OUR RIVER | POLICY & PLANNING | NEWS ROOM | GET INVOLVED | PARTNERS | ABOUT US | CONTACT

Mother's Day Float a Huge Success
96 People Float for Fun
See pictures, read report on May 13, 2007 event

 

Land Trust Alliance Comes to the Harpeth River
October 13, 2006

The Harpeth River Watershed Association hosted 34 members of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) on Friday the Thirteenth of October 2006 for a field trip down the Harpeth River.
Visit the Land Trust for Tennessee - LTA's local chapter.

LTA members enjoy the Harpeth River just as the trees are putting on their fall colors.

The weather started cold (36 degrees F) but warmed nicely with a crystalline blue sky and only occasional breezes.

Starting at the Nashville Convention Center, everyone took a bus to Foggy Bottom Canoe Rentals where they had our canoes waiting in the water for us (THANK YOU FOGGY BOTTOM). We jumped in and started paddling hard to stay warm. We paddled the first stretch in half the estimated time, much to the surprise of Harpeth River State Park Ranger, Jane Polansky.

Boaters eddy out on river right at the Gossett Tract for a hike and lunch.	The view from Mace Bluff. Here you see a line of large tree clumps and in the upper right hand corner is Mound Bottom.

Since we arrived at our lunch stop an hour early, Ranger Polansky led us on a hike up Mace Bluff, a sacred Native American site overlooking Mound Bottom and the location of an authenticated Ceremonial Mace petroglyph.

A close-up of the Ceremonial Mace petroglyph at Mace Bluff.

After that, we headed back to the Gossett Tract (Harpeth River State Park) for lunch on the banks of the river - but with class! Tables with table cloths and lunch from the Loveless Cafe under a clear blue sky in late morning. After a leisurely meal, LTA members jumped back in their boats with gusto and paddled another six or seven miles to the take out at the Narrows of the Harpeth, stopping only briefly for a quick hike to the tunnel that goes through the bluff at the Narrows.

A note of special thanks here to Ranger Polansky and her crew of Harpeth River State Park rangers for all their help in setting up and taking down tables, running to the store for extra water and plates, and taking the left over food to the Kingston Springs Fire Department. The rangers went above and beyond their call of duty and it really made the difference between an okay experience and a fabulous one! Thank you, Jane!

Everyone seemed happy and a little tired as we got back on the bus and headed for Nashville. A safe, fun paddle on the Harpeth River is just the thing to put you in mind of why we need to protect not only the Harpeth River but the land around the river and its tributaries as well.

By Gwendolyn Blanton

 

The Harpeth River Watershed Association is dedicated to preserving and restoring the ecological health of the Harpeth.  Our work leverages the scientific and technical training and experience of our staff and advisors with the efforts of a diverse corps of volunteers, who are crucial to every aspect of our programs. 

Watershed – the area of land that sheds water into a river system.

Support HRWA Efforts:  Join or Renew Your Membership Today

Your support is crucial to our ability to protect the long-term health of the Harpeth River and its watershed.  So please join today!  Simply print this off and mail it to us today with your check.  Or, pay with credit card online.