The 2006 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award
The UT Agricultural Experiment Station Forest Resources Center was presented with the 2006 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award in the Agriculture/Forestry Category for the Hornyhead Branch Restoration Project in Morgan County, Tennessee. In a June 23 awards ceremony in Nashville, Martin Schubert (center), Cumberland Forest Unit Manager, and Richard Evans, Forest Resources Center Director, are joined by Chester Bush (left), USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Elizabeth Upchurch, TVA, partners in the restoration project, and James Fyke (right), commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
For the past twenty years, the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards program has recognized "exemplary voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives that are not required by law or regulations." More than 100 award nominations were received this year - a record number. The Agriculture/Forestry award category is one of twelve such categories. The purpose of this category is to "recognize individuals, businesses, or organizations that have demonstrated exceptional achievement in developing sustainable resource management programs for agricultural or forestry operations."
The University was represented at the awards ceremony in Nashville by Martin Schubert, Cumberland Forest Unit Manager (left), and Richard Evans, Forest Resources Center Director. Elizabeth Upchurch (right) represented the Tennessee Valley Authority, as one of six cooperators in the project. The project utilized six different streambank stabilization methods that improved the water quality and habitat for over 3000 feet of creek bank while also providing better access to forestry operations. In the future, this project will serve as an effective demonstration, training, and outreach tool for forest managers.
Cooperators in the Hornyhead Branch Restoration Project included the Cumberland Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Association, Emory River Watershed Association, Morgan County Soil Conservation District, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service. Assistance was also provided by the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, and the Morgan County Central Middle School Beta Club.
Click here to read about the methods and techniques used in the Hornyhead Restoration Project.
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