2,250 Volunteer Hours Helped Transform The Park
(UCBJ) – Pickett CCC Memorial State Park in Pickett County has been honored with the Excellence in Amenities Award as part of the Tennessee State Parks annual Awards of Excellence.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) recognized the park for its efforts to improve visitor safety, accessibility, recreation, interpretation and historic preservation.
“The team at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park put in a lot of thoughtful work this past year to improve the amenities at the park and make it even more enjoyable for park guests,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “Their efforts reflect the volunteer spirit that built this park in the early 1940s and are truly deserving of this special recognition.”
“I’m really proud of the Pickett CCC Memorial team for establishing partnerships that led to an extraordinary amount of volunteer work. It was truly a collective effort to enhance the park’s features,” said Brian Clifford, deputy commissioner of Conservation. “The plan to target both maintenance of existing features and adding new park features has enhanced the park’s natural beauty while keeping its historical significance.”
Over the past 12 months, the park completed a significant amount of work through a special program that contributed 2,250 hours of volunteer work.
The improvements included replacing bridges, stairs and boardwalks; repairing storm-damaged and eroded trails; improving access to overlooks, waterfalls, cabins and recreation areas; protecting glow-worm habitat; and completing major repairs to Civilian Conservation Corps-era facilities.
Tennessee State Parks maintenance teams also completed electrical upgrades, stonework improvements, suspension bridge work, hazardous tree removal and historically accurate restoration of the CCC Boathouse.
Additional work included storm recovery, planting 1,000 shortleaf pines, and HVAC and LED upgrades.
The park also benefited from philanthropic partnerships, including grant funding that supported a new color-blind viewfinder and a 14-panel Early Reader Nature Trail installed during First Lady Maria Lee’s Tennessee Serves event.
The projects reflect a commitment to accessible, high-quality amenities while preserving the park’s CCC heritage.
The Excellence in Amenities Award recognizes a park for distinguished achievement in strengthening the quality and performance of facilities and amenities. The award considers maintenance and enhancement needs, the condition of trails and buildings, and whether new or restored features align with the mission and long-term vision of Tennessee State Parks.
Other Tennessee State Parks recognized in the annual awards included Roan Mountain State Park as State Park of the Year, Johnsonville State Historic Park for Excellence in Resource Stewardship, Pickwick Landing State Park for Excellence in Visitor Experience and Panther Creek State Park for Excellence in Operations.
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