Environmental Conservation

The “RC” in our acronym stands for “Resource Conservation.” Resource conservation entails land preservation, soil health, water conservation, and more. In our farming and gardening education courses we encourage organic practices and educate growers about the hazards involved with common pesticides. More broadly, our work in land preservation, soil health, and water conservation help to keep Northeast Tennessee the safe, healthy, and beautiful region that it is.

The spaces below provide an overview of our work in this sector as well as our articles related to this work.

Land Preservation

The need for a regional land conservation initiative began when Appalachian RC&D Council members working in Northeast Tennessee started to notice the accelerating disappearance of farmland in the area, and the desire for many residents to take action and protect their family landholdings before it was sold and developed. The Tennessee Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy had been active in the region for many years, but had specific missions that focused on conservation of the high mountain areas and unique and imperiled ecosystems. There was no organization working to protect the family farm.

The Appalachian RC&D Council approached the Land Trust for Tennessee to create a satellite office in Northeast Tennessee to serve land owners in Northeast Tennessee to address to disappearance of farmland and open spaces in the region. In the partnership agreement, The ARC&D staff would work on the ground with landowners and communities and raise their own operating costs, while Land Trust for Tennessee would provide the technical and legal expertise needed to complete conservation easement agreements. Read on about this project here.

Water Conservation

Natural Tunnel Stream channeling at Evergreen Baptist Church, Roan Creek, Johnson County.

Twenty years of responsible fiscal management has made us a regional go-to for administration of environmental state funds that must be implemented through a nonprofit. From 2015-2018 the ARC&D is proud to have been awarded a second “319”  grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and TN Dept. of Agriculture to continue eliminating E.Coli and nitrogen pollution problems in Roan Creek watershed of Johnson County.

Year 2014 marked the close of a five-year “319” grant on Roan Watershed, working closely with Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting. This project benefited many landowners by providing cost-share to stabilize stream banks, leading to less erosion and more filtration of sediment, nitrogen, and pollutants, and make healthier aquatic species habitat. The grant was also used to stabilize streams in advance of installing Doe Mountain’s Adventure Trails system.  We were able to repair 15 stream sites. Read on about this project here.

Envirothon

Envirothon is a national educational program and competition that advocates for high school students to learn about conservation and various environmental subjects. Each year, Appalachian RC&D hosts the regional competition for Environthon. The first place winner from the regional competition goes on to compete at the state level. Read about the latest competition here. 

Farm Profile: The Stanleys stay Different

Farm Profile: The Stanleys stay Different

A Different Chick Farm and Orchard, Johnson City    Tiffany and Steve Stanley, and their family, farm 6 acres of organic produce and fruit in Johnson City, TN, off Antioch Road. Their farm dream started in 2011, and has since winded and flourished like the...

Featured Chef: Alex and Breelyn Bomba

Featured Chef: Alex and Breelyn Bomba

The Jonesborough Farm to Table Dinner has been enjoyed annually since 2011, thanks to the vision of Chef Alex Bomba, Alex's wife Breelyn, and Breelyn's parents Herman and Beverly, of Main Street Cafe and Catering.  It was their idea to bring a large farm-to-table...

Sue Brown: A Gardener’s Story

Sue Brown: A Gardener’s Story

It taught me better methods than what I was using to control pests and disease organically, and boy they made all the difference in the world – I can barely keep up with my cucumber harvest! It helped me develop habits in the garden by starting a journal, which keeps me on track for managing what I need to do and when to do it.

Sarah Mast Ragland: A Gardener’s Story

Sarah Mast Ragland: A Gardener’s Story

One of the biggest things we’ve realized is that you don’t need a big backyard to grow a lot of food. Our yard is under 1/6 of an acre, but last year we managed to grow almost 200 pounds of food! With the help of the seeds, plants, tools, and workshops provided through the program, we’ve been able to get creative with our space and make every square foot count.

Maddison West: A Gardener’s Story

Maddison West: A Gardener’s Story

What once felt intimidating now feels exciting and playful. Instead of worrying about doing things “wrong,” we’ve gained the knowledge and confidence to simply enjoy the process — and that’s been such a beautiful message to share with our three young boys.

Erin Jasenak: A Gardener’s Story

Erin Jasenak: A Gardener’s Story

A great thing about this program is that another family in our neighborhood is doing it too. We talk about our gardens and share our experiences. It helps to know someone else is going through the same challenges, especially with stubborn grass and daily maintenance.

Lucinda Bowman: Gardener’s Story

Lucinda Bowman: Gardener’s Story

Through the Build it up program I have been given a gift to learn the things about gardening that I didn’t when I was growing up. I chose to garden in raised beds for my first year. I built 4-4×8 raised beds out of rough sawn lumber and a herb spiral out of bricks.

Ante Ursic: A Gardener’s Story

Ante Ursic: A Gardener’s Story

My five-year-old helped set up the garden, putting the seeds and seedlings into the earth, giving him an appreciation of the food we eat and excitement to see the things grow and develop.

McKenzie Templeton: Gardener’s Story

McKenzie Templeton: Gardener’s Story

We love learning about ways we can be more self-sufficient, eat cleaner, and look forward to instilling these same beliefs in our children one day. I didn’t realize how easy it was to grow things without using any unnecessary chemicals or pesticides. I didn’t realize how little space I needed – or how little knowledge I needed to get started.

Xinyi Chen Lin: A Gardener’s Story

Xinyi Chen Lin: A Gardener’s Story

We’re now focusing on more pest-resilient crops like peppers, okra, tomatoes, onions, leeks, and plenty of culinary and medicinal herbs. We also planted eggplants, though flea beetles have already taken a toll—hopefully, the organic pesticide from the program helps them bounce back. Eggplants are especially valuable in our keto diet as excellent fat sponges.