Our Story

History

The Clinch and Powell Rivers harbor nearly 40 different species of freshwater mussels, making the area one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Our organization grew out of a two-state effort to protect the Clinch and Powell Rivers that resulted in our designation as a Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) area. This program, administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, established local councils to help the community protect and develop their economic, natural, and social resources in ways that improve their areas’ economy, environment, and quality of life. In 1989 the Council was chartered as a Nonprofit Corporation in Tennessee and in 1990 received 501c3 IRS Tax Exempt Status.

While we continue in our efforts to conserve local resources and protect the environment around us, we also recognize that the needs of our communities are as diverse and evolving as the ecosystems we strive to preserve. This has led us to move into community housing development and community development finance.

Past Programs

Clinch-Powell is a dynamic organization continually changing to meet the needs of the people in the areas we serve. From humble beginnings where we served five counties with many small programs, we are now operating statewide with larger, more streamlined services. We are proud of our past activities, such as:

For more than 20 years, we operated Conservation Camp for area 6th grade students, Water Wizards for 3rd grade students and Envirothon for high school students, reaching more than 20,000 students.

This program is designed to cultivate a desire to learn more about our natural environment through competitive events. Thousands of high school students have met the Envirothon challenge nationwide and have come away with a greater understanding of their environment as a whole. Envirothon now operates statewide through another statewide organization.

Clinch-Powell provided the financial management for this statewide program that helped very low-income individuals acquire excellent quality vehicles with zero percent interest car loans.

Clinch-Powell served as the leader and fiscal agent in the 10 year federal designation for the Clinch-Powell Enterprise Community from 1999-2009. This highly successful program was designed to help strengthen economically depressed areas by providing aid in the form of private investment, direct funds, tax incentives and access to special federal funding. The initiative resulted in more than $195 million in new investments in the Clinch-Powell region including new industry, household public water for thousands, new schools, new libraries, new fire trucks and stations, new turnout gear, and so much more.

Clinch-Powell worked with area counties to develop 10 year Solid Waste Management Plans as mandated by the Tennessee General Assembly in the early 1990’s. This included the planning and funding for convenience centers, garbage trucks, recycling programs and state mandated County Solid Waste Management Boards.

Clinch-Powell became the first regional Keep America Beautiful program in the country in 1992. PCC focused on solid waste education, anti-litter campaigns and recycling programs. The counties took over this program in the late 90’s.