February 2024: A Message from Our Executive Director

Dear Friends of the Conservancy,

Part of what makes the Wolf River Conservancy special is its connection to the communities we serve. While our mission is to protect land in the Wolf River watershed, we raise awareness of our work and important issues through community service projects, educational programs, and recreational activities. We have several exciting events in the month of March and two in particular I want to bring to your attention.  Both events are part of our Wolf River Restoration Series presented by Brother International Corporation.  

The first event on March 2nd is our 19th Annual Tree Planting, to be held this year at New Chicago Park. We will be planting more than 1,000 native trees including Water Tupelo, False Indigo Bush and three different species of Oak. Over the years the Wolf River Conservancy has planted more than 70,000 trees in neighborhoods across Memphis and the Mid South. On March 23rd we will be on the Mud Island section of the Wolf River Greenway hosting a pollution prevention cleanup for World Water Day. Every bag of trash removed is trash not making its way to the river, which makes this a very important service project with a real impact on water quality. Please check our website www.wolfriver.org for more event details. 

I am also pleased to share that this spring we will begin planning and construction on new phases of the Wolf River Greenway stretching from Elmore Ave. to the Shelby Farms Greenline, for a total of 4 new miles. These new sections represent the Wolf River Conservancy’s continued commitment to building a world class linear park that connects communities and provides unparalleled green spaces for underserved communities. Spanning 26 miles upon completion, the Wolf River Greenway will connect Mud Island to Germantown. Please stay tuned to this space for more updates as the work gets underway!  

And finally, please know that your continued support of the Wolf River Conservancy is what allows us to continue this critical work, thank you. I’ll see you out on the Wolf!

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Respectfully,

Erik Houston
Executive Director