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Podcasts
Interview with Kristin Hopkins, Native Plant Materials Program Manager, Southeast Grasslands Institute Episode 130
September 18, 2026Restoration of grasslands at a regional scale requires reliable sources of abundant seed material for the hundreds of species of plants which are typically part of a Southern grassland. Often, seeds for certain species are underrepresented in the trade. Seeds, then, must be gathered from plants in the wild and processed before they can be utilized.
Our guest today, Kristin Hopkins, and her team are about the business of scouting out wild sources for seeds of native grassland plants so that they can be ethically gathered and processed for use. They are also working with commercial growers to broaden the menu of what is available in the trade.
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Interview With Bobby Inman, Town Crier, Town of Falmouth, Cornwall, England “Falmouth Uncovered” Episode 128
July 27, 2026
Interview With Jordan Young, TEC Chief of Field Operations, Water Quality Initiative Episode 127
June 26, 2026
Interview With Dare Bible, Tennessee State Parks Recreation Program Services, retired, Episode 126
June 5, 2026
Interview With Mark Houston, Park Manager, Cumberland Mtn State Park, Cumberland Homesteads Buildings Episode 125
April 17, 2026
Interview With Irish Author Jonathan Smyth, The Cavan Diaspora and Insights Into Irish Heritage , Episode 124
March 7, 2026
Interview with Alisha O”Dell, Wild Hearts, Home Fires and Boykin Spaniels Episode 123
February 6, 2026
An Interview With Alex Wyss, Executive Director, The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, David Crockett Birthplace Campaign, The “Go Ahead Fund”, Episode 122
December 12, 2025About Mark
Mark Thomas Fraley is a lawyer (now retired) in Nashville, Tennessee (USA). Prior to starting law practice in 1987, Mark was active in the field of Parks and Recreation. He was the first Parks and Recreation Director for the cities of Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee. He was the founding program administrator for the Parks and Recreation Technical Advisory Service (PARTAS) and served as Assistant Commissioner of Conservation and Director or Parks and Recreation for the State of Tennessee. In 1987 Mark was designated a “Fellow” of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association.
Mark practiced law in Nashville Tennessee from 1987 until retirement in 2017. He had a general practice with an emphasis on Social Security Disability claims. He was a faculty member of the Nashville School of Law ( 1997-2009) teaching the course on Social Security Law.
Education
University of Cincinnati, 1974, Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)
Nashville School of Law, 1983, Doctor of Jurisprudence
Licensure
License to Practice Law, Tennessee Supreme Court (1983) BPR# 10448
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (1987)
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, (1994)
Pictured with his wife Helen E. (Beth) Tanner.
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