Cumberland River Basin-

Who we are:

We are a unique non-profit group that believes we can have both a strong economy and a healthy environment. Our membership reflects this belief. The Compact is made up of businesses, individuals, community organizations and agencies working in the Cumberland River watershed ("the boot").

Over 2 million people share this watershed. Compact members work with all interested organizations and individuals to help ensure that our rivers and streams continue to provide us with clean water, bountiful crops, healthy fisheries and abundant recreational opportunities.

What we are proud of:

* Indicates areas where we have received awards

1. Building Partnerships
2. *Building 7 young watershed organizations that are now working to enhance water quality across half the Cumberland Basin, gaining initial funding for each of them and building the Cumberland Basin Council to serve them into the future
3. Holding two large conferences called "Conservation & Common Sense Development" that, along with the Pearce Report, helped kick off the sustainable building movement here in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky
4. *Winning one of the first EPA Targeted Watershed Initiative Grants that allowed us to develop the Building Outside the Box Sustainable Building program - enabling water and energy-friendly building across the Cumberland Basin with outreach affecting water quality on the ground in communities as far away as South Carolina and Texas
5. Listening to our development and local official partners who said, "We need more education on water quality and quantity to make our community infrastructures sustainable!" ... and then building The Local Officials Community Water Curriculum!
6. Negotiating a bi-state agreement between Tennessee and Kentucky to allow the State Department of Environment & Conservation & Natural Resources & Environmental Protection Cabinet to work more closely together
7. *Catfish Out of Water City Art Festival - The largest outdoor art exhibit in Nashville's history educating thousands of people about water quality, greenways and the importance of public art
8. *Becoming a trusted source for information, contacts, and ideas by Federal agencies (including the White House), Regional, National and International organizations and businesses which lead to enhanced water quality across the globe wherever they are planted
9. Creating Project Blue Streams which will work to enrich the lives of Nashvillians by educating them about their relationship to the water in our landscapes and engaging them in activities to enhance the waterways in their lives
10. Building Partnerships

There is no try; only do or not do.
- Yoda

Philosophy on Education:

Education can take many forms:

1. Teachers and students learning about life in their local streams.
2. Landowners learning new methods that help them take better care of the land alongside their stream.
3. Contractors learning new techniques that help them work near streams without harming water quality.
4. Boaters learning how to be better river stewards.

Members of the Cumberland River Compact work with educators, landowners, contractors, marinas and other interested groups. We coordinate information and education programs that encourage all of us to be better stewards of our water resources.

FACILITATES...

We work with local, state and federal agencies and officials to promote and strengthen cooperative working relationships and encourage the development of reliable, easy-to-understand data about water quality.

COOPERATES...

Only by involving everyone can we achieve our goals. Members of the Compact work with local communities to develop watershed forums where citizens can come together to learn more about their watershed and participate in developing a shared vision for the future.

COMMUNICATES...

Often there are programs and services available to landowners and businesses that can help improve water quality. The Compact serves as a clearing-house of available public education programs to landowner assistance - we serve as a "one-stop-shopping" source of information.

THE FUTURE

The Cumberland River watershed is a beautiful place to live and work. Many businesses recognize this and are relocating here. As our population grows, it is our challenge to continue to improve the water quality in our rivers and streams. We believe that if we work in an atmosphere of open dialogue that is supported by easily understood data about our water quality, we can create imaginative solutions to new and old problems. Solutions that will work for all of us. We encourage to join us to help speed this important work. Clean water is the liquid of life. We all live downstream.