Hiwassee/Ocoee State Park has completed the Platinum Recognition Level of the TN State Parks Go Green With Us Initiative and Guidelines. The guidelines include multiple areas of environmental sustainability, including education and outreach, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste and recycling, and much more. Congrats to this park for going above and beyond to be excellent stewards of our natural resources!

The mission of the Tennessee State Parks Go Green With Us program is to preserve and protect our state parks through sustainable park operations, resource conservation, and recycling. Program components cover a diverse array of initiatives, including energy and water conservation through equipment and operations upgrades, recycling programs, projects to enhance ecosystem health, and erosion control, among many others.

• Hiwassee/Ocoee State Park tracks their park’s energy use and has conducted an energy audit to identify areas for energy-related improvements.
• The park has upgraded all of their lighting to be more energy efficient, and they have solar powered informational kiosks in the campground.
• They have completed numerous drainage projects in the campground to help control stormwater and minimize erosion.
• The campground is a Tennessee Valley Camp-Right Campground which means that the campground voluntarily strives to meet and promote environmentally friendly campground management and camping practices related to energy efficiency, water conservation, natural resource protection, and plant and tree management practices.
• They have also installed strategically placed trash and recycling dumpsters in the campground, removing all individual trash cans and placing signs informing visitors of these locations.
• The park is a Certified Monarch Waystation Site which means that it meets the habitat needs of monarch butterflies during the butterflies’ annual migration across North America. They also enhance the ecosystem and wildlife habitat through controlled burns, encouraging growth of native grasses and vegetation, beekeeping, and two annual river cleanups.