Johnsonville State Historic Park Honored for Excellence in Resource Stewardship

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has honored Johnsonville State Historic Park in Humphreys County with the Excellence in Resource Stewardship Award as part of the Tennessee State Parks annual Awards of Excellence.

"From removing litter from the Tennessee River to restoring historic structures to identifying and documenting revered gravesites, the team at Johnsonville State Historic Park excelled on many levels this past year," said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. "Their work to honor the park's history deserves this special recognition."

This is the second year in a row that Johnsonville State Historic Park has earned this honor.

"This team continues to make Johnsonville a better state park year after year by dedicating significant time and effort to preserving its history," said Brian Clifford, TDEC's deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Conservation. "I couldn't be prouder to again bestow this award to Johnsonville and thank the team for continuing to be a leader in protecting and restoring the park's assets through partnerships and stewardship."

With exceptional dedication to natural and cultural stewardship, the Johnsonville team mobilized volunteers and partners this past year to remove 540 cubic feet of trash from the Tennessee River shoreline, restore historic sites through invasive species removal and native plantings, and advance sustainability projects across the park. Staff also restored viewsheds at Fort Johnson, completed archaeological and ground-penetrating radar surveys identifying 198 graves, documented cemeteries, conserved historic records, and expanded the use of TVA mapping and GIS technology.

Backed by strong partnerships, more than 400 volunteer hours and more than $225,000 in grants and donations, Johnsonville now supports other parks in cemetery restoration, historic earthworks preservation, planning and cultural research, demonstrating a statewide model for integrated stewardship and community engagement.

The Excellence in Resource Stewardship Award recognizes a park for distinguished work in protecting, restoring and documenting natural or cultural resources in ways that advance long-range conservation goals. The evaluation considers how data-informed management is applied, how restoration or preservation efforts are carried out and how stewardship capacity is expanded through partnerships, consistent with the Tennessee State Parks 10-Year Comprehensive Strategic Plan.

TDEC announced the following awards for parks in other categories:

• State Park of the Year: Roan Mountain State Park
• Excellence in Amenities: Pickett CCC Memorial State Park
• Excellence in Visitor Experience Award: Pickwick Landing State Park
• Excellence in Operations Award: Panther Creek State Park