You’ve likely heard of the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, but have you ever wondered what the trust does, exactly?

Last week, we took a boat adventure with the nonprofit — on the Tennessee River Gorge, of course — to learn a bit more about what it does + how you can get involved.

Fast Facts

The trust was founded by Chattanoogans in 1981 with the purpose of protecting the land surrounding the river Gorge.
While the recent Edwards’s Point acquisition was big news, the trust also acquired 2 additional tracts on Signal and Aetna Mountains — the view just before the Spaceship house + a property featuring a large wetland called a fen.
Stringer’s Ridge, though not located on the Gorge, is also managed by TRGT.

TRGT's bird banding observatory | Photo via NOOGAtoday

What else does TRGT do?

The organization has a bird banding observatory on the river Gorge that’s used for research, education + engagement. According to TGRT, bird banding research helps the trust know what’s going on with the lands, since birds are an indicator species.
TRGT manages various campgrounds in the area — Williams Island, Pot Point Blueway, and Boulder Field.
In the spring + summer, the trust schedules boat tours (like the one we went on), hosts various outdoor community activites, and works on conservation efforts in addition to bird banding research.
In the fall + winter, they focus on boundary patrol, stewardship work, trail improvement, some research work and bird banding, community engagement, and running the campsites.
The trust also has a partnership in Petén, Guatemala — where many of the river Gorge birds fly south for the winter.

You can hike to Pot Point Cabin, managed by TRGT, via the Pot Point Nature Trail | Photo via NOOGAtoday

What can I do with the TRGT?

While the TRGT has slowed down its community engagement due to COVID-19, the nonprofit hopes to start activities back up in the spring, including:

Boat tours
Public bird adventures
Group hikes
Sunset paddling in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga

In the meantime, though, all of the trust’s facilities are open for use, including campsites. You can secure a permit to camp up to 10 days for free online.

The land trust also has a live Gorge cam, so you can check out the Gorge year-round from the comfort of your own home.