State awards politician Lamar Alexander for lifetime environmental stewardship

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation recognized former Tennessee governor and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander for a lifetime of environmental stewardship this week, calling him "central" to the state's conservation movement. TDEC awarded Alexander the 2026 Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award, a "top honor" in the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards, according to a department press release. Recipients are recognized for at least 20 years of environmental protection or conservation in the state. Alexander issued a series of executive orders around environmental conservation while he was governor, including mandates to protect wetlands, manage the harvest of the herb wild ginseng and establish a commission "on Tennesseans Outdoors." TDEC described one of Alexander's "signature achievements" as securing $30 million to protect about 10,000 acres of the Rocky Fork watershed. More than 20% of that land became Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park in 2015. Alexander was also involved in various state and national legislation that allocated funding for public lands in Tennessee and across the U.S., including the Cherokee National Forest. "Throughout his lifetime of service, Sen. Alexander has been devoted to preserving our great outdoors," Gov. Bill Lee said in the press release. "His commitment to conservation and protecting our state and nation's irreplaceable natural beauty will have a lasting impact for generations to come."Last year, Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly invested $12 million in the Alexander Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Sciences at Maryville College, which aims to train future conservation leaders across the Southern Appalachian region.