Mark Fraley Podcast

The creation of the Interstate Highway System, the development of malls and big box stores all worked to threaten the vitality of the traditional town squares found throughout Tennessee.  In response, the Tennessee Department of Conservation initiated the Tennessee Mainstreet Program, working in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation National Mainstreet Center. Our guest tod...

Our friend David Britton joins us today to discuss his thesis paper on the subject of the Contraband Encampment associated with the Civil War era Union Fort in Clarksville Tennessee.  This encampment had not been the subject of much scholarship  until now. David was able to uncover and explore a trove of documentary materials which reveal a great deal about the lives of African American people and...

Restoration of grasslands at a regional scale requires reliable sources of abundant seed material for the hundreds of species of plants which are typically  part of a Southern grassland.  Often,  seeds for certain species are underrepresented in the trade.  Seeds, then, must be gathered from plants in the wild and processed before they can be utilized. Our guest today, Kristin Hopkins,  and  her t...

  Believe it or not,  Now is the time to begin planning next years garden! Our guest today is Dr Bieke D Puncochar, PhD.  Bieke is a Child Psychologist by training and profession and in her life outside of work is deeply involved in the Native Gardening movement.  She is one of the cofounders of the Nashville non profit “Neighbors 4 Native Plants” In the effort to make a wide vari...

Today we feature Bobby Inman, a native of Roane County Tennessee and now a resident of Falmouth in Cornwall, England.  Bobby is the first American born Town Crier for the Town of Falmouth.  Together with his partner he operates Falmouth Uncovered,  a small business conducting  history oriented  walking tours of the Town.  Bobby is like an Interpretive Ranger, only for a whole town! We talk with  B...

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation maintains a list of impaired streams in Tennessee.  Much of the pollution of our streams is caused by agricultural runoff of chemicals and soils into the waterways.  Excess nutrients can deplete oxygen in the water, soils can smother aquatic  life on the bottoms of streams. The Tennessee Environmental … Continue reading "Interview With Jorda...

From the early 1980s and through the mid 1990’s, Dare Bible was a force to be reckoned with in Tennessee State Parks.  Coming to State Parks from a position as the first Parks and Recreation Director for Trousdale County, she headed the Program Services Section for several years and then served as Middle Tennessee Recreation … Continue reading "Interview With Dare Bible, Tennessee State Parks Recr...

Cumberland Mountain State Park, just to the South of Crossville Tennessee, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.  The park is a contributing element to the larger Cumberland Homesteads Historic District.  The park represents the heritage of the New Deal era and the work product of the Civilian Conservation Corp.  The … Continue reading "Interview With Mark Houston, Park...

Estimates are that 10 to 15 percent of the American population have Irish Heritage.  And, this percentage is much higher in cities like Boston and Chicago.  Many people are exploring their Irish heritage through DNA testing and through travel. Our guest today, Jonathan Smyth, is the author of a book entitled Faith, Hope and Endurance,  … Continue reading "Interview With Irish Author Jonathan Smyth...

Our guest today is Alisha O’Dell, former State Parks  Manager at Reelfoot Lake State Park in Northwest Tennessee.   Alisha has for several years been posting content to social media under the moniker “Boykins-N-Boat”,  all about Reelfoot Lake  and her beloved Boykin Spaniel dogs. We discuss her career in Conservation and her recently launched Podcast called  … Continue reading "Interview with Alis...

Today we interview Alex Wyss the Executive Director of the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy.  Alex comes to this position after many years of dedicated work with the Nature Conservancy. We discuss the Conservancy’s  ongoing efforts to make Tennessee State Parks more accessible to underserved populations. The Conservancy is presently involved in a major effort to … Continue reading "An Interview W...

The Cedar Glades, which occur in the rocky and hardscrabble areas around Lebanon Tennessee, are among Tennessee’s most special places.  They are home to many rare plants and plant communities adapted to these harsh  conditions and which occur nowhere else in the world. The Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) is a prominent example of the beauty … Continue reading "Interview With Dr Kim...

Our guest today, Mark Tummons, received the coveted Fellow Award from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association in 2005. He is also a Past President of TRPA and  a Lifetime Member. Mark has  served the State of Tennessee in various roles over the years including Program Administrator for the Parks and Recreation Technical Advisory Service … Continue reading "Interview With TRPA Fellow Mark Tu...

In the first couple of months of the Trump administration, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency has made numerous baseless claims about waste fraud and abuse in the Social Security program. They have also proposed several thoughtless changes to the way that the program is managed, as well as unwarranted cuts to program staff. In … Continue reading "Threats to the Social Security Syste...

It was April of 1975 when your host moved to Gatlinburg to start the Parks and Recreation Program for the City of Gatlinburg. Now 50 years later, this agency has become one of Tennessee’s best. Consistently winning statewide recognition for exceptional facilities and innovative programs. All the credit goes to my two guests, Marty Nicely … Continue reading "Celebrating 50 years of Parks and Recrea...