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
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.
Gardener Story: Sara Yeager
Growing up we never had a garden so I kinda felt like I was “winging it” because I didn’t really have any gardening knowledge. I had no idea about fertilizer, soil types, or pest control.
Now I proudly look out at our 400 square feet of garden space and everything is green and healthy looking. Our yard isn’t flat, so that space is broken up into an in ground garden area, 2 raised beds, and 3 more garden “patches” for lack of a better term. My kids helped my mom and I plant almost everything and they are so excited now that it’s time to pick it all.
Gardener Story: Karen Mumpower
Our family has started this adventure as an opportunity for our oldest to grow his interest in and knowledge about gardening. The greatest thing is that we can do this together and learn together. He has really done a great job with caring for the garden, even the hard parts. We love having healthy food available and learning to be more self-sustaining with our food sources. It’s great to know where your food has come from! We have also been able to share and trade items with neighbors and friends which has extended our access to our favorite garden goodies since our foods are ripening at different times.
Appalachian RC&D Council Joins Farmers Markets Across the Country in Celebrating National Farmers Market Week 2024
The Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council (ARCD) joins farmers markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week from August 4-10, 2024.
Gardener Story: Liz K
Just as Frankenstein was put together with many different parts, so was my garden. It was an everchanging project that evolved from one row of plants to now 10 rows of a variety of companion plants, a small corn field with a perimeter of pole beans and two sets of mounds for melons and squashes. There is a staging area for my tools and supplies and the garden is surrounded by some naturally grown flowering plants like clover and chicory to attract the pollinators. I have used mainly things on my farm like used stakes, old wooden produce boxes, tobacco sticks and some used landscape fabric to set up my garden. I did have to invest a little money in brand new landscape fabric, soaker hoses and organic pesticides to make gardening a little easier. In all, I have been very fortunate to keep my overhead costs down thanks to BIU and my knack for recycling and reusing resources to create my Frankengarden.
Gardener Story: Komal Khawaja
Gardening is incredibly important to me and my family. As a child, I loved having fruit trees in our house and have fond memories of picking fruits and flowers from my parents' garden. I want to create similar memories for my kids. After moving to Tennessee last year,...
Gardener Story: Lee Carden
The curiosity has extended with pest control–our oldest now prides himself on being able to identify ALL the stages of the bad bugs. He LOVED studying Adam’ Watson’s slides during a class. He’ll tell you all about the well known “garden bag guys,” but he was curious about a new caterpillar that was munching on our dill. We now have two swallowtail chrysalis that we are patiently waiting to see emerge. The dill was saved, and he has a fun science story to tell.
Gardener Story: Ashley Callahan
Like many of us, when 2020 hit, our world shifted dramatically. Being at home with our children made me realize how much I truly wanted to spend more time with them. I've always had a desire to grow our own food, nourish my family, and embrace the role of a homemaker,...
Gardener Story: Erin Egan
I had no expectations for my first garden but I am so proud and filled with gratitude at the quality and quantity that is growing. (Who knew that butternut squash was soooo adorable!) I am already planning for my summer garden next year! Now on to my next challenge, learning how to preserve all of this produce…
Gardener Story: Kellye Wood
At first, I thought it would make for a healthy hobby, but these days, I think it’s become more of an obsession. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. The cycle has snowballed and created a dirt-covered monster. Seriously, my nails are stained green. We started small, planning to slowly build each year until we have a micro-farm that will sustain us and hopefully begin providing fresh, local ingredients for our area as well.
Gardener Story: Toban Weibe
After a surprisingly successful gardening attempt last year, we've really expanded our ambitions this year. We have a small city lot without much space for a garden, but we've managed to garden on a few smaller plots. First, we converted a flower bed in the backyard...