www.radnorlake.org 1

Friends of Radnor Lake and The Chestnut Group will host “Love the Lake”, a fall art show to benefi t Radnor Lake. The

art show will be held at the Radnor Lake Visitor’s Center on Fri-day, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Chestnut Group artists have been painting through all of the seasons of Radnor, capturing the snow covered hills, the Redbuds in spring, the greens of summer and the amazing fall colors. Just a few weeks ago, Radnor Lake invited the artists to a Full Moon Paintout. The weather was perfect as the moon rose over the lake, holding still just long enough for the artists to cap-ture it on canvas, plein air style.

As Jean Gauld-Jeager, President of The Chestnut Group explains, “Plein air” is French for “outdoors.” The painter finds a well-composed landscape scene and works quickly – amid changes in light and wind – to capture the natural moment. Ideally, the work is completed at the scene or, nearly complete, in the studio. The urgent immediacy of the plein air tradition, even as it creates enduring artistic forms, reminds us of how quickly our unspoiled lands can vanish.”

The Chestnut Group is a nonprofit alliance of landscape artists who are dedicated to the conservation of wild and open spaces in Middle Tennessee. Fifty percent of the funds earned from the sale

of artwork will be donated to Friends of Radnor Lake for the preservation of the State Natural Area. What a wonderful opportunity to purchase an origi-nal piece of art depicting Radnor Lake. Love the Lake. Support the places you Love!

Protecting, preserving and promoting the natural integrity of Radnor Lakethrough land acquisition, environmental education and park support

Fall 2010

Love the LakeArt Show November 5th-7th

Sherrie Russ Levine painting on a snowy day at Radnor Lake.

Dear Friends,If you’ve been to Radnor

Lake since the infamous May flood, you know we’ve been as challenged as our neigh-bors throughout Nashville.

While these ‘bumps in the road’ (literally in Radnor’s case) come along from time to time, the Friends of Radnor Lake have not wavered from our mission. In fact, working with the Land Trust, Civic Bank and the generous partnership with the City of Oak Hill, the Friends group acquired property total-ing just over 10 acres along Granny White Pike and placed

a conservation easement over the property to make sure it would be protected. Slated to be a residential development, the land now will be forever

wild. We’ve also acquired an addi-tional acre from The Galen Foster family which we truly appreciate.

When the flood hit, our friends, neighbors and partners all stepped up with contributions of

time, talent and money. We are especially grateful to one of our wonderful partners, The City of Forest Hills, for an extremely generous dona-tion for flood relief that has enabled all of these willing

volunteers to get the trails back in shape and reroute the South Cove Trail. On the hori-zon is the South Cove Bridge project and road repair with state and federal funds.

So no excuses. Hike a trail; bike the road and enjoy the wonderful natural area of Radnor Lake.

Charley Hankla

www.radnorlake.org

Friends ofRadnor Lake

Board of Directors

Charley HanklaPresident

Greer TidwellVice President

Don ShriverTreasurer

Diane HayesSecretary

Nan AdamsAndrew Amonette

Kim BarrickKaren BirdLee Boggs

Paul BuchananKent Cochran

Ed ColeRobin ConoverMartha Cooper

Douglass JohnsonJeff King

Saul KomisarAmanda LittlePatsy LuckettRob RobinsonPatty St. ClairDan SurfaceAnn Tidwell

Lester Turner, Jr.Elizabeth Wagster

Lauren StoneYoung Leaders Board Intern

Board of AdvisorsMartha Ann Caldwell

Buddy CaldwellVince GillAmy Grant

John HardcastleRep. Beth Halteman Harwell

Sen. Douglas HenryMargaret Henry Joyce

Chris KarbowiakWill Martin

Jeanie NelsonJohn Noel

Mack Prichard Dan SmithPhil Vassar

FORL Staff

Emmie ThomasExecutive Director

Victoria JacksonExecutive Assistant

Progress through PartnershipA letter from the Board

“Hike a trail; bike the road and enjoy the

wonderful natural area of Radnor Lake.”

Charley HanklaPresident

Friends of Radnor Lake

We thank each of you for purchasing and renewing

your license plate in support of Radnor Lake. The monies raised from the sale of the Radnor license plates play a crucial role in the preservation of the Natural Area. Of the $35.00 fee, FORL receives $15.38, raising more than $393,000 since the fall of 2003 to benefit Radnor Lake.

