Songwriters and Streams Gathering Held along Harpeth River

Over the weekend, the Harpeth Conservancy hosted their 3rd annual Songwriters for Streams event, where people gathered to picnic, listen to music and raise money and awareness for the environmental impact of the Harpeth River.

As a nonprofit built to restore healthy ecosystems and protect Tennessee’s river systems, the Harpeth Conservancy uses science-based conservation work to advocate for clean water in communities all throughout Tennessee.

“Our vision is clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee championed by those who live here. We use a blend of sound science, responsible policy and strong community engagement to protect our rivers and clean water in Tennessee,” Grace Stranch, CEO of Harpeth Conservatory, told Williamson Scene at the event.

According to Stranch, 60 percent of the drinking water in Tennessee comes from rivers. The conservancy works to make sure rivers stay clean to provide clean drinking water to Tennessee residents. Apart from drinking water, Tennessee also hosts the third most aquatically biodiverse river in the world.

“The Duck River is only in Tennessee, and it’s the third most biodiverse river in the world, but the number one most biodiverse in North America,” Stranch said. “All of our rivers are incredible. We also have a global impact. About 10 percent of the dead zone in the Gulf is attributed to what happens in Tennessee, so we all have a global call for us to do the work here and to protect our rivers.”

Because the Harpeth Conservancy is based on the outskirts of Nashville, the Songwriters for Streams event came about as a way to support and show appreciation for the songwriters in our community while raising funds and awareness for the rivers. The event gives artists and writers a place to showcase new music and build fan bases and also allows the community to learn about the environment around them and enjoy a laid back, easy evening of music.

“We have a group of songwriters who are incredible. They are lending their talent to the conservancy, and we are so grateful," Stranch said. “I always say, rivers have a head and a mouth, but they don’t have a voice. It’s really exciting that we get to be the voice for our rivers.”

At the farm along the Harpeth River where the event was held, patrons participated in a B.Y.O.E. setting (bring your own everything) where audience members set up blankets, chairs and picnics to enjoy the music. The weather Sunday evening was sunny and 75, perfect for a picnic set-up. There was even a kids zone set up on-site for the little ones, where performing artist Bonner Black taught the children at the event about bird watching in-between her sets. Black came prepared with several pictures of birds for kids to look at, as well as several sets of binoculars for the children to take home with them to birdwatch in their own backyards.

Black got into bird watching about five years ago as a joke, but it has become a wildly important part of both her personal life and her career. She uses birding as a way to connect with nature and connect with music, something she showcased at the Songwriters for Streams event.

“I just felt like I was in a place in my life where I needed a hobby or just something to do, and so I bought a pair of binoculars and a bird book as a joke. In like a month, I was completely obsessed,” Black said. “I grew up in Tennessee, and what I love the most about Tennessee is our beautiful land, our beautiful lakes, our beautiful rivers. We have coyotes and red tail hawks and white tail deer, and the Harpeth Conservancy is just trying to make sure that our rivers are clean, and that our wildlife will thrive.”

After Black’s set, the Harpeth Conservancy held an introduction complete with a live auction, where they auctioned off a guitar signed by Grammy-winning band Jars of Clay. Featured writers Gable Bradley, Joey Hyde and Brian Fuller played shortly after, entertaining guests with stories of drinking beer on the river, settling down in small towns and falling in love with countryside living.