Marriage Made in Heaven with Services at Stone Door
Posted by Ron Castle without Bill knowing about it!

Aundrea and Bill Knapp with Ranger and Reverend George Shinn presiding

Assistant Park Manager Bill Knapp was recently married on an almost too rainy day at Stone Door.

Bill reports:  We had friends and family that came from all over the nation. The plan from the start was to have the ceremony out on Stone Door overlook (where I also proposed to Aundrea). The weather was great until the day of the wedding. We woke up to heavy rains. It rained right up until noon with the wedding starting at 1 o'clock. The rain took a break just long enough for us to have a beautiful ceremony and take a few pictures. If you notice in the picture Park Ranger George Shinn married us, a good man. We hiked out just as the rain started up again. After hiking out and back, Aundrea never did get mud on that dress!

We had a reception with friends and family at the dinner theater. I count myself lucky to have so many great friends and family and am thankful the weather helped us out.

Friends Purchase Truck for Stone Door Ranger Station
May 2, 2008

Dear Friends of South Cumberland,

I have been the ranger at Stone Door for four and a half years now and in that time we have had only a patrol vehicle.  Our two conservation workers and myself have relied of this vehicle for both maintenance  jobs and patrolling.

There have been many times on a weekly basis that maintenance has suffered because I have had to use the truck for security or administrative reasons.  I have always feared that one day we would have an emergency, but be unable to respond because the truck would be in use for a maintenance project or task.  Luckily, this scenario never happened even though we came close to it a few times.

We have always failed at acquiring an addition to the fleet from state government.  Fortunately, because of the Friends we don't have to worry about this any more.  We now have a brand new Ford F-150 in addition to our patrol truck thanks to the generosity and hard work of the Friends.  Your donation has enabled us to become more efficient and effective at keeping the beautiful Savage Gulf State Natural area beautiful and safe for everyone that comes out to enjoy it.  Once again we thank you for your support and appreciate the generous donation to pay for our new truck. 

Sincerely,

Jamie Hambrock
Park Ranger II

Conservation Forestry Workshop May 27-29, 2008

A Conservation Forestry Workshop on the Southern Cumberland Plateau sponsored by the Open Space Institute and others is scheduled for May 27-29 in Sewanee.  Check it out.

http://www.osiny.org/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_Institute_CFN_TN

New Watershed Signs Along Tennessee Highways
March 21, 2008

I am pleased to share an update on the Watershed Sign project announced during last year’s Earth Day celebrations. A total of 187 Watershed Signs were recently installed along Tennessee roadways to identify entry points to the 55 watersheds throughout the state. TDEC and TDOT were equal partners on this project with the intent to increase public awareness regarding the importance of watersheds and to encourage good stewardship of the state's valuable rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes and ground water. 

The driving public has noticed these watershed signs. Many citizens are learning a watershed is the entire land area that drains into a lake, river or other water body. Inquiries, questions and education regarding watersheds will present a number of opportunities for us to communicate our message about sound watershed management that protects Tennessee’s vital water resources.

These signs also reinforce the department’s watershed management approach.  Our biologists and environmental specialists are continually collecting, analyzing and interpreting water data in order to indicate the quality of the state’s waters and inform our citizens of the progress being made to improve Tennessee’s water resources. Through these efforts – from Watershed Signs to the current public comment period on the 2008 303(d) list - citizens gain a better understanding of how activities in watersheds affect the quality of their water. 

Watershed groups and interested citizens are in a critical position to help reinforce or amplify these important clean water messages at the local level. I encourage you to use and share the information resources we have created to support the introduction of Watersheds Signs to communities across Tennessee. We have developed a dedicated Web page at www.tdec.net/watershedsigns, and I am attaching a poster and brochure that might be helpful in communicating with individuals and groups in your community. Don’t hesitate to contact me with other ideas or suggestions on how to move these important messages forward.

I appreciate your work to promote healthy watersheds and clean water for Tennessee. 

