SOW Member Spotlight: National Park Partners
We are excited to feature National Park Partners in our April member spotlight!
1. Tell us a little bit about you, your organization, and what you do.
We grow Chattanooga’s national park legacy for the benefit of current + future generations! National Park Partners is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to championing the conservation of the natural, historic, and cultural resources of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, including Moccasin Bend National Archeological District. We engage current and future generations in preserving and promoting the stories of these national treasures.
2. How did you get into this work and why is it important for Chattanooga’s community?
National Park Partners is the combination of the Friends of the Park (est. 1986) and the Friends of Moccasin Bend (est. 1995) groups. After the boundary of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was expanded in 2003 and Moccasin Bend was named the country's first - and only - National Archeological District, the two Friends groups were merged. In 2016 Tricia King Mims took over as Executive Director, and sole employee, of NPP. Today, NPP has grown to have 3 full time, and one part time staff. All of us are dedicated to doing everything we can for Chattanooga’s crown jewel, YOUR national park!
3. What's a recent win your team has had that you wish more people knew about?
In 2023, the news from Tennessee officials of plans to build a new mental health facility on its existing campus posed an unacceptable threat to the park’s nationally significant historic and cultural resources. National Park Partners immediately rallied the community and thousands of people answered the call!
Together, we scored a victory for preservation when Governor Bill Lee announced the state would instead relocate its mental health facilities off the Bend, just in time for our ‘20 Years of Moccasin Bend National Archeological District’ celebrationon October 14 (Indigenous Peoples’ Day). NPP and our partners treated the community to a day filled with sunshine, music, and educational activities for all ages on the Tennessee Aquarium plaza. Best of all, we welcomed the National Trail of Tears Association Conference to Chattanooga to celebrate the Save the Bend. Again success with us. We are still glowing from that one!
4. What's something you've learned from being part of Chattanooga's community that's changed how you approach your work?
Chattanooga’s community has shaped our work from the beginning. NPP was born in Chattanooga, molded by the unique forces in this unique city. We were founded on the same principles that make our city great today - collaboration, partnerships and community. Although NPP is dedicated to Chattanooga’s national park legacy, we strive to be good neighbors and stewards of our whole city. We are a National Park City, after all!
5. Society of Work is built on the idea that community doesn't stop at your office door. How has being part of SOW shaped or expanded your network in ways you didn't expect?
At NPP we like to follow a strategy we call the “Chattanooga Way.” The Chattanooga Way personifies collaboration, treating partnership as an action-packed verb. The spirit in the Society of Work honors that energy. On the very first day we moved into our SOW office, we met so many cool folks who were excited to know more about their Park. Compared to our old, quite isolated office, we immediately felt so connected in the SOW!
6. What's on your radar this spring? Any events, initiatives, or moments you want the SOW community to show up for?
NPP is celebrating Spring with monthly Noontime Hikes at Brown's Ferry Federal Road on Moccasin Bend National Archeological District. Join us! See all our events and news on our website! www.nppcha.org
