Tennessee State Parks Ranger Roundtable

Abstract

Since its creation in 1937, rangers in the Tennessee State Park system have worked to fulfill it’s mission: “To preserve and protect, in perpetuity, unique examples of natural, cultural, and scenic areas and provide a variety of safe, quality, outdoor experiences through a well-planned and professionally managed system of state parks.” This roundtable addresses a primary question: How does Tennessee State Parks\u27 fulfillment of the mission statement affect their Appalachian communities? Featured here are Park Rangers from Roan Mountain State Park, Rocky Fork State Park, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, and Fort Loudon State Historic Park. Drawing upon their experiences from East Tennessee State Parks situated in Southern Appalachia, the park rangers will discuss issues of natural resource management and cultural and historic interpretation specific to their parks and broader regional communities. In so doing, the discussion will consider the consequences and problems of natural resource management, such as tree destruction by the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and Emerald Ash Borer, exotic invasive plant species, water quality, wildlife habitat, and climate change. Equally important, cultural interpretation of local history, music, community engagement, education, and tourism speak to the broader issues of cultural resource management by state parks in Appalachia. Finally, the ways in which interpretation of park resources, local history, and cultural resources influence others\u27 definitions, ideas, and identities associated with Appalachia will be considered