| Name | Brenna |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Kelly |
| Home Address | 1714 Ashmore Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37415 United States |
| Organization Name | Southeast Conservation Corps - Conservation Legacy |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I am the founder and Corps Director of Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC). I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, overall program budget, individual project budgets, narrative and financial reporting, staff support, community outreach, overall safety of members and staff, executing the mission and aligning the program with Conservation Legacy's strategic plan as well as community needs. I come from a field and operations background for 11 years before starting SECC as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and begin my journey as an AmeriCorps crew member in 2002. |
| Organization Address | 2001 n. Chamberlain Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37406 United States |
| Website | https://southeastconservationcorps.org/ |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4237183467 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | brenna@conservationlegacy.org |
| Alternate Email Address | brenna@conservationlegacy.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC) will invest American Rescue Plan funds in the South Chickamauga Creek Workforce Development and Stormwater Program. We will launch the program as a pilot that focuses on City owned properties along South Chickamauga Creek and at Provence Street in South and East Chattanooga. SECC’s work will meet immediate stormwater infrastructure needs at each site and provide The City with capacity to complete stormwater work on additional identified City properties. SECC will implement the improvements through its proven AmeriCorps conservation corps program that leverages federal AmeriCorps dollars to pay young adults a stipend to complete community service projects while gaining valuable job training, certifications, and an AmeriCorps Education Award. SECC will use this Program’s stormwater and land management projects to equip AmeriCorps members to pursue future jobs with the City and other natural resource and land management organizations. The aforementioned properties are rife with dumping, posing a threat to the environmental health of neighborhoods in the South Chickamauga Creek watershed and the Tennessee River. The neglected properties suffer from erosion and invasive plant species, causing high volumes of stormwater to run off the properties into South Chickamauga Creek carrying sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants into the Tennessee River. The uncontrolled stormwater runoff from these properties contributes to flooding, contaminated drinking water, impaired aquatic life, foul odors, and neighborhood blight. SECC will partner with the City of Chattanooga’s Departments of Parks & Outdoors and the Water Quality Program to clean up the properties, complete native plantings, and install green stormwater infrastructure such as rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, bioretention planters and other elements that reduce and treat stormwater at its source. The restoration efforts will also include the construction and maintenance of trails and greenways to ensure the properties provide the community with opportunities for healthy outdoor recreation. SECC will target recruitment of up to seven low-income young adults (ages 18-30) as AmeriCorps members from neighborhoods near South Chickamauga Creek to form a new SECC Stormwater and Natural Resource crew. SECC will recruit and support one new crew each year for three years. Each year’s crew will be the City’s “boots on the ground” implementing the City’s green stormwater infrastructure designs for the two properties and ensuring the elements perform effectively and sustainably. They will also provide the City with added capacity to complete backlogged natural resource work at other sites, with a primary focus on implementing innovative green stormwater infrastructure elements. SECC staff will hire an experienced leader to supervise the crew and their day-to-day work. The crew leader will work on site with the crew every day, providing personal mentoring to help each member achieve their personal and professional goals. Members will also get opportunities to work with City staff, community volunteers, and non-profit community partners, providing additional opportunities for mentoring and community engagement. Additionally, SECC staff will coordinate with city staff and partnering organizations to ensure project scopes are fulfilled, while meeting compliance and regulatory guidelines. SECC has a strong performance history partnering with the National Park Service, National Forest Service, and other land management partners. The crew will work Monday through Friday 30 – 35 hours per week on projects and participate in structured training and professional development activities for five to ten hours each week, for a total of 40 hours per week. Each day, crew members will arrive at the SECC office, travel together in an SECC provided vehicle to project and/or training sites, and return to the SECC office at the end of the workday. SECC will work with crew members to assist in providing reliable transportation to and from the office if needed. To deepen community engagement and education, SECC will partner with the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance, The Trust for Public Land, and City staff to host two community volunteer days annually focusing on invasive plant management, trash removal, or streambank erosion control. Additionally, each crew will work with SECC’s Recruitment Coordinator to identify at least two local schools in the Chickamauga Creek Watershed to present information on watersheds, stormwater, ecosystems, and the value of the crew’s green