Shown, from left to right, are Board Chairman Paul Brock with RiverRocks founders Stormy and Mike McGauley and Rick Huffines, executive director of the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.
Chattanooga is becoming well known for its outdoor scene and this is the time of year when people take advantage of the weather to enjoy the area’s natural assets. Many of the local conservation organizations, dedicated to protecting favored places for running, cycling, walking, hiking or paddling, have received quite a boost from RiverRocks Chattanooga. In keeping with the vision of RiverRocks founders Mike and Stormy McGauley to raise money and awareness for local land trusts and conservancies, recent fund distributions to eight local organizations bring the total contributions to $100,000 over the first three years of the festival.
“Successful conservation efforts start with active engagement with the outdoors,” said Mike McGauley. “RiverRocks encourages people to experience, learn about and appreciate the parks and wild spaces surrounding our city. We want everyone to fall in love with these places and help us protect them.”
The Tennessee River Gorge Trust, along with the Trust for Public Land, Lula Lake Land Trust, Friends of the Cumberland Trail, North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center, Friends of Moccasin Bend and the Lookout Mountain Conservancy all received checks from the RiverRocks festival board.
While the McGauleys recently rotated off the RiverRocks board, new board members include Ron Harr, President and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Bob Doak, President and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau and Jason Taylor, President of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Returning board members include Paul Brock, Joe Jacobi, Tom Griscom, Randy Whorton, Joe Ferguson, Dawson Wheeler and Cindy Todd.
“We appreciate the vision of Mike and Stormy McGauley in starting a festival to celebrate and help preserve the outdoor resources of our region,” said Paul Brock, current RiverRocks board chairman. “In launching RiverRocks, they lit a fuse which will lead to nationwide recognition of Chattanooga’s leadership in participatory outdoor activities.”
The new board members, along with Chattanooga Presents, are currently engaged in producing another successful series of events Oct. 4-12, which once again promises to draw thousands of people to Chattanooga to compete side by side with some of the nation’s elite athletes. Having top leadership at both the Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau says a great deal about how much this festival is valued as a vehicle to inspire a vibrant and sustainable community. “RiverRocks celebrates the fun of living in Chattanooga, which is one of the greatest drivers of our economic growth,” said Ron Harr, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Chattanooga is blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation within such a close proximity of our downtown,” said Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s very important that we continue to promote these assets through events like RiverRocks. It’s great for the Chattanooga brand and helps us grow economically as a community.”