October 26, 2017

Jessie Fears Contributes to Knoxville Nature Preserve Design

Jessie Fears (Tennessee) has contributed to the design of a 15-acre natural area in the heart of a rapidly developing sector of north Knox County in Tennessee.

The property, planned by the Legacy Parks Foundation, will provide recreational access to scenic Beaver Creek and the opportunity for the public to observe the wildlife and natural setting using the trails and resting areas.

Collier Preserve will be located at the former homestead of Stella Moore Collier on land donated to the Legacy Parks Foundation by Dr. Bob Collier. Once the property is transformed into a public preserve, it will become a county park, maintained by Knox County Parks & Recreation.

Key Features of the Preserve Design

Natural surface walking trails
Native plants and wetlands
Benches and bird boxes
Restored historic structures
Interpretive signs
Kayak rest stop on Beaver Creek

Jessie Fears' background is in environmental science and engineering. Her academic focus and internship experiences include surface water quality, hydrogeology, fate and transport of contaminants in soil and water, chemistry, and engineering design. As a graduate student in the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University, Jessie conducted field research to evaluate the water quality and hydrologic performance of a poorly draining bioretention stormwater control measure (SCM). Her technical engineering experience included using total station survey equipment to characterize the as-built topography of the bioretention cell and importing spatial data into AutoCAD to evaluate storage volume and ponding depth within the bioretention cell. Additionally, Jessie was responsible for assessing the performance of the SCM by collecting water quality and soil samples in the field, analyzing data, conducting statistical analyses, and modeling long-term hydrology. Based on hydrologic modeling results, she made maintenance recommendations for restoring hydrologic function to the SCM. Jessie also has experience designing swales, vegetated filter strips, rainwater harvesting systems, permeable pavement, and constructed wetlands through successful completion of a graduate-level Stormwater Best Management Practice Design course, which required use of AutoCAD and the production of technical reports. She has presented her research findings at national and international conferences.

Legacy Parks Foundation is an East Tennessee nonprofit organization working to ensure that the community enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces, and that these assets exist for generations to come. They work collaboratively to preserve the area's extraordinary natural resources and to expand parks, create trails, and increase access to local rivers.