Please support this program, and share Radnor’s beauty everywhere you go. If you are renewing in the Green Hills area, Radnor plates are on hand at the County Clerk’s branch at 4009 Grace’s Plaza.

For general information, call (615) 862-6050 ext. 77109.

Introducing Board Member Amanda Little

By Victoria Jackson

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Program Announcements

While we are rebuilding trails after the flood, pro-grams will be temporarily suspended. If you would like to volunteer to help repair and rebuild, please join us.

Volunteer Days 4th Saturday of the monthMeet at the Visitor Center.

8 a.m. — noon

Check www.radnorlake.org for any updates.

Friends of Radnor Lake Board of Directors

includes some very gifted and accomplished people who serve our mission to protect, preserve and promote the natural integrity of Radnor Lake through land acquisition, environmental education and park support. Amanda Little (née Griscom) has served on the board since 2006.

Little has published widely on the environment, energy and technology for more than a decade. She wrote “Muckraker,” a long-running syndicated weekly column on Grist.org and Salon.com, and “Code Green,” a monthly column on green innovations for Outside magazine, where she was a contributing editor. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Wired, New York, InStyle, Men’s Journal and the Washington Post. She is the recipient of the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for excellence in environmental journalism.

Setting out to investigate the vulnerability of the elec-tric grid and the political implications of our oil usage, Little’s 2009 book, Power Trip, chronicles a journey that she took after she had a reve-lation about the role of energy in her life.

As author and keynote speaker, Little asks: “How do we make mainstream Americans care about clean tech? How do we excite folks around these technologies, conveying their extraordinary benefits and encouraging Americans to adopt them in their daily lives?”

Little explains, “Energy is everything: It grows our crops, fights our wars, makes our plastics and medi-cines, warms our homes, moves our products and vehi-cles, and animates our cities.”

“Energy in America is the most exciting story of our

time. It has the narrative arc of Greek Mythology: Energy built the American superpower — our cities, our military, our major industries, our

infrastructure. It gave us mass production, freedom of move-ment, it defined our politics and our very identity. Now our greatest strength — cheap oil and coal — has become our greatest vulnerability, given the extraordinary environmen-tal and political costs of these fuels.”

“Clean-tech gives us the power to transform a tragedy-in-the-making into the greatest comeback story of all time. It’s American ingenuity that got us into this mess, and it’s American ingenuity that will get us out of it. As much as we need to change our tech-nologies, we have to change our mind sets.”

Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Carter Little, a composer, and their daughter. For more infor-mation, check out Amanda’s website at www.amandalittle.com.

Staying Connected is as Easy as 1-2-3!

1) Join the FORL email list powered by Emma®.Sign up for our email list at www.radnorlake.org to receive the newsletter and volunteer updates.Friends of Randor has part-nered with Emma email marketing, so watch for our new email format.And, thank you, Emma, for planting 5 trees in honor of Radnor Lake!

2) Join Facebook Group. Stay up-to-date with our Friends of Radnor Lake Facebook group.

3) Sign onto the FORL Website. Get the latest updates and information at www.randorlake.org.

It’s easy to be Green

Help us save money and paper by joining the Radnor e-mail list at friendsofradnor-lake@yahoo.com or www.radnorlake.org. Please recycle this newslet-ter, or, better yet, pass it on to a friend!Printed on recycled paper.

REI Awards FORL Grant for Volunteerism

Friends of Radnor Lake is excited to announce that it has received a $14,000 grant from REI. REI is committed to promoting environmental

stewardship and increasing access to outdoor recreation through education, volunteerism, gear donations and financial contributions. The grant is the result of a nomination made by the Brentwood store, with whom we partner on many occasions.

The funds will go directly to Radnor’s Dig it. Hike it. Love it. program which supports volunteerism at Radnor Lake. REI was very generous in their

funding of this program and wanted to make a significant impact on Radnor Lake after the May floods. As a result, Radnor has been able to utilize the skills of over 800 volunteers this summer!

6 www.radnorlake.org

Dangerously hot weather did not deter the Friends

of Radnor Lake board of direc-tors from rebuilding the natural area’s Spillway observation deck, which was damaged dur-ing the May flood.

Despite a heat advisory during the weekend of July 22, more than 23 board mem-bers and volunteers gathered at Radnor to focus on both rebuilding and team-building.

