Tennessee Webinars

2020 WEBINARS

NOVEMBER 2020
Photography in Nature
The world is full of natural beauty, but capturing this beauty on camera can be difficult. In this virtual workshop, we learned about The Nature Conservancy's breathtaking preserves in Tennessee and how to photograph them. Longtime TNC supporter and professional photographer, Byron Jorjorian joined provided tips on how to take great photographs of nature. Byron was joined by TNC's Tennessee director of conservation, Alex Wyss, to talk more about the properties from a conservation perspective.
Watch the recording.

OCTOBER 2020
Partnership In Action: The University of Tennessee and TNC
In November 2019, The Nature Conservancy signed a historic agreement that established the University of Tennessee (UT) as the first academic institution to enroll in TNC’s Working Woodlands Program.  In this webinar, a panel of leaders from TNC and UTIA share about how this project has progressed since its inception. 
Watch the recording.

Panel Discussion: TNC at the Bridgestone Nature Reserve at Chestnut Mountain
In 2018 Bridgestone Americas, Inc. donated 5,763 acres of priority conservation land on the Cumberland Plateau - the Bridgestone Nature Reserve at Chestnut Mountain - a living laboratory demonstrating innovative forest management strategies and natural solutions to climate change. Panelists shared the history of Chestnut Mountain, the research, education and recreation opportunities it presents, and future plans.
Watch the recording.

SEPTEMBER 2020
Aquatic Connectivity and Dam Removal
The rivers and streams in the Southeast are impacted with thousands of dams and barriers resulting in one of the greatest threats to aquatic biodiversity. Join us to learn from Rob Bullard, TNC's Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers project director, about the importance of aquatic connectivity and about recent dam removal projects.
Watch the recording.

AUGUST 2020
Great American Outdoors Act
The Conservancy's director of US government relations for lands, Tom Cors, joined Sally Palmer, TNC's director of science and policy in Tennessee and Gabby Lynch, TNC's director of protection in Tennessee to share the story behind TNC's effort to help secure passage of the historic Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).
Watch the recording.

JULY 2020
Protecting and Creating Doe Mountain Recreation Area
Gabby Lynch, TNC's director of protection in Tennessee, discussed the unique process of protecting Doe Mountain and creating the Doe Mountain Recreation Area, an eco-tourism destination in East Tennessee.
Watch the recording.

JUNE 2020
Caves, Karsts, and Bats
Cory Holliday, TNC's Cave & Karst program director in Tennessee, provided an informative and engaging presentation on the underground landscape of Tennessee and the creatures that live there. Especially relevant to current events, he also discussed the relationship between bats and Covid-19.
Watch the recording.

MAY 2020
Working Woodlands
TNC's director of forest protection, Trish Johnson, provided an informative presentation on carbon credits, forest management, family forests, and TNC's Working Woodlands program in Tennessee.
Watch the recording.

APRIL 2020
Virtual Wildflower Walk at Taylor Hollow
The Nature Conservancy's Tennessee director of science and policy and wildflower aficionado, Sally Palmer, took us on a virtual tour of Taylor Hollow preserve during peak wildflower season.
Watch the recording.

2021 WEBINARS

NOVEMBER 2021

Conserving the Southern Appalachians
Conserving the great Appalachian range is key to sustaining the Eastern U.S. Learn about how The Nature Conservancy is working to conserve and protect the Southern Appalachians, a priority landscape for the organization. 
Watch the recording.

OCTOBER 2021
Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science
Erika Engelhaupt's entertaining book, Gory Details, depicts the world’s most intriguing real-world applications of science in all their glory. In the spirit of the spooky season, Erika took us on an exploration of oft-ignored but intriguing facets of biology, anatomy, space exploration, nature and more.
Watch the recording.

SEPTEMBER 2021
Aquatic Connectivity: Green River Lock and Dam #5 
TNC's Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers project director Rob Bullard, and Kentucky director of conservation Danna Baxley shared about how the removal of Lock and Dam #5 will restore free-flowing conditions to 73 miles of the Green River, between the Rochester Dam and Pool 6. Learn more about this important joint project that will benefit aquatic species, improve recreation opportunities like fishing and paddling, and boost local economies. 
Watch the recording.

AUGUST 2021
Batty For Bioacoustics
Bioacoustics represents an emerging science that can potentially revolutionize how we analyze and measure the impact of conservation and other activities on forests for ecological health, recreation and productivity. In this webinar, TNC's Tennessee conservation research associate, Caroline Crews, shared how we are employing bioacoustics research on our properties and analyzing the data to improve our conservation strategies.
Watch the recording.

