The Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance last week approved a scholarship and classroom science grant award program that will begin next spring.

The Watershed Alliance is a group of individuals and organizations seeking to protect and enhance water quality in the Middle Nolichucky area, primarily Greene County.

A watershed is all the area of land that drains into a particular stream, in this case the Nolichucky River.

The Alliance agreed to fund an annual $250 scholarship for college juniors or above from Greene County who are studying in any environmental science or related field at any college.

Applicants will be judged on their life-career goals and how those goals relate to the environment.

Approval was also given to awarding three grants per year to public school classes in Greene County or Greeneville for use in studying environmental science.
3 Grants For Classes

Candy Adams, director of Keep Greene Beautiful, said a $150 grant will be awarded to teachers and classes of grades 2-5, a similar grant for grades 6-8, and another one for grades 9-12.

Applications will be available at the Greene County Partnership. The deadline for applying for the grants is Jan. 5. The deadline for applying for the scholarship will be announced later, Adams said.

The grants can be used to purchase environment-related learning materials for use in instructional projects, preferably materials that can be reused.
Plans call for the grants to be awarded in late January.

Harold Hayes, an instructor at Walters State Community College, said it is his understanding that other organizations similar to the MNWA conduct surveys of various creeks in their area, taking inventory of species and examining them.

Fred Kaufmann, the MNWA president, said, “We probably should be doing that,” and there is some interest in doing so, if the problems of training and educational cooperation can be overcome.

Hayes said, “Middle school kids are great at it,” and very enthusiastic.
Kaufmann said the Upper Nolichucky Watershed Alliance, which covers Unicoi and
Washington counties, held a picnic on the river in conjunction with a training session, and set a schedule for monitoring various creeks.

Hayes said he would be interested in doing something similar, and was asked to contact Jonesborough Mayor Toby Bledsoe, who is involved in the Upper Nolichucky Alliance.

Involve Students?

Adams said the MNWA is already working with Clint Jones of TVA to develop a “Kids in the Creek” program doing some of the activities being discussed.
She said at least three classes will be participating in the spring.

Kaufmann said if there is enough interest, it would be good to have more information
collected about Richland Creek, Camp Creek, Holley Creek and others that the MNWA has been focusing upon.

It was noted that several county schools, including Doak, McDonald and Nolachuckey, are close enough to the Nolichucky River to make it practical to perhaps do sampling there, if there is an interest.

Kaufmann pointed out that Doak is also close to Holley Creek; Highland and several other city schools are close to Richland Creek; and Camp Creek School is obviously close to Camp Creek.

Adams said that studying a creek helps students become more directly aware of things that affect water quality, and could be an important part of the educational process, which is part of the MNWA’s mission.