The Spillway overlooks a creek, one that is now three times wider in the aftermath of the May floods. Erosion caused trees and other debris to slide into the stream. Too precarious to be fully function-al, the observation deck was left teetering on the edge of the bank and had to be closed to the public.

The board took notice, and decided to adopt the Spillway as its own project. Within one meeting, board members donated enough money to

cover the cost of materials needed for the repairs.

“A whole array of things needed to be done, and this was something we felt we could knock out as a group,” Emmie Thomas, FORL execu-tive director, said.

But the Friends wanted to do more than contribute funds to the project – they also wanted to donate time on the ground.

“During flood cleanup, our volunteers inspired us to

think about what we can do as a group to give back and do something hands-on,” said Charley Hankla, FORL presi-dent. “There are so many bet-ter uses of our time than board meetings.”

Thomas agreed, “This was something that was doable and fun. It also allowed new board members to get to know everyone and for us to grow as a team.”

Playful banter abounded as volunteers and board members

mixed concrete, dug holes for posts and hammered away. “People are doing things they’ve never done before,” Thomas said, laughing.

One board member, Nan Adams, was very excited about her new knowledge. “I know what a level is!” she said in a sing-song voice, as she handed the tool to another volunteer. Experts like Park Manager Steve Ward patiently directed novices as Junior Rangers worked on a trail nearby.

Over the last couple of months, hundreds of volunteers have donated their time to Radnor Lake. Today, most of the park is completely opera-tional. Only one trail – South Cove – remains closed.

“It’s one thing to write a check. It’s another to plant a seed and watch it grow,” Hankla said, dripping sweat as he pushed a wheelbarrow. “We do this out of a passion for the place.”

Board Members (and Friends) Rebuild Observation Deck

By Raffi Friedman

Dyer Open House for Radnor Lake Flood Dam

age

100% OF DONATIONS TO RADNOR

May 29, 2010Sunset - Midnight

◉VIEW SATURN◉SEE REAL METEORITES

◉STUMP THE ASTRONOMER

1000 Oman Drive, Brentwood, TN 37027 - dyer.vanderbilt.edu

The Moograss Jam, originally postponed due to the rain, was rescheduled for May 29 to celebrate Nashville’s giving spirit with great music, good food and water slides for the kids. Special thanks to Dan Smith and Debra Brawner at the Granny White Market for bring-ing this popular bluegrass festival back to the neighborhood and raising funds for Radnor Lake. On that same night, Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory, held a special open house and collected dona-tions for Radnor Lake too. Thanks to Rocky Alvey for partnering with Radnor Lake on this special event.

www.radnorlake.org 7

Thank you to these wonderful musicians for anamazing day of entertainment!

Moograss Jamand

Dyer ObservatoryTeam Up for Radnor

Emcee Demetria Kalodimos

Pat Flynn

Tyler Flowers

Irish Bernadette

The Peasall Sisters

Verlon Thompson

Kathy Chiavola

Kurt Storey

Rivers Rutherford

Muriel Anderson

8 www.radnorlake.org

Thank you to Kent Blazy and the 4 Peace

Band who played on July 30th at Douglas

Corner Cafe for Radnor Flood Relief. Great

fun and great success!

By Rick Smith Photography

Volunteer Partners

After historic flooding devastated sections of Radnor Lake State Natural Area in May, volunteers came out of the woodwork to give back to the park they love. More than 800 volunteers tirelessly gave their time, sweat and, sometimes, tears to help repair the damage.

Thank You!

We couldn’t have done itwithout you!

First Response Rangers who came right after the flood and cut 42 trees that has fallen across the road.

Members of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity from Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy.

Kent BlazyPerforms Benefit

Concert

4Months

(May-August)

883 Volunteers

worked

3115Hours

which equals

130Days

which was priceless

www.radnorlake.org 9

They came from as far away as Jacksonville; they did a few calisthenics, and then they started digging.

By the time the dust had cleared on September 18, more than 100 volunteers had planted 75 trees at Radnor Lake as part of the CSX Trees for Tracks program.

CSX, which is planting a tree for each of its 21,000 miles of track, provided funding and volunteers for the reforestation project. Trees Nashville was the local plant-ing partner.

“It’s a great event. It’s great for the environment, and it’s great for getting people out here to be part of this pro-cess,” said CSX chief financial officer Oscar Munoz.

He and other volunteers from the corporate office in Jacksonville, local CSX employees, and Trees Nashville supporters planted dogwoods, sweetgums and tulip pop-lars on 6.5 acres of park property in the Radnor Glen subdivision. This land was saved from development by Friends of Radnor Lake in 2004.

