Spread the Word - “Save the Bend!”
your voice matters. SPREAD THE WORD IN YOUR COMMUNITY: REPOST CONTENT FROM OUR MEDIA OR SHARE YOUR OWN WITH THE HASHTAG #moccasinbendmatters
We love to see folks enjoying their park. Visit the hiking trails on Moccasin Bend, and post about it! When you post, use the hashtags #savethebend #moccasinbendmatters and #forevermoccasinbend to show your support!
NPP has identified four primary areas of concern in advocating for the Bend:
Unintended consequences and generational conservation impacts: Rebuilding on the existing campus needlessly saddles yet another generation with a nonconforming use in the middle of what would otherwise be a fully restored and interpreted National Park site. Public confusion will continue to cause delays in providing the very mental health care services this hospital exists to provide, as families of people in crisis situations will continue to call the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District or National Park Partners looking for help as they do today.
There are many places to build the new hospital - there is only one Moccasin Bend: The entire 86-acre hospital campus is within the only National Historic Landmark site in Hamilton County and completely surrounded by the only National Archeological District in the entire country. Geographical history of how humans move across land over time, combined with existing archeological surveys, indicate that the very earliest human habitation likely occurred beneath the proposed rebuild area; the Phase I survey suggested by the state is insufficient to uncover the many layers of Indigenous history yet to be discovered.
Transparency, transparency, transparency: Decisions involving public land and public funds MUST be made transparently, and with public input. Very little is known about the search for alternate hospital locations and ZERO public meetings were held to engage the community in developing what is being billed as a “compromise” proposal.
Stakeholder involvement is critical, especially Indigenous voices: 23 federally recognized American Indian Tribes share ancestry with the millennia of inhabitants on Moccasin Bend and must be treated as stakeholders of this culturally rich land. Tennessee officials gave their word 20 years ago to the Tribes, the public, and the National Park Service that the hospital would relocate at the earliest opportunity.
Let’s keep our word, Tennessee, and SAVE THE BEND - AGAIN!
