Parks and Recreation Department
Friends of the Greenway (FOG)
Mission:
The Friends of the Greenway (FOG) exists to aid the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department in achieving the goals and objectives of the Murfreesboro Greenway System. These natural and historically significant areas are available for all citizens and visitors to fully enjoy now and in the future.
Services Provided:
In 2006, FOG hosted the first annual “Greenway Art Festival”. Local artisans lined the trail with fine art, and the community enthusiastically responded. FOG also supports many of the special events along the Greenway, helping with registration, providing drinks or promotional items, and supporting Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department in a variety of ways. FOG provides funding for extra amenities along the trail, such as the recycling cans at trailheads.
The group has also worked to join efforts with other organizations in our community to best benefit the greenway. FOG has worked with the Stones River National Battlefield to remove invasive/exotic species and to plant native plants along the greenway. The Center for Environmental Education at MTSU has obtained grants to fund a variety of projects to promote the educational use of the greenway, such as teacher training workshops on trees and their importance in regard to biodiversity and the environment. Another grant created “Biology Backpacks”, which are backpacks filled with things such as field guides and magnifying glasses on the subjects of wildflowers, trees, animal tracks, and insects. (Anyone may check out these backpacks at the Cannonsburgh Visitor Center!) FOG also worked with the Stones River Watershed Association and Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation to conduct a series of classes on watershed awareness along the Greenway at Lytle Creek in a program called “Water We Here For?” Kids from McFadden Community Center monitored water quality by identifying environmentally sensitive species and doing chemical analysis of water in our creeks and rivers, using a kit that was purchased by FOG.
FOG is moving forward with new ideas, including a self-guided scavenger hunt brochure that families can pick up at trailheads.
FOG will also benefit from a fundraiser scheduled for Earth Day, April 19, on the Civic Plaza near the public square. Tangerine, a local salon, will honor the day with what it is calling a Cut-a-thon, an event where those who attend the special event will get a professional haircut in return for a $10 donation to FOG. For more information, contact greenway coordinator Angela Jackson by email or by phone at 893-2141.
Membership:
FOG has a membership of approximately 75 individuals and families, and is primarily funded through membership donations. You can help support the greenway with a yearly membership:
- Cedar (individual): $10
- Maple (family): $20
- Tulip Poplar (supporting): $100
- Hickory (sustaining) $250
- Oak (benefactor): $1000+
Call (615) 893-2141 for a brochure and more information
“Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of special events along the greenway, and FOG is very supportive. From registering dogs and their owners for contests at “Dog Days” to serving hot chocolate at the “Fall Harvest Hayride”, from providing water at “Moving Day – Get Your Family Moving on the Greenway” to giving bandanas to volunteers at “A Stones Throw Away – A Clean-Up Along the Greenway”, FOG is very instrumental to the success of greenway programming. I would really love for everyone to understand what wonderful volunteer opportunities exist with FOG. Murfreesboro is very fortunate to have such a beautiful greenway, and FOG is an excellent opportunity for its users to share skills, ideas, and love of the greenway with others.”
-Angela Jackson: "The greenway is an under-appreciated asset in our community. This unique recreational pathway should receive substantial more attention from Murfreesboro citizens, City officials, the Chamber of Commerce, and the business community. [It] is a gem just waiting to be discovered…The Greenway has enormous potential, and FOG is helping make it a fun place to recreate.”
Ms. Jackson is the Program Coordinator for Greenway and Wetlands with Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department, and works as a liaison with the FOG Board of Directors.
-Doug Timmons, Ph.D.: “The greenway contributes significantly to the quality of life in this area while all around we are besieged by factors that diminish it. In an ever expanding sea of asphalt and concrete the greenway provides important open green space, a thread of nature and beauty, a retreat. As wildlife habitat is lost to development, the greenway provides a sanctuary. It is a corridor for commuters that frees them from the traffic snarls that now characterize Murfreesboro’s streets. It is a peaceful place to exercise and socialize. The greenway is vastly important to this community.”
Dr. Timmons is an economics professor at MTSU, and a member of the FOG Board of Directors.
-Terri Hogan
Ms. Hogan is a plant ecologist at the Stones River National Battlefield, a member of the FOG Board of Directors, and uses the greenway to commute to work.
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