of the Cumberland.