Outdoor Learning Center Alum Cove Tennessee Founders

Gregg and Roxanne Marble The Vision of Alum Cove Wilderness Center
In 1993 we began a quest to find a peaceful, beautiful place to live in the mountains. We traveled all over the United States searching for over a year. Our search ended here in the Sequatchie Valley on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in Southern Middle Tennessee.
Gregg, center, and Roxanne, to Gregg's right, with their granddaughter, showing Alum Cove to Eileen and Buck from the Land Trust for Tennessee.	Gregg decided to become a master logger and learn directional felling, a method of cutting and skidding timber that preserves the small trees and integrity of the forest floor cover. We took on the task of logging, our way, without destroying everything else. From 1997 until 2001 we logged Alum Cove by ourselves. We have harvested the useful timber without destroying everything else. Our methods generated yields beyond the estimates of the original cruise.
It CAN be done, and we proved it. When you come to visit Alum Cove, you will be surprised how good logging practices can harvest needed timber while preserving the rest of the ecosystem. When man cooperates with Nature, all can benefit. We live a self-reliant lifestyle and believe we have much to teach today's youth about the woods, hunting, first-aid, firearm safety, wild-crafting, and utilizing nature without destroying it. We want to teach our area's young people about Nature and how important it is to keep it as part of our lives. As Tennessee State Naturalist Mack Prichard says, "They aren't making any more wilderness these days." We have the skills that are needed to make this a successful youth educational center. We set up a commercial greenhouse where Roxanne raises organic herbs and vegetable plants. We would like to develop additional projects for the youth, such as a stocked pond and food plots to encourage more game into the area. In Conclusion Connecting youth with Nature and teaching young people about hunting and wilderness will be a salvation for outdoor sports and conservation. Children need to know that food doesn't just come from the store and that it takes knowledge caring for an preserving nature. It is our experiential learning and close contact with Nature that confirms our belief and has fueled our vision. We are developing a place to teach today's youth how to live WITH the land, and provide a place for young people to come to hike, camp, or enjoy any other outdoor experience that interests them. We have peace of mind knowing that when our days on Earth are done, we will leave behind a legacy of wilderness for future generations to enjoy as we have. Alum Cove is your place. We look forward to sharing this beautiful mountain and our vision for helping the young people of today to create many sustainable tomorrows.
Some interesting things about Gregg: Regional Champion at "The Game of Logging" three out of the four years he competed. Has competed at the Nationals three times. A self-taught stone mason and carpenter. Has done stone masonry for the University of the South and St. Andrews Academy in Sewanee An expert directional felling logger, low impact harvesting Avid and experienced hunter A modern day woodsman, experienced in wildlife and plant identification and outdoor safety Would rather be outdoors than anywhere else Some interesting things about Roxanne: A self-retired nurse who specializes in holistic medicine An organic gardener, experienced in produce and herbs An experienced woodswoman
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