JULY 2021
Floodplain Restoration
Shelly Morris, director of floodplain strategies in TN and KY, gave a presentation focused on floodplain restoration in West Tennessee and TNC’s floodplain prioritization tool. For decades, TNC has worked in floodplains, which has helped improve water quality, reduce flood risks for communities and enhance wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities in places throughout North America and beyond.
Watch the recording.

JUNE 2021
Trail Camera 101
The Nature Conservancy's Tennessee state director provided a glimpse of how TNC employs trail cameras to monitor wildlife on some of our nature preserves. In addition to providing a great introduction to trail cameras, he shared ideas for how you can enjoy them in your own yard.
Watch the recording.

MAY 2021
Virtual Tour of Shady Valley
Our director of protection, Gabby Lynch, takes you on a virtual tour of TNC's Shady Valley nature preserves, a hidden treasure blanketed in a mosaic of sphagnum/cranberry peat bogs, white pine/hemlock forests and a diverse array of plants and animals.
Watch the recording.

APRIL 2021
Earth Month Event: Tackling Climate Change in the Southern U.S.
Nature Conservancy experts from Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia spoke about TNC’s work to implement natural climate solutions, address renewable energy development, and restore critical lands and waters.
Watch the recording.

Restoring Woodlands with Fire
The Nature Conservancy's East Tennessee program director, Katherine Medlock, shared about how TNC uses fire to manage and restore Tennessee’s forests. In addition to cleaning air and filtering water, our state's forests—which cover an estimated 13,881,540 acres, or 53 percent of the state—store carbon, harbor diverse wildlife, and serve as a source of timber and other resources that support local economies and livelihoods. Without fire, many of these forests grow unchecked to develop closed tree canopies that block sunlight, which has altered native plant and animal communities. Watch the recording.

MARCH 2021
Forest Action Plan Panel
In December 2020, TNC, in collaboration with the TN Division of Forestry, released a new TN Forest Action Plan that provides a comprehensive assessment of the condition of Tennessee's forests, risks and challenges associated with their health and resiliency, and strategies for protecting, conserving and enhancing this vital resource for residents and visitors. Our own TNC staff and TN Division of Forestry representatives provided an inside look at the new plan and its innovative strategies to keep forests as forests.
Watch the recording.

2022 WEBINARS

NOVEMBER 2022
Virtual Tour of the William B. Clark Preserve

Take a virtual tour of the William B. Clark Preserve in West Tennessee. This 427-acre preserve, located in the Wolf River watershed, represents an exceptionally diverse ecosystem that contains important habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. In addition to providing habitat for many species, the preserve serves as an important area for improving water quality, recycling nutrients and moderating flooding during periods of extensive rainfall.
Watch the recording.

AUGUST 2022
Middle Fork Bottoms Recreational Area: Tennessee's Newest "Natural Playground"
Our director of protection, Gabby Lynch, and Western Tennessee River Basin Authority director, David Blackwood, share information about a new natural area that opened in West Tennessee in June. The 850-acre Middle Fork Bottoms Recreational Area boasts more than five miles of paved and dirt trails, designated fishing areas, and lakes for kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. The partners are also restoring bottomland hardwood forests and wetland habitats key to retaining, and slowly filtering, floodwaters that previously inundated the property and farmland downstream.
Watch the recording.

JULY 2022
Conserving the Duck River
TNC's Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers Project Director, Rob Bullard, goes deep on why the Duck River has earned its standing as North America’s most biologically diverse freshwater river and, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, one of three hot spots for fish and mussel diversity in the entire world. It won't take long to see that there is much more than meets the eye with this river, which underneath the surface, teems with an abundant variety of freshwater animal life. 
Watch the recording.

MAY 2022
Unlocking the Mysteries of Migration with Motus
The Nature Conservancy and partners are part of a considerable international effort to track animal movements through automated radio telemetry, a project called the Motus Wildlife Tracking Network. Learn about the Motus network, how this cutting-edge technology is expanding our knowledge of birds, bats and turtles in Tennessee, and how TNC is helping to grow the Motus Network in the southeastern U.S. 
Watch the recording. 

APRIL 2022

Sustainable Agriculture Strategy
TNC had developed a two-state agricultural strategy to guide our program in the coming years and look forward to sharing it with you during this brown bag. We'll also share a new video featuring five farmers who are facing climate change and its impacts on agriculture.
Watch the recording.

