In February 2000, a group of fisherman and engineering students held a work day on Clear Creek of the Clinch River, hoping to make the tiny tributary a better place for trout to spawn. One of the leaders said it was a shame there were not more spawning areas for Clinch River trout. Barry Thacker responded, "I can show you one. Want to take a ride?" Mr. Thacker knew of Coal Creek because of a past engineering project in the area.
The Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, Inc. (CCWF) was born on that drive along Coal Creek. The original goal of CCWF simply was to make Coal Creek and its tributaries suitable trout-spawning habitat. In order to improve the water quality, acid mine drainage from the abandoned coal mine lands in the Coal Creek watershed needs to be abated. Mr. Thacker’s intention was to have his engineering company, GA, perform a simple community service project using their engineering skills, thereby performing the work required to apply for a grant from the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). As most of GA’s clients are in the coal mining industry, this project particularly suited Mr. Thacker’s expertise.
However, acid mine drainage is not the only problem in the Coal Creek watershed. Meetings with various groups, government agencies, and local residents revealed that while improving water quality would be welcome, every group had a goal of its own. The residents are primarily concerned with the quality of life for their children—better schools, adequate dental and health care, opportunities for jobs, and safety from flooding. Many parents have heard their children say they will leave the Coal Creek watershed because "there is nothing here for me." As the groups joined together, the CCWF’s goal broadened to "improving the quality of life in the Coal Creek watershed."
Since February 2000, CCWF has started building the human infrastructure needed to accomplish our mission. The accomplishments of CCWF are too vast to describe in full detail here; however they can be found at www.coalcreekaml.com. Examples are summarized as follows:
|
Congressman Zach Wamp
with Coal Creek students on
|
 | CCWF coordinated "Coal Creek Discovery Day 2000" in August where students, residents, and invited guests used Coal Creek and the surrounding watershed as a living laboratory. One of our guests, Congressman Zach Wamp, also took time to tour the watershed to learn about our various initiatives. |
| CCWF developed a website. The site receives approximately 10,000 visits per week. The website is maintained by volunteers from GA. |
| Over 100 newspaper articles and TV news reports have documented our progress. In many of these, Mr. Thacker proudly represents himself as an engineer. |
|
 Thacker provides testimony at the Democratic National Committee Party Platform hearing. |
| CCWF was invited to participate in the Eastern Coal Region Restoration Roundtable in Washington, D.C. As a result, Mr. Thacker is on the steering committee for EPA’s National Watershed Forum, a key component of their Clean Water Action Plan. |
|
Thacker accepts award from |
|
| Mr. Thacker is invited to speak at numerous engineering society meetings because of his success and enthusiasm in volunteering as an engineer. He makes these presentations at his own cost in expenses and lost billable hours. He has traveled as far from Knoxville as Boston, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Washington DC to encourage other engineers to become involved in community service where they can use their engineering expertise. |
| Mr. Thacker was named the Water Conservationist of the Year 2001 by the Tennessee Conservation League for being the "inspiration and chief organizer for the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, a grass roots organization that has brought together local residents and officials and government agencies to improve the quality of life in the Coal Creek Watershed." |
| Educational programs are central to CCWF. Mr. Thacker and other volunteers from CCWF have assisted area schools with ecology/conservation educational programs and historical field trips. |
| Mr. Thacker is most proud of the Coal Creek Scholars’ Program. In late 2001, this program was developed to give graduates of Briceville Elementary School assistance in pursuing further education. Assistance includes direct financial aid through scholarships and guidance in preparing college / technical school admissions and scholarship applications. Mr. Thacker is presenting technical seminars through his company and donating all of the proceeds from these seminars towards the scholars program. He plans for participation in extracurricular activities offered by CCWF at the K-12 level to be included in the section of college/technical school applications. Those high school seniors receiving assistance from the program will be asked to mentor current Briceville Elementary School students in the Scholars Program. The goal is to give Briceville students the incentive to excel in middle school and high school, knowing that they have the potential to get a college education. |
| Mr. Thacker sponsors an Engineering Venture Crew with the Boy Scouts of America to teach area high school students (young men and young women) about engineering as a career. |
|
Volunteers remove deadwood and debris from bridges to prevent flooding. |
||
Thacker’s first bank stabilization project designed to assist in relieving flooding potential in Coal Creek |
|
| CCWF is working with the Boy Scouts of America to develop a "Motor Discovery Trail" to tour the historic coal mining sites. Each stop along the trail will be an Eagle Project for area scouts. |
| CCWF will sponsor an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer for the next three years to prepare grant applications to help fund our various initiatives. The Americorps*VISTA is provided office space, computer, and supplies through GA. |
These are just the highlights of what has been accomplished through Barry Thacker’s leadership on this all-volunteer community service project. Mr. Thacker did not do this for the recognition. Sometimes when you do the right thing, things seem to work out for the best.
[ASFE Home Page] [ASFE
Founders' Award Info]
[Barry K. Thacker, PE, First Founders' Award Recipient]
[Barry K. Thacker Nomination Package]
[Thacker's Presentation to ASFE at Fall 2001 Meeting]]
