Local Leadership Team members and elected officials from five Alabama RiverTowns gather during the Tennessee RiverLine’s Anchored in Alabama event, celebrating shared investments in river recreation, community vitality and stewardship along the Tennessee River. The event was held at the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur, Alabama, on Friday, October 31. Photo by Freedom Light Productions

DECATUR, AL — Leaders from across the Tennessee River Valley gathered today at the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur for Anchored in Alabama, a celebration of partnerships that are expanding access to outdoor recreation, community vitality and economic opportunity along the Tennessee River.

Hosted by the Tennessee RiverLine, the event highlighted recent progress in Alabama’s RiverTowns communities and announced new investments to strengthen that momentum statewide.

Event highlights included:

• Introduction of a new Tennessee RiverLine program manager based in Alabama who will support delivery of education programs
• Recognition of a $750,000 Innovate Alabama grant awarded to the University of North Alabama and the Tennessee RiverLine
• Presentation of five new Tennessee RiverLine kayak fleets — 80 kayaks, paddles, personal flotation devices and trailers — to Jackson County; Guntersville; Huntsville (Ditto Landing); Decatur; and Lawrence County

Speakers included state Senator Arthur Orr; T.C. McLemore of Innovate Alabama; Will Trumm and Lauren Pelto of TVA; Dr. Carrie Crawford of the University of North Alabama; and Brad Collett, executive director of the Tennessee RiverLine.

“Anchored in Alabama celebrates what’s possible when communities, agencies and partners work together toward a shared vision for the Tennessee River,” Collett said. “These investments reflect Alabama’s growing leadership in outdoor recreation as a strategy for economic and community development, and its commitment to making river experiences accessible to all.”

More than 100 attendees, including state and federal representatives, university partners and local RiverTowns teams, participated in the celebration and networking reception. The event featured exhibits on stewardship programming, infrastructure design concepts and newly delivered kayak fleets.

The Tennessee RiverLine continues to expand its reach and impact, advancing a vision for a 1.2 million-acre river park that connects people and communities along the river’s 652-mile reach from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Paducah, Kentucky.

The Tennessee RiverLine is a transformative initiative that connects a vast 1.2 million-acre system of outdoor recreation experiences along the Tennessee River. This historic multi-generational project aims to enhance economic development, improve public health, promote resource stewardship and ensure expanded access for the 2.4 million residents in diverse communities across four states. The Tennessee RiverLine is an initiative of University of Tennessee Extension with principal partners UT Knoxville and Tennessee Valley Authority. For more information, visit tnriverline.org.