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The Compact’s 2024 Year in Review

A man wearing a hi-visibility vest sits in a large hole, preparing to plant a mature tree.

Celebrating 2024 Milestones, Looking Forward to 2025

At the Cumberland River Compact, winter is about planning, preparing, and sowing seeds for the years to come. Just like overwintering seeds, the quiet work we’re doing during these cold months is setting the stage for new water conservation projects across the Cumberland River basin.

Right now, the Field Team is delivering thousands of new Root Nashville trees that will burst to life in spring, covering yards across the city in green.

At the Nashville farmers’ market, Compact staff is teaching classes in the business of farming, helping new farmers from across the Cumberland River basin hone their strategies before a big year of food production.

Outside Bumpus Mills, Tennessee, a stream is under restoration construction. Biodegradable netting holds the soil in place until thousands of new trees and wildflowers can be planted there.

Near Madisonville, KY, ripping machines are aerating the soil at the site of a previous surface mine, readying it for the thousands of seedlings that will soon be planted there as part of the Compact’s latest mine land reforestation project. 

A man stands on the banks of a newly restored stream running through farmland
Land Conservation Program Manager Cooper Breeden stands on the banks of a mid-restoration tributary of Hayes Fork Creek in Bumpus Mills, TN.

These quiet, cold weeks before the new year rockets into full swing are the perfect time to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the last twelve months. 

So, without further ado, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights that defined 2024! Here’s the Compact’s year in review:

 

You Showed Up

  • 1,422 volunteers came to stream cleanups, tree plantings, and other Compact events, contributing over 3,816 hours of service.
  • 86 teachers from 27 counties participated in professional development programs focused on teaching environment & water topics in their classrooms. 
  • 83 farmers from 19 counties participated in workshops to learn about implementing water quality and soil health practices on their land.
  • 56 Neighborhood Planting Captains found homes for Root Nashville trees in 44 neighborhoods across Davidson County.
  • Compact-led school programs brought the creek to the classroom for 5,899 students.
  • More than 1,000 people signed up for April’s No Mow Month initiative – the most in Nashville’s history.
People gather for a photo in front of a Loveless Cafe food truck.
121 total volunteers, including these from Fortitude Re, planted trees along the banks of the Trace Creek restoration project, which is one of the largest suburban stream restoration projects in Tennessee history, last spring. One day, the Loveless Cafe food truck even came out to nourish hungry volunteers!

 

  • The Compact restored 16,190 linear feet of stream banks in Middle Tennessee and replanted 21.83 acres of streamside forest (a.k.a. riparian buffer).
  • Homes, schools, and businesses installed 35 new pocket prairies and rain gardens, adding 13,700 square feet of native plant landscaping to Davidson County, Franklin, and Clarksville.
  • 7 new farms obtained the Compact’s River Friendly Farm certification, adding 968 acres of sustainable farmland to the Cumberland River basin.
  • We reforested 42 acres of previously mined land on Hurricane Ridge, near Lafollette, TN with nearly 30,000 seedlings such as oak, hickory, and tulip poplar.
  • 59 Root Nashville Community Reforestation Sites received a total of 2129 trees.
A farmer carries newly harvested lettuces through a lush garden.
Caney Fork Farms, a newly certified River Friendly Farm, uses techniques like rotational grazing and limited pesticide application to protect clean water in the Caney Fork River, which borders their property.

 

  • The Compact launched its first Teacher Fellowship, welcoming 10 educators to a year-long intensive program about teaching environment and water-related material.
  • Local farmers learned about sustainable land management at the first Terra Firma farm business course and the first River Friendly Farms Grazing School.
  • Hurricane Ridge, near Lafollette, TN became the Compact’s first completed mine land reforestation project.
  • Our first efforts at cataloging the biodiversity on Hill’s Island in the Cumberland River yielded 120 species of plants and 21 types of birds recorded in just two days.
Two people walk on a hillside next to a river. A large old tree looms overhead.
Urban Waters Program Manager Natalie Stone and Field Team member Scott Strohmeier identify plants on the sloped banks of Hill’s Island.

 

Out with the old, in with the new

  • Volunteers removed 20,336 pounds of trash (and 207 tires!) from local waterways.
  • The Compact planted approximately 56,527 seedlings, live stakes, and 1” caliper (and larger) trees across the Cumberland River basin at its stream restoration, mine land reforestation, and Root Nashville planting sites.
  • 43.5 acres of harmful invasive plants were removed from local ecosystems as part of Compact environmental restoration projects.
  • 10,451 square feet of asphalt was removed from Nashville parking lots and other paved surfaces, making room for new green spaces.
A man on an excavator rips up pavement.
The Compact’s Jones Avenue depave project, completed in collaboration with NDOT and Metro Water Services, removed 4,835 square feet of asphalt from an East Nashville neighborhood and replaced it with a native tree food forest.

 

Whew, that’s a lot of progress!

2024, you were great– your citizens took it upon themselves to make the Cumberland River basin a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful place. This work can feel small sometimes, but when you zoom out and view it all together, the impact it has on our rivers, creeks, and streams is undeniable.

The Compact operates on the knowledge that every tree planted, every stream restored, and every piece of litter removed moves us closer to a future where the Cumberland River and the communities along it are thriving. This progress wouldn’t be possible without the support and dedication of volunteers, community partners, and readers like you.

If you want to support this work in 2025, a monthly gift in any amount helps to sustain water conservation work in Nashville and across the Cumberland River basin.

Donate Monthly

Here’s to a new year full of opportunities to make a difference together. Thank you for an incredible 2024, and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store for 2025!

 

 

Compact’s work is made possible by the following generous supporters

Picture of Jess Awh

Jess Awh

Jess Awh is the Communications Coordinator at the Cumberland River Compact, where she creates multimedia content to tell the story of the organization’s diverse water-centric conservation initiatives. Her role includes creative writing, copy editing, design, photography, and social media management. Jess has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and past experience creating marketing materials for music venues, artists, radio stations, and publications. She was born and raised in Nashville and is deeply committed to spreading the word about conservation and sustainable development in the city she calls home. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar and hanging out with her cat, Birthday.