Bob Keast of Birdsong Speaks To The Senate Conservation/Environment and Tourism Committee on Behalf of Litter and Recycling

"Senate Chairman Tommy Kilby and Members of the Committee

My name is Bob Keast,

For 50 years my family has owned and operated Birdsong Resort and Marina on Kentucky Lake in Camden (Benton County), west Tennessee. I am also executive director of the Tennessee Association of Resorts, Marinas and Marine Dealers, an association representing more than 300 marinas, more than 300 boat dealers and more than 300 resorts and campgrounds across Tennessee. Together these recreational facilities and other tourism-related destinations bring approximately $13.4 billion annually to the state's economy and produce over 181,100 jobs for Tennesseans with payroll and sales tax revenue for state, federal and local governments of $6.1 billion (2006 figures).

My business, Birdsong, offers a wide range of recreational and cultural opportunities for visitors to west Tennessee, including fishing tournaments, four-wheeler excursions, horseback rides, hunting and fishing packages, nature walks, accommodations, boat rentals and tours of the only freshwater pearl farm in North America.

The pearl farm, a true Tennessee treasure with the status of the Official State Gem and Destination, attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually. It has remained among the most popular vacation destinations in the state, and ranks number 23 among the top 50 most-visited attractions in Tennessee, according to the Department of Tourist Development. It has been profiled in more than 250 magazines, newspapers, TV broadcasts and other media outlets nationwide, including CBS and CNN News, Southern Living, Smithsonian Magazine, Sunday Mornings with Charles Osgood and PBS/National Geographic.

As owner of a recreation-based business myself, and as a principal spokesperson for more than 1,000 similar enterprises, I know how essential it is to present a vibrant, positive, healthful image to the visiting public. I have invested heavily in making sure my property reflects the outstanding natural beauty of the area that surrounds it. I am sorry to say that my efforts are continually hampered by litter, most of which seems to consist of beer bottles, water bottles, soft-drink cans and other beverage-container debris.

Few things are as shocking and offensive to my guests, especially those from other parts of the country, as the sight of empty bottles and cans lining nearby roads, strewn along the shoreline or rafted together in the middle of the lake. My staff and I do our best to keep our waterfront clean, but it is a constant and costly battle.

I respect voluntary recycling and cleanup programs. I myself helped launch the state's Adopt-A-Highway program back in the early 1970s and currently oversee 60 miles of state highways in litter removal on an annual basis. But having watched the litter problem get steadily worse over the years, I am now convinced that the only way to change littering behavior once and for all is to make beverage containers too valuable to throw away. I also know that there are other benefits to a bottle bill, from new recycling markets to reduced landfill costs. (I live within a few miles of the Benton County landfill, which threatens to overtake historic Pilot Knob at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park as the highest point of land in west Tennessee which is nearly 700 feet high!) For all these reasons, but above all for the sake of my customers, I fully and heartily endorse the proposed bottle bill for Tennessee.

Together we can make a difference.

Any questions Chairman Kilby or members of the Senate?

Thank you for allowing me to speak on this worthwhile piece of legislation!"