“We literally stopped the bulldozers from clearing this land,” said park manager Steve Ward. “Because the land was partially cleared, we needed to help nature out by planting new trees to help restore the natural area.”

The planting will help protect Radnor’s viewshed, said Trees Nashville president Chris Armour. “When you’re in the woods, you don’t want to see structures. This planting will help protect the natural experience.”

The trees also offer real economic value to Nashville. “When mature, they’ll provide over $12,000 of direct benefits every year,” Armour said. “That includes energy savings, carbon storage, cleaner air, reduced stormwater runoff and a cooler neighborhood.”

“It speaks volumes when a large corporate entity comes to a state park to invest time, money and energy to help us preserve the natural integrity of this great park,” said Charley Hankla, president of the Friends of Radnor Lake board. “It is a wonderful partnership we hope to continue long into the future. The transformation is amazing.”

Alliance for Community Trees is the national partner for the Trees for Tracks program, and the service group City Year provides logistics and volunteer support.

Trees to Tracksby Chris Armour

Junior Ranger Program 2010Instilling environmental values in the minds of future leaders

Session 1Chris GoodrichAnessa ScalfCollin Scalf

Luke BarrickMark IrieAlli CrewBrian Key

Joey SantoroKathryn PedullaHunter Tidwell

Francisco NunezSimon Sweetman

Charles Okoreeh-Baah

Session 2Truman Zumwalt

Charles Okoreeh-BaahRyan BarrickLuke Barrick

Si DeaneCameron TravisRichard HawkinsLaura Wigger

Henry AlexanderKeller Alexander

Charlie LongBrian Key

Shaun RainoneAnessa ScalfCarson ScalfCollin Scalf

Top 10 things the 2010 Junior Rangers accomplished!

1. Learned how to efficiently use a one wheeled, two handled, air cooled, apendage powered dumping machine. (aka Wheel barrow)

2. Added multiple Official Junior Ranger T-shirts to their ward-robes.

3. Carried enough buckets of gravel to cover 1/4 mile of trail.4. Pushed enough mulch to cover almost a mile of trail.5. Paddled two of Tennessee’s most beautiful rivers.6. Cleaned two of Tennessee’s most beautiful rivers to help keep

them two of Tennessee’s most beautiful rivers.

7. Worked in cooperation with numerous volunteers coming out to help Radnor rebuild from the devastating flood of 2010.

8. Ate enough pizza to effectively cover the 85 acre Radnor Lake in pepperoni.

9. Created enough sweat to initiate the National Weather Service to prompt a local flash flood warning for the Otter Creek watershed.

10. Cooperated in total, as a large group, for more than two weeks, to meet formidable rebuilding and conservation goals. This, in essence, was the basis of the Jr. Ranger Program last summer.

them two of Tennessee’s most beautiful rivers. them two of Tennessee’s most beautiful rivers.

10

Friday, Nov. 5

Friends of Radnor Lake P.O. Box 40324 Nashville, TN 37204

Monthlymeetings

Radnor Lake State Natural Area hosts envi-ronmental organizations’ monthly meetings at the Walter L. Criley Visitor Center. These educational meetings are open to the public. Please call the contacts listed for agendas and otherinformation.

Cumberland-Harpeth Audubon Society — First Thursday, 7 p.m.Contact: Sheila Shay, 615-298-5154Sheila.d.shay@gmail.com

Middle Tennessee Group of the Sierra Club — Second Thursday, 7 p.m. Contact Adelle Wood, 615-665-1010 adelleintn@comcast.net

Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society — Third Thursday, 7 p.m. Contact: Jan Shaw, 615-331-2231 jankshaw@aol.com

TSRA Board MeetingFourth Thursday, 6 p.m.Contact: Trent Ganstineops@paddletsra.org

* New Invasive Plants brochure available at the

Radnor Lake Visitor Center.

Friends ofRadnor Lake

Friends of Radnor Lake was born in 1973 when the lake and surrounding hills were threatened with residential development. As the Tennessee State Park system’s oldest and most successful nonprofi t support group, FORL has purchased critical properties and supported pro-tection efforts in many other ways.

Friends of Radnor LakeP.O. Box 40324

Nashville, TN 37204615- 251-1471

e-mail: friendsofradnorlake@yahoo.com

www.radnorlake.org