Pickett CCC Memorial State Park honored with the Excellence in Amenities award from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation following a year of extensive facility and trail improvements.
Assistant Park Manager Jonathan Asberry said the recognition highlights the efforts of the park staff and the impact of over 2,250 volunteer hours. Asberry said the work included replacing trail bridges, repairing storm damage, and improving access to waterfalls and cabins.
“It means a lot to us and we’re very excited,” Asberry said. “Park Manager Martin and myself was excited to receive the award. Not really for ourselves, but to bring it back to the park, present that to our park staff and just give them some recognition of their hard work over the past 12 months.”
Asberry said the majority of the labor came from a consistent group of Amish volunteers between the ages of 18 and 24 who travel from Ohio and Kentucky. Asberry said the park also hosted a Tennessee Serves event with First Lady Maria Lee to install educational and accessibility features.
“We was able to install all those during the event,” Asberry said. “She had selected us to host her event and we were able to do some cool things with that, such as a new color-blind viewfinder and then a new 14-panel early reader nature trail.”
Asberry said the park replaced old wooden bridges with lightweight aluminum structures known as Roll-N-Barge bridges. Asberry said these bridges are designed to last significantly longer than pressure-treated wood and are easier for staff to maintain.
“Specifically, the Natural Bridge trail was the worst and it had been closed for a long time,” Asberry said. “And with that volunteer hours and that volunteer work, we were able to clear all that and get it back open where people can enjoy that trail.”
Asberry said the team worked closely with historical and maintenance experts to ensure modern upgrades did not damage the integrity of the original Civilian Conservation Corps structures. Asberry said this balance is necessary because the park is defined by both its natural resources and its history.
“We’re always looking to repair and improve our historic facilities but not ruin the actual historic integrity of those facilities,” Asberry said. “So I think it’s a combination of just working with all of our partners, making sure before we do repair or change anything in these historic buildings that it is approved, especially with our historic team to make sure that we’re doing everything correctly and things like that.”
Asberry said the park installed new wooden fencing and boardwalks at Hazard Cave to protect a rare species of glowworms. Asberry said the upgrades keep visitors elevated off the ground to prevent the trampling of the sensitive habitat.
“The largest population or congregation of glowworms is going to be found at Hazard Cave,” Asberry said. “So it’s important that we protect those.”
Asberry said the park is currently finishing the installation of an ADA-accessible kayak launch at Arch Lake. Asberry said future projects include a capital project to improve accessibility at the park campground.
