2011 Friends of Tennessee State Parks Annual Conference
Another great conference! We had a record attendance and the
weather and facilities were near perfect...EESP was well represented with 11
members there...Greg and Lori, Phyllis, LaDonna, Margaret, Megan, Angel, Carl
and Suzanne, Fount and Anna. The programs were instructive and entertaining with
very qualified speakers and presenters. This was our first time to have the
conference at Paris Landing State Park and they were very supportive and
cordial. This park resort will definitely go on our list of places for
conferences in the future. There were 3 days of very intense activity, including
field trips trips to interesting attractions in the area.
We had a very rewarding moment when our display...in competition
with all the other parks...won 1st place! Greg Christensen designed and built
the display case out of native American Chestnut and wild cherry wood from
the park. It has the Friends logo and the State Parks logo etched in the wood
using laser technology and has an electronic picture frame built into the unit
with pictures of scenes from the park. Thanks to Ranger Mark Taylor for the
excellent shots of the park in different seasons.
Plans are already underway for next years conference and we are
deciding where to have it. It will be somewhere East since we have done the last
ones in West and Middle Tennessee. I will pass the information on when it is
determined...
The 8th Friends of Tennessee State Parks Coalition Annual
Conference will be held at Paris Landing State Park, October 21-23, 2011. We are
expecting a good turnout and are hoping we will have good showing from Edgar
Evins. You are encouraged to attend this educational, inspirational and fun
gathering of Friends Groups from all over the state. We share ideas, project
suggestions and just share our love for our parks with each other. Registration
forms are downloadable from the website... friendsoftennesseestateparks.org
...A form should be completed for each person. We have already paid the group
fees. You will need to send $10.00 per person to the address shown on the form.
If you have any questions or need more information, just let me know...I hope to
see you there!
The 7th Annual Conference at Montgomery Bell SP was a resounding success! We had
7 representatives from Edgar Evins out of a total attendance of some 200 people.
The end picture is a group photo of some of the attendees...The most significant business was the approval of the
general membership to form a coalition of all the Friends Groups in our state
parks. We had previously been operating under a very loose association with the
Department of Volunteer Services through the Parks Department. Unsure of what
future administrations will do about the Friends, we decided to form the Friends
of Tennessee State Parks Coalition...official name...Officers were elected and
some board members were appointed...They are as follows:
Fount Bertram, Edgar Evins SP...President
Del Truitt, Cumberland Trail SP...Vice President
Lana Rossi, Cordell Hull Birthplace SP...Secretary-Treasurer
Roland Creekmore, Fall Creek Falls SP...Membership Chair
Carey Sanders, Big Cypress Tree SP...Board Member
Scott May, T O Fuller SP...Board Member
Ric Finch, Burgess Falls SP...Board Member
Armond Darcangelo, Fall Creek Falls...Board Member
We will be adding board members from Middle and East Tennessee in the near
future.
We are in the process of preparing a Mission Statement, Bylaws, and a Charter.
We will not be pursuing a 501(c)3 designation at this point since it is the
intent of the Coalition to be a lobbying force in our state government.
Both major candidates for governor were invited to give us their views on the
future of our parks and other public lands. Both candidates declined due to
other commitments. They did send written statements commending the efforts of
our Friends Groups and pledging support in the future. We have asked for a
meeting with the successful candidate as soon as possible after the new
administration is in place.
The accommodations, food, programming, education and entertainment was
outstanding. The Montgomery Bell staff was exemplary in their service and
helpfulness. Plans are already underway for the 2011 conference...Right now it
looks like it will be at Paris Landing SP in late October or early November. I
will pass the information along as soon as it is definite.
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The dates have been set for the 2010 Annual Conference. It will be held at
Montgomery Bell State Park on October 8-9-10, 2010. We're looking forward to
another great conference this year. There are a number of things we need to take
into consideration involving the future of The Friends of Tennessee State Parks.
With the change in administration in the state we don't know how the Friends
will be supported. I hope we will have a good turnout from Edgar Evins to help
plan for the future.
The agenda for the conference is under the "Friends In Action" section. As
you will see, there are a number of educational, recreational and informative
events planned.
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Another very successful Annual Conference!
We had a good representation from Edgar Evins and I think we all had a very
rewarding time. There were a lot of very informative and educational meetings
and workshops and a lot of fun activities as well. I am updating the web site
to include the pictures and a comment about the conference. We will be setting
a date and place soon for next year. I hope you will consider going with us
next time. There are a lot of changes and challenges in the offing for our
parks and Friends Groups in the coming years. We want to be able to meet these
with a maximum effort to support and maintain our wonderful park system. There
were over 30 parks represented with a total of 173 in attendance. There are
now 36 parks with an active Friends Group or have one in the formation
process. New additions to the coalition this year are Mousetail Landing and
Burgess Falls.
There was some discussion about chartering
the coalition of Friends Groups as a separate organization with a distinct
governing board independent of the state. I believe we need to wait and see
what changes are going to happen before making plans for a different approach
to what we are currently doing. We do need to be prepared for anything that
might challenge our cohesiveness as a coalition. It is a very valuable feature
to be able to meet and share our experiences with each other. It also
solidifies our purpose to support and enhance our state parks.
I have attached some pictures from the
conference...Click on them to enlarge the image...
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