Tennessee RiverTowns Program Stage 1: Celebrate
Tennessee RiverTowns Stage 1 Resources
On this page you will find resources necessary to understand program requirements and meet benchmarks to move through the RiverTowns program. This is your Local Leadership Team’s guide to all things Tennessee RiverTowns.
This page also gives insight into the following program benchmarks: Local Leadership Development, Tennessee River Animation, Tennessee RiverLine Advocacy and Tennessee RiverLine Development; Just follow the guidance and information below.
Local Leadership Development
Benchmark(s):
Establish a Local Tennessee RiverLine Leadership Team that works collectively to complete benchmarks of the program
This team of volunteers expand local capacity to realize your reach of the Tennessee RiverLine, complete program benchmarks, and serve as a liaison between your community, neighboring Program enrollees and Tennessee RiverLine staff.
Provide representation at the annual TNRL summit from your Local Leadership Team
The Summit happens once a year and is the primary way we convene all of our partners across the region to network with one another and share insights to move our collective forward.
River Events
Benchmark(s):
Organize one or more Tennessee River Recreation events on/along the Tennessee River each year.
Organize one or more River Stewardship events on/along the Tennessee River each year.
Recreation / Leisure events are ways to energize your community and create awareness around the Tennessee RiverLine locally. These events build community and create grassroots desire for recreation on the river.
Stewardship events are ways to educate communities about the river’s ecosystems, history and culture, call attention to the impact of human activity on the watershed, and to demonstrate ways we can be active in stewarding the health of the Tennessee River and engage in responsible outdoor recreation.
Tennessee RiverLine Advocacy
Benchmark(s):
Advocate, when needed to elected officials and identified partners for support in your Community’s participation in the RiverTowns Program and the Tennessee RiverLine
Actively participate when needed in advocacy opportunities such as providing letters of support for grant opportunities
Promote general Plan Your Journey assets
Promote your community's Tennessee RiverLine events and use communications to build awareness of the Tennessee RiverLine in your area.
Advocacy is greatly impactful to leveraging resources to recruit additional participants and elevate the visibility of the initiative and your community, so we can all reach our goals together.
Local RiverLine Development
Benchmark(s):
Collaborate with Tennessee RiverLine staff to participate in a Windshield Tour, Local Leadership Workshop, and a Public Workshop
In Stage 1 we engage communities for data collection to help inform planning for the future. This program is the foundation for our work with community partners!
Maintain/Update your local stretch of the Plan Your Journey interactive map
Yearly review of our mapping inventory helps residents and visitors understand the current conditions of your community’s infrastructure. This also helps the Tennessee RiverLine staff understand the conditions and distribution of amenities regionally.
Review, provide feedback, and adopt your community's Stage 1 report