THE OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE GRANT CHECK: Pictured left to right – Ron Davies, Woodbury, Barbara Comfort and Jerry Comfort, both of Smithville, Lynn Brown, Treasurer, Brush Creek, Fount Bertram, Bradyville, representing Friends of Tennessee State Parks, Brad Halfacre, Park Manager, Anna Bertram Bradyville.
The Friends of Edgar Evins State Park are the happy recipients of a $500 Small Grant from the Friends of Tennessee State Parks. The money will be used toward the cost of the new “pages” on the Storybook Trail. This is the second year a grant has been awarded to the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park by the Friends of Tennessee State Parks.
The check was presented to the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park at their July meeting by Fount Bertram, a member of the Board of Friends of Tennessee State Parks. Mr. Bertram is also the former president of the local group.
The Storybook Trail at Edgar Evins State Point, Silver Point, has become a popular attraction at the park for school and community groups as well as other visitors since it opened in June 2018. Its purpose is to encourage youngsters to read and to be outdoors for exercise and pleasure.
The trail is a project of the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park, an all-volunteer group that is dedicated to helping the park. It is planned to change the story displayed on the trail each year.
Pages from a nature themed children’s book are reproduced in in full color on large metal signs that are framed with wood and posted at child height at intervals along the ½ mile trail near the Interpretive Center. This year the book is Anybody Home? by Marianne Berkes, illustrated by Rebecca Dickinson and published by Arbordale Books. The story is about an expectant mama possum looking for a home among the many other forest creatures. Last year the story was about the life cycle of butterflies.
For information about the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park please visit the website at www.foeesp.com or find them on Facebook.
The website for Friends of Tennessee State Parks is http://friendsoftennesseestateparks.org.The nonprofit Friends of Tennessee State Parks is comprised of Friends Groups from Tennessee State Parks and Tennessee State Natural Areas statewide and individual members.
You can read the official press release from The Friends of Tennessee State Parks below:
Friends of Tennessee State Parks Award Mini Grants & Start Up Grants
The Friends of Tennessee State Parks (FOTSP) Board of Directors announced July 9th that nearly $8,500 has been awarded to Tennessee State Park Friends Groups and newly forming groups. Grants awarded will fund projects including interpretive signage, gardens, trail building tools and start-up costs to officially form a Friends group.
“We are pleased to offer another round of grant funding to our Friends and congratulate this year’s recipients,” said LeaAnn Carr, President of The Friends of Tennessee State Parks. “In addition to our Mini Grants Program, we were able to award three Start Up Grants to groups looking to become a 501c3 in sole support of their local state park. This funding will provide the seed money to organize their groups.”
The following Friends groups received a Mini Grant:
- Friends of Johnsonville State Park – Refurbish & Replace Historic Headstones ($420)
- Friends of Cummins Falls State Park – Picnic Tables for Trailhead ($275)
- Friends of the Forest (Meeman Shelby Forest State Park) – Interpretive Signage ($325)
- Friends of Cove Lake State Park – Little Free Library ($500)
- Friends of Bledsoe Creek State Park – Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden ($500)
- Friends of Cumberland Mountain State Park – Water Bottle Filling Station ($500)
- Friends of Natchez Trace State Park – Trail Building Tools ($500)
- Friends of Harrison Bay State Park – Grab & Go Packs ($486)
- Friends of Rocky Fork State Park – Trail Building Equipment ($450.97)
- Friends of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park – Historic Photos for Cabins ($500)
- Friends of David Crockett State Park – Kayaks ($500)
- Friends of South Cumberland State Park – Trail Map Project ($500)
- Friends of T.O. Fuller State Park – Community Garden ($500)
- Friends of Edgar Evins State Park – New Panels for Storybook Trail ($500)
- Friends of Henry Horton State Park – Wood Carving & Mill Stone ($500)
The following new groups received a Start Up Grant:
- Friends of Bicentennial Mall State Park ($500)
- Friends of Old Stone Fort ($500)
- Friends of Hiwassee Ocoee Rivers State Park ($500)
Funding was raised by FOTSP through various events and partnerships including a silent auction at the 15th annual Friends Conference, Tennessee Brew Work Charity of the Month program and being the fiscal agent for a regional state park director’s conference. These funds have allowed FOTSP to offer up to $500 to help fund small enhancement projects at Tennessee State Parks, and now the ability to cover some of the start-up costs for newly organized Friends’ groups. These grant programs have been especially helpful to groups with limited resources.
For more information about FOTSP and to get involved, visit www.friendsoftennesseestateparks.org.
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