In response to community demand, we expanded our outreach programs and greatly increased our public engagement efforts. Tish Gailmard, a team member with us since 2000, now serves as our Learning and Engagement Specialist. Named the Tennessee Wildlife Federation “Environmental Educator of the Year,” Tish excels at sharing our work and vision with the community. 

We continue to partner with local organizations to share our core conservation messages. In the fall, we teamed up with the 35th annual Tennessee River Rescue, WaterWays, and Tennessee American Water to host a volunteer-led river cleanup on our part of Lookout Creek and its tributary, Black Creek. This spring, we participated in Outshine Adventures’ first-ever Chattanooga Outdoor Festival at the Choo Choo. We also hosted the City Nature Challenge to spark curiosity and contribute to community science efforts through iNaturalist. Our digital biodiversity inventory continues to grow; we have cataloged 2,598 species through 23,717 observations with the help of 3,066 people on iNaturalist. This summer, you also may have seen our wildlife team and Animal Ambassadors at Rock City’s Mountaintop Summers, sharing the importance of native animals.

We are currently strengthening our volunteer capacity and recently debuted an Education Internship. Thank you to everyone who helps us extend our reach!