Virtual Wildflower Hike
As warmer weather returned, we welcomed Sally Palmer, ecologist, wildflower expert and TNC's Central Appalachian external affairs advisor, to help us learn how to spot the first signs of spring. If you weren't able to join, take this virtual hike to see Tennessee wildflowers today!
Watch the recording.

MARCH 2022

Land Protection in the Southern Appalachians
Learn about how The Nature Conservancy is working across geographical and political boundaries to implement solutions in one of the most globally important landscapes for tackling climate change and conserving biodiversity due to a variety of plant and animal species, natural resiliency, and diverse communities and cultures. This webinar was sponsored by Sylvamo. The future of paper deserves a company committed to the success of the entire ecosystem. Sylvamo's purpose is to produce the paper the world relies on in the most responsible and sustainable ways.
Watch the recording.

Women in Conservation
Globally, less than 30 percent of researchers are women. It’s time to change these statistics—one woman at a time. Our panel--made up of female Nature Conservancy scientists working in Tennessee--talk about their work on-the-ground, why they chose to enter the field of science and conservation and what they think the future of conservation holds for women.
Watch the recording.

FEBRUARY 2022
There's An App For That: Increase Your Nature Knowledge
Some smartphone apps can help us make the most of exploring nature. In this webinar, members of our conservation staff shared information about apps they use to identify plants and birds, discover nearby trails, and contribute to field data collected by other "community scientists."
Watch the recording.

2023 WEBINARS

NOVEMBER 2023
Urban Bird Treaty
Check out this panel discussion about Nashville’s Urban Bird Treaty, which reflects the city's commitment to creating a thriving habitat that welcomes birds and benefits the health of residents. The webinar also covered purple martins as an impetus for the treaty and how Nashville’s combination of lush and diverse parks contributes to Nashville as an important area for migrating, nesting and overwintering birds.

Watch the recording.

AUGUST 2023
LYTLE PARK: The Cultural and Natural History of Nashville’s Least Known Park
Watch to get an overview and update on The Nature Conservancy's efforts at Lytle Park in Nashville. Purchased more than a decade ago with support from TNC, Lytle Park presents a unique opportunity to transform fallow fields into native habitats that support many declining species of conservation concern. Tune in to hear about research highlights associated with our wildlife inventories, meadowlark surveys, monarch butterfly tagging efforts, our first-ever bat inventories utilizing ultrasonic recorders, and ongoing efforts to restore hundreds of acres of native grasslands.

Watch the recording.

MAY 2023
Southern Appalachian Waters, Breaking Down the Barriers

Presenters shared how TNC is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to remove barriers such as poorly designed culverts to improve water quality in the region’s national forests. This work has taken on added importance with last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which will make more money available for barrier removal. Watch the recording.

Tackett Creek's Multi-use Public Recreational Trail System

Participants enjoyed a discussion about The Nature Conservancy's conservation goals for the multi-use public trail system at Tackett Creek, located within TNC's Cumberland Forest Project in northern Tennessee. TNC has worked with partners for more than a decade on a hybrid approach of using science to identify and protect land while providing recreation opportunities, including motorized trails, to the public.
Watch the recording. 

FEBRUARY 2023
Water Across The Nature Conservancy's U.S. Southern State Programs

From freshwaters to oceans, this webinar featured a panel of experts who talked about how The Nature Conservancy works to conserve waters flowing across the Southern United States.
Watch the recording

2024 WEBINARS

APRIL 2024
WHISKEY & WILDLIFE: Restoring White Oaks in Tennessee

The management and regeneration of white oak trees is an important and multi-faceted endeavor with numerous benefits for our environment and economy. Here we delve into the significance of this hardwood keystone species in the Eastern United States and explore the challenges it faces and the proactive measures The Nature Conservancy is taking in Tennessee to safeguard white oaks for future generations.
Watch the recording.

JANUARY 2024
BOGS OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS: Past, Present and Future

Let's explore Tennessee's Southern Appalachian bogs, a sanctuary for many rare and declining plant and animal species. Our Director of Protection in Tennessee, Gabby Lynch, guides us through the rich history of bog conservation in the Southern Appalachians including in Shady Valley. Mike Knoerr, the Southern Appalachians Program Coordinator at the Amphibian Reptile Conservancy, talks about research that is helping TNC protect North America’s smallest turtle throughout the region. 
Watch the recording.