We are grateful that the 2018 Legacy Luncheon for the Parks was another huge success thanks to our amazing speaker and the nearly 1,000 sponsors and Friends who gathered at UT’s Holston River Farm at the Head of the Tennessee River to support our work. Pete McBride, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, photographer and filmmaker, shared inspiration and ideas with the crowd, as we enjoyed crisp weather and a wonderful lunch.
We were also thrilled to share the news of the recent and upcoming projects
- A new regional partnership with Oak Ridge, Roane County and Anderson County that will explore both recreational opportunities and enhance natural assets. Legacy Parks currently holds five trail easements in Anderson County and two additional easements with the Department of Energy.
- The State of Tennessee presented Legacy Parks a $200,000 check through a Recreational Trails Program grant to fund the work at Collier Preserve to create a natural area and park with access to Beaver Creek.
- A Natural Shores project – an effort to protect the shorelines of the French Broad River from Seven Islands State Birding Park to the Head of the Tennessee River. The first Natural Shores easement with a private landowner was confirmed last week.
- Continued work in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness through a collaboration with Ijams Nature, Siddiqi Foundation and Earthadelic to create the first Primal Playground featuring natural landscape elements as an exercise and training site.
- TVA Retirees Association will contribute $10,000 to Collier Preserve and an additional $30,000 over the next three years to fund benches in multiple county parks.
The Legacy Luncheon for the Parks is our biggest fundraiser of the year, which allows us to continue our work of expanding and accessing our parks, trails, and waterways. A huge thank you goes to all of our sponsors listed below, our elected officials in attendance, our wonderful board of directors, UT’s Institute of Agriculture for hosting us at the spectacular farm, and everyone who supported this wonderful event.