infrastructure project work to the community. SECC trainings, certifications, and professional development will equip members for the project work, train them for natural resource and land management career pathways, and prepare them for family supporting jobs. Annual trainings for each year will include the following although other needs may be identified in consultation with City staff and community partners in the project planning process. ● OHLEC Chainsaw Certification: United States Forest Service recognized training consisting of 40 hours of combined classroom and field-based instruction. Facilitated by SECC certified sawyers. Members that successfully complete the field evaluation will earn a 3-year certification as an “A” equivalent sawyer for limbing, bucking, and felling trees. ● Wilderness First Aid: Taught by SECC certified WFA instructors. Classroom and field scenarios. Members who pass written exam and hands-on scenarios will earn a 2-year certification. ● Limited Herbicide Applicator Licensure: Requires successfully passing the State of Tennessee exam after attending structured training courses delivered by certified State trainers. ● Stormwater Control Measures (SCM) Inspection and Maintenance Course: the goals of this certification are to Understand permanent stormwater runoff, how it can affect water quality, and regulations associated with it, understand SCM used in Tennessee and how they function, and understand inspection and maintenance requirements for each SCM. Members who successfully pass this course will earn a 3-year certificate. ● Trail Construction and Maintenance Training: if needed, SECC staff will provide training on sustainable trail design and the installation of erosion control structures. ● Leave No Trace Training: Provided by The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (https://lnt.org/). An 8-hour course. ● Mental Health First Aid: Facilitated by trained and licensed professionals identified by SECC. Course material can be taught in-person or virtually and consists of 8 – 16 hours of instruction. ● Compassionate Communication Training: Facilitated by SECC partners. Through three, instructor-led courses, members are engaged in 90-minute classes that provide tools needed to communicate effectively with others. ● Plant Identification: Basic species identification skills will be taught by City of Chattanooga Water Quality Program staff for effective plant community restoration. ● Streambank Restoration and Riparian Protections: City Water Quality Program staff will teach how to work lightly in delicate riparian buffers and how to revegetate stream banks. ● Water Quality 101: City Water Quality Program staff will teach participants basics about protecting water resources and reducing water pollution and stormwater runoff ● USA Jobs Training: Facilitator led interactive training on how to be successful in completing a USA Jobs application. ● Resume Building and interviewing skills: Facilitated by a Chattanooga Community partner. ● Financial Literacy Training: SECC will partner with a local financial institution to provide members with personal finance education. SECC will support the program and each year’s crew with the following resources and services: ● Liability and workers compensation insurance. ● A crew vehicle and trailer equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and a full cache of tools and equipment needed to complete project work. ● All Human Resources functions related to crew leader and members: recruitment, interviewing, selection, on-boarding processes, management, payroll, etc. ● Monthly bus passes for members that need assistance with transportation to work. ● Project planning and preparation on a weekly basis. ● Day-to-day project management and on-going communication with identified project partners to ensure outlined projects accomplishments and goals are being met in a timely and safe manner. ● Weekly tracking of project accomplishments including crew hours, project accomplishments, member education, crew dynamics. ● Oversight of AmeriCorps requirements and benefits in addition to the AmeriCorps Education award, members will be connected to future AmeriCorps internship and crew leadership opportunities, leadership and professional development seminars, and a network of alumni. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | The project will address the following uses of ARP Funds. 1) Negative Economic Impacts Caused by the Public Health Emergency to Workers and Households 2) Necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water and support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure To work towards alleviating negative economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. SECC will prioritize recruitment and selection of young adults who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. We will work to target neighborhoods within the South Chickamauga Creek watershed, specifically the 37411, 37410, and 37406 zip codes. These zip codes have been historically under resourced. These areas have lacked parks, suffered from pollution, and good paying job opportunities for young adults. The program application will include questions to assess each applicants’ unique employment needs and challenges. To address needs and challenges applicants have faced throughout the pandemic, SECC will partner with qualified community groups and individuals for recruitment and access to services such as Clark Brewer - Founder of Huemans Outdoors, Troy Rogers - the City’s Public Safety Coordinator, and community-based organizations like the Urban League. In collaboration with its partners, SECC will complete green stormwater infrastructure improvement that will have immediate and long-term impact on stopping pollution from entering the Tennessee River, providing the City with more clean drinking water at its source. Since the onset of COVID-19 City Water Quality Program Land Management staff have struggled to address maintenance needs at many of their stormwater management sites located in the South Chickamauga Creek watershed during the pandemic. Hiring freezes and a suspension of volunteer labor activities have reduced capacity by more than half resulting in backlogged maintenance in addition to new projects. The strain on city departments has ultimately lowered the number and quality of services the City can provide the people of Chattanooga. SECC will partner with the City to address backlog and new project needs with a focus on the restoration of stream banks, installation of green stormwater infrastructure, and maintenance of existing green and stormwater elements. These sustainable land management investments will protect waterways and drinking water resources, reduce flooding in neighborhoods, are provide low-cost options to traditional gray infrastructure (i.e., grading, paving, large underground pipes), delivering a multitude of other public benefits. The focus on restoring these two properties and others with native plants/trees and green stormwater infrastructure elements will serve to improve water quality, stabilize soils, and contribute to habitat corridors that support migratory birds and other animals for the entire city. The improvements to the City’s tree canopy will help reduce ozone and particulate pollutants in the air, maintain cooler homes and businesses during periods of extreme heat, and reduce energy costs. The new park space created by this work will increase, property values and promote neighborhood engagement. Project locations: A major focus of the project will be the restoration of the following two properties in the South Chickamauga Creek Watershed. 1) Provence Street: 4.6 acres owned by the City of Chattanooga on Provence Street in Brainerd. This property was purchased by the city in 2007 to prevent unwanted development in a sensitive area. The site was cleared of trees and graded, but is now overgrown with invasive vines, shrubs, and trees. The Trust for Public Land identified the location as a high priority for park space. Early engagement with residents established the vision for a passive park space with some recreation features. To start the process of transforming the property into park space, SECC will work closely with City Parks and Water Quality Program staff and key staff from The Trust for Public Land to remove and treat invasive plants across the entire site over two years and replace them with native vegetation that will reduce the urban heat island effect and associated water quality impacts. The site includes a stormwater channel that collects water from approximately 75 acres and conveys it toward Brainerd Road where stormwater infrastructure is in poor condition. The proposed restoration work will start the transition to a well-functioning ecosystem and allow water to infiltrate the ground instead of flowing through the site. 2) South Chickamauga Creek (Camp Jordan to Shallowford Road): The City of Chattanooga owns a significant amount of property along South Chickamauga Creek with most of it in need of litter and debris removal, invasive plant removal, bank restoration, and native planting. Within this plan, SECC will be working with all partners on City-owned sections of this creek. The entire creek corridor, which has been impacted by development and agriculture, will be evaluated for improvements, but the initial focus will be on the section from Camp Jordan to Shallowford Road, which includes the Brainerd levee. The banks of the creek are eroding rapidly and infested with invasives. The SECC crew will remove and treat invasive plant species and restore wildflowers and other native plants specifically along the greenway corridor. Targeted intervention will start on a 8.2 acre site known as Old Birds Mill owned by the non-profit Urban Century Institute. The city holds a conservation easement on the property. The Brainerd Vision planning process identified the site for a publicly accessed butterfly and wildlife sanctuary with trails through grassy and forested areas. The SECC crew will stabilize the area, install green stormwater elements to reduce sedimentation, and install plantings to restore its native wildlife habitat. The restoration work will also improve the water quality of the Tennessee River and its contribution to the City’s clean drinking water. 3) There are multiple City sites within the South Chickamauga Creek watershed that would greatly benefit from the specialized ecological restoration work that SECC can provide. These include but are not limited to: ● Brainerd Community Center Wetland - This area provides flood control, pollutant removal, and habitat. It needs invasive species & tree removal. ● Heritage Park - This Park has new grassland plantings and damaged stream banks. It needs vegetation installation, erosion repair, and invasive species management. ● Goodwin Road bioretention and wetland - These right-of-way practices provide flood control, pollutant removal, and habitat. They were damaged during recent tornados and need erosion repair, litter removal, invasive species and tree management. ● Enterprise South-Regional Flood Management Area (includes wetlands and stream) - This multi-acre greenspace provides flood control, pollutant removal, and habitat. It needs erosion repair, litter removal, and invasive species management. |
| Where would your project take place? | Within the South Chickamauga Creek watershed. Specifically Provence St. (in Brainerd) and identified locations along the South Chickamauga Creek. Both of which are City owned sites. Please see detail in the narrative box above. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 670000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | April 4, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 3 years |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | April - August 2022 ● Project design, planning, and annual implementation goals completed for Provence Street and South Chickamauga Creek with City staff ● Local community outreach about SECC AmeriCorps positions and crew leader positions ● Screening and hiring of SECC AmeriCorps members and Crew Leader ● SECC project site visits ● Scheduling of trainings and certifications ● Ordering of project materials and plants ● Identification of SECC crew capacity building work on additional city sites September 28 – 30, 2022 Crew Orientation at SECC office October 3 - 14, 2022 Chain saw certification, Wilderness First Aid training and Compassionate Communication training. October - March 2022 Implementation of Provence Street and South Chickamauga Creek Project Work. How long would your project take to complete? SECC will support one six-month crew each year for three years. Each year’s crew season will start in October and end in March. The rest of the year will support outreach and recruitment, project planning, training preparation, and development of community engagement events with the crew. The schedule selected for this project is based on the following considerations: ● Project work needs to be implemented in “leaf off” season when conditions allow for maximum land management success. The months between October and March are ideal for smooth and safer access to natural landscapes, native plantings, the removal of invasive plants in thick forested areas, and pruning of existing plants. ● Establishment of a sustainable native plant ecosystems typically takes three years. Each year’s six-month crew will implement different elements of the plan, manage how completed elements are responding and functioning, and complete multi-year treatments to eradicate exotic invasive plans and replace them with native plants. ● SECC needs six months of the year for local member engagement and recruitment, supporting communication and outreach about the project, planning and designing project work with City staff, scheduling technical trainings and career development, and developing community engagement goals for the year. ● A cyclical, six-month project enables SECC to serve a maximum number of members and build a cadre of future natural resource educated young people for future employment with the city and/or other land management organizations. Members can visit the sites they restored for years to come and take pride in the service work they completed for the City’s natural and human ecosystem Year One Milestones AmeriCorps Members ● Completion of trainings totaling a minimum of 90 hours ● Completion of two community volunteer days with crew, one at Provence Street and one at South Chickamauga Creek ● Completion of two school presentations ● Program completion and retention rate of 75% ● Education or job placements for 80% of participants within 6 months after completion of service Provence Street ● Initial removal of invasive plant species over 4.6 acres. ● Application of appropriate herbicide prescription over 4.6 acres ● Cleared of litter and dumped material from the entirety of the site. South Chickamauga Creek ● Initial removal of invasive plant species across approximately 20 acres. ● Application of appropriate herbicide prescription over across approximately 20 acres ● Trash removal of 20,000 pounds. ● Completion of 0.5 miles of riparian bank restoration Additional Project Site(s) ● Addressing any urgent drainage concerns, unclogging outlets ● Initial assessments and orientations to sites ● Vegetation installation - live stakes ● Litter removal Year Two Milestones AmeriCorps Members ● Completion of trainings totaling a minimum of 90 hours ● Completion of two community volunteer days with crew, one at Provence Street and one at South Chickamauga Creek ● Completion of two school presentations ● Program completion and retention rate of 80% ● Education and/or job placements for 80% of year two participants within 6 months after completion of service ● Education and/or job placement for 80% of year one participants Provence Street ● Secondary removal of invasive plant species over 4.6 acres. ● Reapplication of appropriate herbicide prescription over 4.6 acres ● Implementation of Community informed Park designs, specifically native replanting in passive areas of park and along channels. South Chickamauga Creek ● Secondary removal of invasive plant species across approximately 20 acres and initial removal of 20 acres ● Application of appropriate herbicide prescription across approximately 20 + acres. ● Trash removal of 5000 pounds ● Completion of 0.5 miles of riparian bank restoration along newly identified section of streambank Additional Project Sites ● Invasives removal ● Vegetation installation ● Litter removal Year Three Milestones AmeriCorps Members ● Completion of trainings totaling a minimum of 90 hours ● Completion of two community volunteer days with crew, one at Provence Street and one at South Chickamauga Creek ● Completion of two school presentations ● Program completion and retention rate of 80% ● Education and/or job placements for 80% of year three participants within 6 months after completion of service ● Education and/or job placement for 80% of year one and two participants Provence Street ● Establishment of native plants across 60% of Provence Street site ● Continued implementation of Community informed Park designs, South Chickamauga Creek ● Continued restoration and maintenance of streambank with specific elements to be determined. The South Chickamauga Creek Greenways Alliance (SCCGA) will provide volunteers to regularly monitor the work along South Chickamauga Creek, provide updates, and use the site for community education and engagement. Additional Project Sites ● Invasives removal ● Vegetation installation ● Litter removal |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | SECC Accountability and Transparency SECC is a program of Conservation Legacy, a national organization that has served communities across the country for over 20 years. Conservation Legacy supports seven local corps programs across the country, including SECC, in collaboration with local governments. Conservation Legacy will support SECC with national and regional staff resources such as insurance, human resources, accounting, risk and safety policies, and national AmeriCorps compliance support. SECC follows all Conservation Legacy policies and procedures as well as its own local standards for risk management, skills development, and member engagement. SECC uses Conservation Legacy’s recruitment and onboarding systems specifically designed for AmeriCorps. All members go through three criminal history background checks before being hired. Hiring processes are double-checked by national staff trained to support AmeriCorps compliance needs and requirements. Conservation Legacy was audited by the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Office of Inspector General with no questionable findings. The SECC program is led by Corps Director Brenna Kelly who founded the program in 2012. Mrs. Kelly, a Kentucky native, worked for eleven years throughout the Pacific Northwest and Desert Southwest within multiple leadership positions for conservation corps’, the U.S. Forest Service, and private contractors. Throughout her time in the west, Mrs. Kelly focused on engaging youth and young adults in conservation service and land management work focused on workforce development through habitat restoration, trail maintenance, developed recreation, invasive species management, and chainsaw related projects. In addition to her experience, SECC employs a full-time Program Director, Field Coordinator, Field Supervisor, and Admissions Coordinator who provide support for all SECC members. Conservation Legacy’s Eastern Region Executive Director, Gail Loveland Barille, oversees SECC Program Director Brenna Kelly as well as the Directors of Conservation Legacy’s three other eastern programs. Gail lives in Chattanooga and has over ten years of experience managing non-profits with AmeriCorps members. She ensures SECC and all Conservation Legacy eastern programs implement high-quality programming reflective of environmental and community needs and shared standards in key areas: 1) risk management, 2) financial management, 3) program quality, 4) compliance, and 5) member engagement. Oversight and support for shared standards is done through Conservation Legacy's national Board of Directors, CEO, and a leadership team that includes a Chief Operating Officer, Senior Director of Human Resources, Field Operations Coordinator, Controller, and Director of Diversity and Recruitment. SECC Partner Accountability and Transparency SECC’s ability to successfully partner with local governments and meet their mandated fiscal and program requirements is demonstrated through its long and successful partnership with a variety of government partners. SECC has strong partnerships with a variety of agencies, organizations, and municipalities such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, Tennessee State Parks, Lula Lake Land Trust, TN River Gorge Trust, Trust for Public Land, and Athens-Clarke County, a recipient of AmeriCorps funding for more than eight years. SECC staff facilitate planning meetings, site visits, and regular check-ins with partners to ensure project expectations are met and project activities meet safety and risk management guidelines. If project expectations are not met, SECC immediately addresses the issue and takes appropriate action. SECC will give the City a survey to fill out at the end of each season to solicit feedback on communication, project work expectations, and how this program is meeting the goals of ARP funding requirements. SECC will also personally interview City staff at the end of each season. SECC will use all survey feedback obtained from staff interviews to make a 12-month program report to the City, integrating any needed changes to the program the following season. AmeriCorps Member Accountability and Transparency SECC will report to the City every 12 months after the program begins. The report will include member satisfaction with their experience and how many members are employed or enrolled in an education program within 12 months after completion of the program. Member satisfaction in the program will be assessed using data from SECC’s regular field visits and member written evaluations, surveys, and personal interviews. Program participants will complete a comprehensive pre-evaluation at their orientation to survey their personal skills and education goals for the program, including how they expect the program to address challenges they experienced because of COVID-19. They will be given the same survey questions on program graduation day. SECC staff will analyze pre and post survey answers and combine that with the crew leader feedback obtained through their regular check-ins with each member and program staff observations. The survey data and observations will be combined for the City’s program report. SECC will follow-up with members 12 months after they complete the season and include their education and employment experience in the second- and third-year season report. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The Program will strengthen the economic and environmental health of neighborhoods in the South Chickamauga Creek watershed by restoring the natural assets of their watershed and giving them an opportunity to learn about and connect with them. The green stormwater infrastructure and creation and maintenance of parks and greenways will provide residents and visitors a healthier and more attractive place to live, work, and play. It will also build on the green revitalization approach that has fueled Chattanooga’s economy and community development since the 1980s. Through involvement on young people in this effort, the City will make an investment in its human infrastructure. The Program will provide future residents, City employees, and community leaders the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to maintain the work done at the Program’s project sites, move others like them forward, and pursue new, green possibilities that will make Chattanooga a more resilient community. The South Chickamauga Workforce Development and Stormwater Capacity Program is a Triple Bottom Line Program that delivers the following range of community benefits: ● Environmental Green Stormwater Infrastructure reduces flooding, delivers immediate improvements to water quality, and conserves key natural areas such as wetlands and forests that also provide valuable wildlife habitat and other environmental services. This project will restore natural ecosystems in highly visible, sensitive areas of the city. The approach will not only improve the aesthetic appeal of these areas but will also support passive recreation along the creek and improve the water quality of the creek. ● Economic Green Stormwater Infrastructure addresses more severe flooding that occurs more frequently at a lower public cost than traditional approaches such as armored streambanks and installation of larger culverts. Cleaner and more attractive neighborhoods draw tax paying businesses and residents, strengthens tourism, and raises property values. ● Social Green Stormwater Infrastructure supports outdoor recreation, environmental education, neighborhood cohesion, and a higher quality of life. Restoration projects will provide additional opportunities for volunteers of all ages to work together to improve the wellbeing of the community for all residents. Green infrastructure practices are growing, and so is the need for a skilled and trained workforce to implement, operate, and maintain them. SECC operates a workforce development program that can be expanded by the City to meet the challenges of a growing urban area with an aging gray infrastructure. A 2019 Local Government Forum Report on Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Workforce Development determined that public/private partnerships are some of the most effective ways municipalities can train future employees to address wastewater, stormwater, and clean drinking water challenges through integrated gray and green solutions. SECC’s program is innovative, replicable, and scalable. Similar programs have been launched in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. The Program can demonstrate how natural infrastructure projects can harness the power of young people to complete city projects at a lower cost, more quickly, and with a greater number of benefits to the city. Through this pilot project, the City can assess how green infrastructure, sustainable land management, and ecological restoration can increase its flexibility and tools to respond to current and future climate change impacts, especially to changing water regimes that cause flooding in watersheds like the Chickamauga Creek. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | SECC will attract community engagement and investment in the project through the following tools: ● Facilitated meetings City staff and volunteers from within City departments, local non-profits, and Friends groups to identify project design and work on each property. ● Outreach to government agencies, non-profits, churches, schools, and community leaders who serve and work with families in the South Chickamauga Chattanooga watershed to recruit and hire local young adults and provide them with support services and resources. ● Contracts with local professionals to provide training, certifications, and professional development education to crew members (i.e. banks for financial literacy training, community colleges for career development, and health and human services for mental health training.) ● Host two volunteer days to engage community members in the project work. ● Work with crew members to create and present environmental education presentations at two elementary and/or middle schools about their work to create and restore the community’s healthy watershed. ● Host one press event each year with City elected officials and sponsors about the project’s success. |
| Name | Brenna C Kelly - Southeast Conservation Corps |
| Contact Information | 423.718.367 |
| Name | Blythe Bailey - City of Chattanooga - Department of Parks and Outdoors |
| Contact Information | bbailey@chattanooga.gov |
| Name | Lyn Rutherford - City of Chattanooga - Public Works - Water Quality Program |
| Contact Information | lrutherford@chattanooga.gov |
| Name | Akosua Cook - City of Chattanooga - Parks City Planner |
| Contact Information | acook@chattanooga.gov |
| Name | David Johnson - Trust for Public Land |
| Contact Information | david.johnson@tpl.org |
| Name | Sandra Kurtz - South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance |
| Contact Information | sandykurtz4@gmail.com |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | SECC consults with Baltimore’s Howard EcoWorks, a successful green stormwater infrastructure and stream restoration workforce development program. SECC is adapting program elements from Howard EcoWork’s READY and UpLift programs, two programs that provide young adults with workforce development opportunities and targets underserved populations. In addition to relationships with youth organizations outside of Chattanooga, SECC has a long history working with under resourced youth and young adults in Chattanooga. These efforts include our Trips for Kids bicycle program as well as local adult and youth crews. These SECC programs have worked with and continue relationships with Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Trust for Public Land, Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Southeast Climbers Coalition, Land Trust for Tennessee, Lula Lake Land Trust, Wild Trails, Glass House Collective, Northside Neighborhood House, Hurst United Methodist Church, and many elementary and middle schools within Chattanooga. |