Tennessee governor talks of appreciation for Ocoee

  • Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told folks “the only thing I’m not happy about today is whoever on my scheduling team decided that I needed to drop in here and leave and not go down the river.”
    Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told folks “the only thing I’m not happy about today is whoever on my scheduling team decided that I needed to drop in here and leave and not go down the river.”
  • Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner David Salyers, left, and TDEC Deputy Commissioner for Parks and Conservation Jim Bryson express their appreciation, and the importance, of whitewater sports on the Ocoee River during the TVA 2021 Ocoee Whitewater Media Run Friday, June 4.
    Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner David Salyers, left, and TDEC Deputy Commissioner for Parks and Conservation Jim Bryson express their appreciation, and the importance, of whitewater sports on the Ocoee River during the TVA 2021 Ocoee Whitewater Media Run Friday, June 4.
  • TVA Vice President David Bowling expressed his appreciation of the TVA Ocoee Whitewater Media Run turn out during the event.
    TVA Vice President David Bowling expressed his appreciation of the TVA Ocoee Whitewater Media Run turn out during the event.

    “Now, for me to be in the spot that I’m in, it’s all the more important that America knows that this is the most beautiful place in all of America,” Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said standing above Ocoee Dam #2.

    Governor Lee made an appearance during TVA’s 2021 Ocoee Whitewater Media River Run Friday, June 4, in which he told of his deep appreciation for the area.

    “When I was a kid, we started canoeing the Hiwassee, rafting the Nantahala, kayaking the Ocoee, I’ve been down these rivers 30 or 40 times in my life, and I knew from the time I was a kid that this is one of the most beautiful places in all of America,” Governor Lee said.

    “This place right here is a unique spot. What happens right here is unique to this community and is part of what makes Tennessee the crown jewel of America.”

    Governor Lee expressed appreciation for the state’s legislature, especially representatives Jeremy Faison, Dan Howell and Senator Mike Bell, for their involvement.

    “Every day on the Ocoee is a great day,” David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and

    Conservation (TDEC), said.

    “Like Governor Lee, I already know the importance of Polk County to our state and to our department. And over the past 30 years, many of TDEC’s greatest achievements have actually been here in Polk County.”

    Salyers went on to cite TDEC’s involvement in the restoration of the Copper Basin and the 1996 Summer Olympics.

    “The outdoor recreation is a win-win for everybody,” Jim Bryson, TDEC Deputy Commissioner for parks and Conservation said.

    Bryson explained that the whitewater sports on the Ocoee “are great for our economy” as well as for individual mental health.

    “I don’t think you can find a better setting or better region within the valley that exemplifies all three of those E’s,” David Bowling, TVA Vice President, said of the Ocoee explaining the areas of the group’s mission of service: energy, environment and economic development.

    The event was hosted by TVA and serves as a grand opening for the whitewater season, which officially began June 1.