Eight years ago I received a tiny bare-rooted sapling from the Arbor Day Foundation. “Crabapple,” the tag read, “Beneficial to birds and wildlife.” The small, sour, wild apple has a …
Unearthing History and Restoring Habitat at Brickkilns Garden
In 2014 Greta Schmoyer bought a small dilapidated house in Parkridge, the last home built by famed architect George Barber—and the place he was living in when he died. I …
Unprecedented: the Dawn of a New World
In early January, the thermometer read 67 degrees, 20 degrees above the average high. Daffodils poked out of the mud. The kids ran through the yard barefoot. The weather forecast …
Swimming Upstream: Expanding Nature Conservation Efforts at Turkey Creek
The morning after election day, I took a field trip to a unique wild area in the heart of developed West Knoxville. My guide, City Council member and conservationist Mark …
Conserving Nature in the Ditches and Hedgerows of the Inner City
When you champion wildlife in the city, you sometimes run afoul of codes enforcement. In late summer I received a letter from the city about the ditch along my side …