We will lead with education and action to protect nature for future generations.
Recently voted the top aquarium in the US, with 28 million guests over the years, the Aquarium has transformed our identity as a city. More than a tourist destination, the Aquarium is an ecological leader, as it leads, funds and supports conservation and research efforts throughout the South.
But have you also heard of the Lookout Mountain Conservancy? Or the Southeastern Grasslands Institute?
Or Tennessee River Gorge Trust? It’s a regional nonprofit that, several years ago, created a most special experience.
The Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT) story begins in Guatemala and ends here, in the Tennessee Valley, one of the most ecologically diverse places in the US and home to gorgeous and rare creatures, like the gray bat, red wolf and snail darter.
And two migratory birds: the worm-eating Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush.
In the winter, both birds nest in central Guatemala. As the weather shifts, they fly 2000 miles across to Chattanooga.
Several years ago, the Trust partnered with researchers, universities, foundations, small businesses and community groups from Chattanooga to Guatemala.
More than 50 geolocators were attached to Louisiana Waterthrush and Worm-eating Warblers that the team used to document one year’s worth of flight, nesting and migratory patterns.
These two migratory songbirds represent the intersection of culture, immigration and community.
Many of the same birds that migrate here every spring to breed come from the same central American countries as many of our Latino neighbors here in Chattanooga.
Then, Chattanoogans traveled to Guatemala for scientific exchange and cultural friendship.
Then, Guatemalans returned here, interacting with more than 430 Chattanoogans in schools, community groups and meetings.
Not long ago, officials were meeting in Montague Park with plans for restoration and renovation. The park is situated among a large immigrant population and that day, some Guatemalans were in attendance as Parks Director Scott Martin stood to speak.
Then, birdsong.
It was a worm-eating Warbler.
“I’m home,” one woman said, nearby. “Estoy en casa.”
The woman had immigrated to Chattanooga from Guatemala. The bird – a reinita gusanera – had flown here from Guatemala, too. Both woman and bird had made similar journeys; in the birdsong, she recognized home.
What if we protect our urban tree canopy, reduced by 45% since 1984, by prioritizing and celebrating urban forests while declaring – proudly – our identity as a city of trees?
What if we redefined wealth and development in a way that considered the natural world as part of the bottom line?
The Trust for Public Land has protected more than 22,000 acres in Tennessee and encouraged access for nearly 30,000 Tennesseans. What if those numbers quadrupled?
This idea started among passionate, proactive city staffers who care about land management.
Emerging from this? No-mow medians. Grassland restoration. Pollinator and understory gardens. Pesticide alternative. Goats and sheep as invasive species control. A $6 million USDA grant for increasing tree canopy and tree planting. The city's newly adopted resolution for Environment Excellence.
It begins with education. Throughout Hamilton County, there are teachers and classrooms orienting towards ecology, sustainability and fun. Administrators build outdoor classrooms, once necessary during Covid, now gleefully populated. As teachers shift lesson plans outside, students respond with increased joy and attention. At the Wauhatchie Forest School, young children are taught that nature is the classroom.
At Lookout Mountain Conservancy, urban teenagers encounter the power of individual and communal transformation through environmental service.
At Reflection Riding Arboretum, some 300 acres welcomed more than 100,000 visitors in 2023 while staff donated 4,000 native trees and sold 11,000 native plants. One barn owl named Winnie alone interacted with more than 600 people.
Not long ago, Boyd Buchanan became the first private school in Tennessee to offer a Future Farmers of America program; it’s reportedly the most popular program at the school, with a wait list and more FFA students receiving college scholarships than through athletics. With LEED-certified buildings and a strong emphasis on sustainability, Baylor School also maintains a beautiful and promising gardening program.
Earlier this summer, an ecologist with the Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) offered a public tour of Heritage Park where, a few years ago, SGI began seeding native species in an attempt to naturally regenerate plant life.
Today, at least 76 native plants and many animals are thriving in this richly biodiverse half-acre grassland in the heart of the city.
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We have champions across the city: nonprofits, families, public and private leaders, gutsy, DIY individuals who start working, come hell or high water.
Reflection Riding Aboretum and Nature Center has mission to restore “the vital connection between people and nature.” Believing that “everyone should have the opportunity to experience nature,” Reflection Riding – a 300-acre nature center just 10 minutes from downtown – offers a marvelous variety of educational and experiential opportunities – like guided hikes or animal encounters with red wolves, bobcats, bald eagles – for all Chattanoogans.
Chattanooga’s natural resources are a vital asset, yet the responsibility to protect and educate on these resources is increasingly challenged.