This week on Community Corner, Brother Love sits down with Harpeth Conservancy communications manager Jess Martin. They discuss the work Harpeth Conservancy does to protect Tennessee rivers and streams as well as some upcoming events you can participate in to help Harpeth Conservancy on their mission to keep Tennessee water healthy and clean. They also touch on Jess Martin’s background working on the Nile and how that work informs and inspires her work here in Tennessee.
Despite the name, Harpeth Conservancy actually serves many different rivers and environments across the state of Tennessee. Martin explains that there are more than 60,000 miles of river across our state. Additionally, Tennessee is also home to some very unique and special underwater environments. For example, Duck River is actually the most aquatically diverse river in all of North America. Another river Harpeth Conservancy serves is the Cumberland River. This work is very important because the Cumberland is an abundant source of drinking water for Middle Tennessee residents. The work and mission of the Harpeth Conservancy not only impacts the state of Tennessee’s natural environments, but also keeps Tennessee residents safe and healthy by helping ensure access to clean water.
Another way Harpeth Conservancy strives to monitor the health of our rivers is with their new project Tennessee Water Watch. TN Water Watch employs the service of citizen scientists to take samples at different popular river access points in order to monitor water quality. With this project, they are specifically focused on E. Coli levels. Although E. Coli levels can rise naturally due to wet weather events like storms, consistently high E. Coli levels can be indicative of a larger problem in the environment. Also, when E. Coli levels are too high; it can be dangerous to use the water recreationally. So, it is also important to monitor these levels in order to keep river-goers safe and healthy.
When Jess Martin worked along the Nile river she was struck by the lack of clean water and education about clean water she encountered. Now that she’s back in the U.S. she is even more motivated to protect our clean water. We have an abundance of clean water in Tennessee but Martin warns that without protecting it we could easily end up in a similar spot as other parts of the world that struggle to maintain their natural resources. That is why Harpeth Conservancy’s mission is so important.
One way you can help is by attending Songwriters for Streams this Sunday, April 26th. This cozy intimate event showcases the spirit of Nashville by highlighting local songwriters in the classic writers round format. Ticket sales from the 4th annual Songwriter for Streams event help support Harpeth Conservancy’s mission to support clean water and healthy rivers across Tennessee. For more information visit Songwritersforstreams.org. And consider buying a ticket or volunteering with Harpeth Conservancy to help out.
Also, If you missed it live, you can listen to the full episode below. Catch Community Corner live as it airs, tune in every Saturday at 7am on Lightning 100
