Johnsonville State Historic Park Wins Award for Excellence in Resources

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

"Johnsonville State Historic Park excelled on many levels in the last year," said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. "From cleanups to significant historical findings, the park has built a record of achievement and service that warrant this special recognition."

The park's stewardship effort included strong community partnerships. Johnsonville hosted the Humphreys County River Rescue, a National Public Lands Day event supported by First Lady Maria Lee and her Tennessee Serves program. The park worked with partners to clean up a half-mile section of Trace Creek, led additional river cleanups and held a non-native invasive species removal workshop. It also attained Diamond level status in TDEC's Go Green with Us program.

Johnsonville State Historic Park installed a universal-access sidewalk to the pollinator garden at the Visitors Center and repaired 800 feet of the Nashville & Northwestern Military Railroad Trail. Ground-penetrating radar surveys at several Civil War-era sites identified a previously undocumented section of rifle pits through light detection and ranging imagery.

Park Manager Bob Holliday received a Certificate of Merit from the Tennessee Historical Commission for the preservation of the African Methodist/Wyly and Reagon Cemeteries. Using ground-penetrating radar, the cemeteries were mapped so burials can be marked in the future.

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:

• Excellence in Amenities Award: Panther Creek State Park
• Excellence in Visitor Experience Award: Henry Horton State Park
• Excellence in Operations Award: Roan Mountain State Park

Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park was awarded Park of the Year.