THE SHOALS-The Shoals has been named a Tennessee RiverLine Pilot Community. Beginning this summer, the Shoals and four other communities along the Tennessee River will help develop the vision of the proposed regional trail system and gain numerous benefits as early ambassadors for the project.
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, Tennessee, to its confluence with the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky. The RiverLine celebrates the Tennessee River, connects people and communities and catalyzes economic development and healthy lifestyles in river communities by providing paddle-hike-bike experiences for residents and visitors.
Carrie Crawford
“Our communities will benefit through increased collaboration, the continuation of a unified approach to economic development and branding of our cultural identity and increased visitation & tourism. Residents and visitors will have more recreational opportunities along the river, and the RiverLine will boost economic development, which increasingly relies on quality of life to spur local investment,” said Carrie Crawford, director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, one of the partners for this program.
Brad Collett
“We are thrilled to work with the Shoals and all of our pilot communities,” said Brad Collett, director of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “This collaboration will help us gain valuable feedback for the Tennessee RiverLine vision from the unique perspective of Shoals residents and leadership.”
Other pilot communities are Roane County, Tennessee; Bridgeport, Alabama; Benton County, Tennessee; and Paducah-McCraken County, Kentucky. The Tennessee RiverLine Partnership chose them from a pool of 17 communities that applied.
“Working with the five pilot communities is a critical early step that will lay a foundation for the long-term effort and engagement needed to realize this vision that will affect the lives of millions for generations to come,” Collett said.
Every community along the river ultimately will benefit from the Pilot Community Program by way of a strengthened vision and a focused direction for the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership. Analysis from this program will be shared with all communities beginning in fall 2019.
The Tennessee RiverLine originated in 2016 in the School of Landscape Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design and UT Herbert College of Agriculture. Today, it is conducted by the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership with ongoing support from UT. For details, visit www.tnriverline.org or e-mail info@tnriverline.org. Follow the RiverLine on Twitter and Instagram (@tnRiverLine) and Facebook (@tnRiverLine652)
Media Release/Cathy Wood, media coordinator/Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area
