FLORENCE – The Shoals has been named a Tennessee RiverLine Pilot Community. Throughout the summer, the area and four other communities along the Tennessee River, will help develop the vision of the proposed regional trail system and gain a number of benefits as early ambassadors for the project.
University of North Alabama students will have an opportunity to be an engaged part of the project, according to Carrie Crawford, director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, which operates under the auspices of UNA.
Carrie Crawford
“One of the main goals at the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area is to seek out opportunities and projects that enhance the educational experience of students at UNA,” Crawford said. “The Tennessee RiverLine project will engage students across campus as we move forward with mapping potential trail locations, creating interpretive signage about the history of our region to be placed along the trail, and developing outdoor recreation programs related to the RiverLine.”
The Tennessee RiverLine is a continuous system of paddling, hiking and biking experiences along the Tennessee River’s 652-mile reach, from its formation in Knoxville, Tenn., to its confluence with the Ohio River in Paducah, Ky. The RiverLine celebrates the Tennessee River, connects people, and catalyzes economic development and healthy lifestyles in river communities by providing paddle-hike-bike experiences for residents and visitors.
Dr. Carmen Burkhalter
Dr. Carmen Burkhalter, Dean of UNA’s College of Arts and Sciences, said, “I am pleased that our participation in this trail system will be part of an ongoing recognition of this region. I feel certain visitors to this historic area will find it as wonderful as the residents do.”
Other pilot communities are Roane County, Tenn., Bridgeport, Ala., Benton County, Tenn., and Paducah-McCraken County, Ky. The Tennessee RiverLine Partnership chose them from a pool of 17 communities that applied. Every community along the river ultimately will benefit from the Pilot Community Program thanks to a strengthened vision and a focused direction for the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership. Analysis from this program will be shared with all communities beginning in the fall.
Media Release/Michelle Eubanks
Interim Associate Director
University Communications & Marketing/UNA
