Blog: City Blog

At Neighborhoods to Nature Event, Mayor Rogero Announces Achievement for Knoxville Wildlife Habitats

Mayor Madeline Rogero, City Council, and other City officials led three separate (simultaneous) walks to Beardsley Farm in Malcolm-Martin Park on Monday, October 24, for the second installment of the Neighborhoods to Nature series.

Beaumont Walkers

Beaumont and Western Heights neighborhoods walked with Mayor Rogero, Vice Mayor
Duane Grieve, Councilman Mark Campen and other officials from Beaumont Magnet
Academy (left),while residents from West View walked with Deputy to the Mayor & COO
Christi Branscom, Councilman George Wallace and other officials (right).

Neighborhoods to Nature was created to promote the walkability between neighborhoods and City parks. For this month’s event, officials walked with residents from Beaumont, Western Heights, West View, Ridgebrook Apartments, Mechanicsville, and Old Mechanicsville neighborhoods to the park.

Danny Mayfield Park walkers

Residents from Old Mechanicsville and Mechanicsville walked with Councilman Daniel
Brown, Police Chief Rausch, and other officials from Danny Mayfield Park (left) while
residents from Ridgebrook Apartments walked with Councilman Finbarr Saunders,
Councilman Marshall Stair, Fire Chief Stan Sharp, and other officials (right).

Once in the park, event goers enjoyed music by local celebrity DJ and former University of Tennessee quarterback, Sterl the Pearl. Residents also had the opportunity to tour the farm, enjoy food from several food trucks, play basketball and other games, and visit booths with information on various neighborhood services.

Mayor Rogero with DJ "Sterl the Pearl" Ijams Nature Center's booth included an opossum

Kids enjoyed oversided games like "Connect Four" and toured a City fire truck.

(left) Fire Chief Sharp sinks a baseline shot while playing with youth and Councilman Wallace. (right) Police Chief Rausch takes a jump shot while free-playing with local youth.

Beardsley Farm (www.beardsleyfarm.org) is a non-profit urban demonstration site funded through the Community Action Committee to promote food security and sustainable urban agriculture. During hours of operation, residents can attend the farm at no cost to learn through hands-on experiences about gardening, composting, bee keeping, caring for livestock, and more.

Beardsley farm resides on City of Knoxville-owned property in Malcolm-Martin Park. The park was named after historic figures Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and features Ed Cothren Pool, a large baseball/softball field, two playgrounds, several picnic shelters, and 0.3-mile Malcolm-Martin Greenway loop.

Once all of the residents from the three walks arrived at Beardsley Farm in Malcolm-Martin Park, Mayor Rogero announced that Knoxville is now registered as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat, and is vying to become the first city in Tennessee that is officially certified with this title. (Chattanooga is also pursuing this status, so it will be a race to the finish line.)

Mayor Speaks

As the sun began to set, Mayor Rogero and City Council gave the big nature-
related announcement to residents attending the Neighborhoods to Nature event.

Much credit for this registration goes to the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association, which was the first registered community in the state to be officially certified as a wildlife habitat (and Malcolm-Martin Park was the most recently registered site in Knoxville).

An official wildlife habitat can be certified if the following factors are available to wildlife: 1) food; 2) water; 3) cover; 4) places to raise young; 5) sustainable practices by neighboring humans.

Mayor Rogero encouraged residents to consider registering their home or neighborhood as a wildlife habitat, which can be achieved by working the City’s Office of Sustainability. For more information, contact Sophia Etienne, at 215-3764 or [email protected]. You can also learn about the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association’s certification on their Facebook page.

The City plans to continue hosting Neighborhoods to Nature events throughout the City, with the next event slated for early spring. For more information, please visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/knoxn2n.

Officials left from the following starting points on Monday’s Neighborhoods to Nature walks to Beardsley Farm in Malcolm Martin Park:

Beaumont Magnet Academy: Mayor Madeline Rogero, Vice Mayor Duane Grieve, Councilman Mark Campen, Public Works Senior Director David Brace, Knoxville Fire Dept. Deputy Chief Gary Compton, KPD Sgt. Tammy Mattina, KPD Officer Anita Watson, Public Service Deputy Director Sheryl Ely, Indya Kincannon from the Mayor’s Office, Debbie Sharp from Office of Neighborhoods, and Kathleen Gibi from Communications.

West View Elementary School: Councilman George Wallace, Deputy to the Mayor Christi Branscom, Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Aaron Browning, Public Service Director Chad Weth, Communications Deputy Director Eric Vreeland, KPD Officer Edmon Randolph, and Redevelopment Director Dawn Michelle Foster.

Ridgebrook Apartments (picked up on West View walk): Councilman Finbarr Saunders, Councilman Marshall Stair, Knoxville Fire Dept. Chief Stan Sharp, Community Development Director Becky Wade, Community Relations Director, Avice Reid, Business Liaison Patricia Robledo, and Office of Neighborhoods Coordinator David Massey.

Danny Mayfield Park: Councilman Daniel Brown, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch, Parks and Recreation Director Joe Walsh, Engineering Director Jim Hagerman, Knoxville Fire Dept. Deputy Chief Mark Morris, Tatia Harris from the Office of Community Relations, Public Service Area Manager Alex Neubert, and Kirsten Fox from Office of Neighborhoods.

Posted by On 08 November, 2016 at 3:47 PM