Mekayle Houghton — Executive Director of the Cumberland River Compact

Speaker Friday, October 21, 2022

THREE MILLION PEOPLE AND THOUSANDS OF SPECIES DEPEND ON CLEAN WATER FROM THE CUMBERLAND RIVER.

https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/

“Together [the Tennessee and Cumberland River Systems] are home to nearly two-thirds of the fish species and almost 90% of the mussel species found in North America. However, the Tennessee and Cumberland river basins are significant not just for the number of species, but also how many are rare and endemic to the Southeast.”

TNC’s Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers Program (nature.org)

Also according to the Cumberland Compact website: “The Cumberland River Basin, one of the top three most biodiverse regions in the world, encompasses cities, farms, schools, factories, and neighborhoods. Our efforts in education, restoration, and outreach all contribute to keeping our water healthy. We work on root problems of water pollution, both urban and rural. Our goal is to give people the tools to be smart, impactful stewards of their watershed and to constructively partner in policy planning with government agencies.”

As a result the Cumberland River Compact has projects in or relating to schools, farms, nurseries, rain gardens, urban dams, parks, and more. Come to our meeting and learn more.

Mekayle Houghton is Executive Director of the Cumberland River Compact a regional non-profit environmental organization dedicated to ensuring clean water for the people and species who depend on the Cumberland River. She participates in local, state, regional, and national organizations seeking to solve water quality and water quantity issues. Increasingly this work is focused on adaptation and response to extreme weather. Mekayle has lived in Nashville since 2001 and transported her 4 sons to countless practices and games in Green Hills. She earned her Masters and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Chicago. 

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