NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 23, 2016) –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville
District educated members of the public today about clean power, sustainability,
water quality and environmental stewardship.
Earth Day was celebrated with thousands of people visiting
the Corps of Engineers booths during the 15th annual Earth Day celebrations
at Centennial Park in Nashville and the historic downtown square in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Russ Rote, Nashville District Project Planning Branch
chief, said this is the first year the Corps of Engineers got invited to participate
in the Murfreesboro Earth Day event. They
requested the Corps of Engineers stress water safety awareness along with the agency’s
involvement in the ecosystem and environment.
During the 2015 recreation season there were 15 fatalities
at Nashville District’s 10 lakes, which explains why the Corps emphasized water
and boating safety at both Earth Day festivals.
The Cumberland and Tennessee rivers are vital to
surrounding communities. The Corps of
Engineers believe if they educate the public on the rivers’ roles it can help
preserve today’s resources for future generations.
“Water quality is very important, we are very cognitive of
the water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels to maintain a healthy level
for the aquatic environment,” said Rote. “The Corps of Engineers have a great
number of acres of federal land we manage. We take care of the land and make
sure the environment is protected.”
The Corps of Engineers booth was one of 123 booths spread
out across Nashville’s Centennial Park.
The event featured family orientated exhibits, activities, a stage with
live music and a “Kidsville” area.
Mother nature cooperated for Earth Day which brought out a
large crowd said Craig Carrington, chief of plan formulation section. “We had a
lot of people come by our booth, many members of the public approached did not
know anything about the Corps of Engineers and when they left they took some
new information about our agency with them,” said Carrington.
“It is a great event, its Earth Day, so we are reaching out
to a group of people who encourage the protection of our natural resources,”
said Carrington. “It’s good for us to be
here and show some of the ecosystem restoration projects we have done.”
Other locations across the Nashville District celebrated
Earth Day through several lake cleans ups, half a dozen interpretive programs,
and several booths.
In addition to Earth Day events, park rangers at the 10
Nashville District lakes support environmental stewardship throughout the year
with National Public Lands Day annually in September and ongoing interpretive
programs in local schools. Contact your local Natural Resource Management
Office to schedule a water safety or environmental program.
(For more news, updates and information follow
the Nashville District on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps)