Category: Environment

Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Environment, Family, Health, outdoors, Sports, UTC

Run Nooga Run

Written by Maya Spratley

The Chattanooga Run Club is a group of individuals who value community and welcome new runners with open arms. Drew White speaks with Lucas Gallon, founder of the club, about the club’s impact on the Chattanooga area and the people who attend.

The low patter of footsteps and the occasional labored breath can be heard throughout downtown Chattanooga. A group of strangers gather due to their shared interest in running, but in the process, they gain community. 

Those exploring North Chattanooga early Saturday morning might run into the Chattanooga Run Club.   

The idea that someone actively chooses to push their body in a way that causes their heart to race, blood to pulse, and sweat to drip can seem daunting to some. The Chattanooga Run Club aims to change that perspective on running. According to the club’s founder, Lucas Gallon, the club prides itself on welcoming all speeds and experience levels. 

Continue reading “Run Nooga Run” →
Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Environment, Family, Love, outdoors

Ferret Ambassador

Written by Lexi Foley

Turbo stares at passersby in Coolidge Park. Sunday April 7, 2024. (Photo by: Lexi Foley)

It was an average Chattanooga afternoon for six-month-old Turbo as he scurried across the walking bridge, chasing each new scent. Rays of sunlight fought to peak out of the clouds as a hawk flew through the sky. Turbo flicked his black and white head forward and backward as he followed the hawk’s flight pattern. A group of bicycles came rolling across the bridge, stealing the young ferret’s attention for just long enough before a collection of teenagers strolled past him. 

His noodle-like body winded like a river as he explored one of Chattanooga’s most popular attractions: the Walnut Street Bridge. The bridge is one of many spots Turbo will visit throughout the year, along with pop-up markets, Rock City, the Commons, etc. Since he was adopted in October of 2023, Turbo has become a beacon of light for anyone willing to stop and say “hi”. Although Turbo was adopted by owners Jonah and Kat Aberle to be a public service to the greater Chattanooga community, the Aberles originally got a ferret from their local PetSmart for their college home in Cookeville.

Continue reading “Ferret Ambassador” →
Animals, art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Dance, Diversity, Entertainment, Environment, Family, Health, Love, Music, outdoors, Sports, Uncategorized, UTC, women

Rising Rock Radio Showcase
Graphic by Kylee Boone

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots. To listen to Scenic Roots, visit https://www.wutc.org/scenic-roots.

Tiny Bailarinas

Ava Nessell spoke with Wendy Reynoso, the student success and services coordinator at La Paz Chattanooga, about her experience finding a community in Chattanooga after immigrating from Guatemala. 

Continue reading “Rising Rock Radio Showcase” →
community, Environment

Helping Henegar

Written by Maleah Holder

Jordan Guest stands among the rubble while helping clean up the Hughes family home. On the night of May 8th, tornadoes ravaged northeast Alabama causing catastrophic damage. Henegar, AL. Thursday, May 9th, 2024. Photograph by Caleb McCool.

Dark clouds roil over Henegar, Alabama as thunder shakes the homes below. For many, it was just like any other thunderstorm on a humid spring day, but for the Hughes family, it was one to remember. 

A storm began to brew over the Southeast. Heavy rains and lightning were predicted along with flooding in several major municipalities. Tornado warnings sounded across Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, typical for thunderstorms in the area, but no one imagined how quickly those warnings would become a tornado emergency. 

April Hughes had just hit her six-week mark on her journey to recovery after a crucial surgery on her neck to remove a cancerous mass. What began as a simple mass removal ended up being the first in a streak of unfortunate twists in her and her family’s lives. As April was recovering, her husband Nathaniel patiently waited for his own surgery on his shoulder following a recent injury. 

Continue reading “Helping Henegar” →
Chattanooga, Daily Life, Environment, Health, outdoors, Safety, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Cliffside Saviors

Written by Alexis McMurtry

Alexis McMurtry speaks with Bill Moore about his experiences volunteering with the Chattanooga Hamilton County cave/cliff/technical team and his chaotic day-to-day schedule.

Bill Moore, a volunteer rescuer, was surrounded by the faint glow of his and his teammates’ headlamps as they navigated through a cave’s twisting passages, squeezing through narrow crevices and scaling steep inclines.

On the surface, Cara Moore is developing and releasing information about the rescue to the public. Her mind is in two places: the state of the rescue and the well-being of her husband, Bill.

What seemed like an adrenaline-filled adventure was another day in the office for the Chattanooga Hamilton County Cave-Cliff-Technical Rescue Team.

Continue reading “Cliffside Saviors” →
Chattanooga, community, Environment, outdoors

Sun Chasers

Written by Lexi Foley

Emily and Jacob Roberts describe their experience observing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Heads and fingers pointed to a darkened sky as they waited for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. A million pairs of eyes from across the nation watched as the moon danced in front of the sun for a brief four-and-a-half minutes. 

White glimmering light encircled a group of strangers, including viewers Jacob Roberts and his family, united under the low glow of the covered sun. A path of totality drew in as the world experienced darkness at 2:00 p.m. together. 

Continue reading “Sun Chasers” →
Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Environment, History, outdoors, teachers

Ecliptic Education

Written by Taylor McKinley

Courtney Lewis, activity director for the Chattanooga Public Library, discusses what an eclipse is and why it is important for people to learn about it.

As the moon intercepts perfectly between the earth and the sun, casting a shadow, a solar eclipse brings individuals from all walks of life together, all pausing to gaze upward and witness history.

Over 200 patrons gathered around the Chattanooga Public Library on April 8, 2024 starting around 2:30 P.M. to witness the rare solar eclipse through Oreos, protective glasses and interactive games. 

“For this eclipse we really made sure that people know that they can get glasses here,” Courtney Lewis, Chattanooga Public Library activities director, said. “That we are going to be celebrating with them, so there are going to be a lot more people that have a central place where they can come do fun things and experience it in a safe place. “ 

Continue reading “Ecliptic Education” →
Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Sustainability

Responsible Recreation

Written by Maleah Holder

“All aboard!” Benny Braden, founder and former president of Responsible Stewardship tied his trash bags and tossed them on his jon boat as his volunteers shuffled back through the woods. The shoreline of Watts Bar Lake, previously covered in loose trash, old tires, and tangled fishing line, was near spotless after Braden and his team took on the challenge of collecting the debris. 

Responsible Stewardship is a non-profit organization that works with a volunteer base to remove trash from outdoor recreation spaces such as Watts Bar Lake to keep the space clean and family-friendly. Braden started his organization in August of 2022 working to clean up illegal dump sites and move them to landfills while recycling what he can. 

“That is something we are striving for in the next couple years to…recycle everything. We typically like to do zero added waste cleanups which means we use the barley bags and reusable gloves,” says Braden.

In just over a year of action, volunteers turned into ambassadors leading their own teams all over the country collecting trash and weighing it to report back to Braden. Recently, a new ambassador in Taiwan took it upon herself to collect trash overseas after being inspired by his work in the U.S. and has so far collected over 1,000 pounds by herself.

Continue reading “Responsible Recreation” →
Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Environment, Family, Love

Generational Gardens

Written by Maddie Charnes

Walden Peak Farm is a newly founded farm venue on a piece of generational land with rich history. (Photo by Maddie Charnes)

On the grassy mountain side located 20 miles from Chattanooga, the land of Walden Peak Farm has continued to be a place of family connections and community since 1841. 

“Something I think about is the people that used to be here,” said Lucy Bowick, former owner and resident of Walden Peak Farm. “I never come out here and I don’t think about them. They’re my ancestors.” 

In November of 1841, a land grant was deeded to Edwin Pickett and his brother. As the brothers married and settled, a flourishing community began. Although the family thrived from generation to generation, life was not always easy living on the mountain

“Times were not always easy,” said Jay Welch, Bowick’s sister and former resident of the farm. “We had a coal stove when I was growing up, and it was often very cold. We learned how to be self-sufficient living on the mountain.” 

Living further from the city, the sisters said they often farmed for their food and had to make their own way.

“There’s a saying in our family that if you’re not willing to fight for the land then you’re not worth having it,” Bowick said. 

Continue reading “Generational Gardens” →
Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, Chattanooga outreach, community, donate, Environment, outdoors, Sustainability

Chasing Cranes

Written by Maleah Holder

A conversation with Jason Jackson about the migration of the Sandhill Cranes with a focus on the refuge and TWRA.

As the sun peaks over the horizon, lighting the waters of Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, thousands of trumpeting birds flock to the sky. Standing at just over three feet tall, the loud Sandhill cranes were a species once locally extinct east of the Mississippi River before making a victorious comeback.

These unique red-headed cranes take up residence at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Birchwood, Tennessee during the months of November through February for winter migration to feast on corn, wheat, and legumes planted by rangers along the river. 

The Sandhill cranes, though far from the only species to winter at the refuge, make up the majority of the avian population that roost along the waters of the Hiwassee River and have steadily grown in number in the nearly thirty years they have migrated there. 

Their unique appearance and success story have inspired a tight knit community. Locals from surrounding counties and an even larger population of photographers, birdwatchers, and storytellers alike are drawn in from across the nation for a chance to watch the cranes perform their sunrise spectacle. 

Continue reading “Chasing Cranes” →