- Paul

Paul Sloan
Deputy Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation
401 Church Street
First Floor, L & C Annex
Nashville, TN 37243

615-532-0102
Paul.Sloan@state.tn.us

bredesen announces
heritage conservation trust fund grants

grants include leveraged funding for grundy county conservation project

DECEMBER 6, 2007 Nashville, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen and the members of the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund Board, along with Senator Jerry Cooper and Representative Bill Harmon, announced today that nine projects, protecting more than 14,455 acres, have been approved for $7.1 million in grant funding. 

"I am very pleased with the continued focus and dedication of the Heritage Conservation Trust,” said Bredesen. “The ability of the trust fund to effectively leverage resources with other public and private partners is helping us protect thousands of acres of priority land for future generations of Tennesseans.”

One of the projects receiving a Heritage Conservation Trust Fund grant will help protect the view- sheds of Savage Gulf, a state natural area in Grundy County.

“The work of the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund is helping protect the areas that make Tennessee special,” said Cooper.

“I’m pleased the trust fund board is helping preserve thousands of acres in this magnificent area of Grundy County,” continued Harmon.

Since its inception in 2005, the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund has approved more than $28 million in grant funding for projects with an estimated total cost of $108 million to protect 37,000 acres across Tennessee.

Details of the projects recently approved for Heritage Conservation Trust Fund grants include:

§   The Land Trust for Tennessee Lost Cove Acquisition, Franklin County – A $750,000 grant, supporting a previous Heritage Conservation Trust Fund grant, to assist in the acquisition of 2,987 acres that will connect the Franklin/Marion State Forest, the University of the South Domain and Carter State Natural Area.  Project partners include The Nature Conservancy, the Benwood Foundation, Lyndhurst Foundation and the University of the South.

§   The Nature Conservancy Butler-Jones Tract Acquisition, Franklin County – A $470,450 grant to assist in the acquisition of 1,011 acres of native hardwood forest on the southern Cumberland Plateau.  This site lies just south of the David Carter tracts that were purchased by The Nature Conservancy and subsequently gifted to TWRA in 2005.  Partners include the Benwood Foundation.

§   The Nature Conservancy Thompson Tract Acquisition, Franklin County – A $400,000 grant to assist in the acquisition and protection of a forest and watershed that is critical for aquatic biodiversity.  The tract encompasses more than a mile of Estill Fork watershed, and it is adjacent to the Walls of Jericho, also known as the Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area.   This area also lies near the David Carter tracts.  Partners include the Lyndhurst Foundation and the Wild Turkey Federation.

§   Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation Scotts Gulf, White County - An $811,936 grant to acquire 643 acres that will continue efforts to create a 60,000-acre wilderness area connecting the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Area and Fall Creek Falls State Park.   The tract is critical to protecting the scenic beauty of Scott’s Gulf, boasting three miles of bluff line. 

§    South Cumberland State Park and Natural Area’s Savage Gulf Project, Grundy County – A $2 million grant supporting a previous Heritage Conservation Trust Fund grant to protect the view sheds of Savage Gulf, an established state natural area. The 4,400-acre project will permanently preserve scenic vistas of the Big Creek Gulf and protect the Collins State Scenic River, which The Nature Conservancy has listed among the U.S. watershed hot spots with 10 or more at-risk imperiled aquatic species and 11 at-risk fish and mussel species, including four listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Savage Gulf is an officially recognized National Natural Landmark, and its trails have National Recreation Trail System status. The stage road in Savage Gulf is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the virgin timber tract has been described as the best and largest virgin forest left in the mixed mesophytic region of the Eastern deciduous forest.

§   Tennessee Wars Commission Davis Bridge, Hardeman and McNairy Counties – A $864,500 grant to assist in the preservation of the Davis Bridge Battlefield, one of Tennessee’s most significant Civil War battlefields.  The 643 acres constitutes more than half of the existing National Register/National Landmark battlefield boundary.  The forested and agricultural landscape retains much of its original appearance, as it would have looked during the Oct. 5, 1862, battle.  This acquisition will add to the more than 200 acres of battlefield the state currently owns, and its close proximity to State Highway 57, Big Hill State Pond Park and Shiloh National Military Park make it an ideal location for attracting Civil War heritage tourism.  Partners include the American Battlefield Protection Association, the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Davis Bridge Memorial Foundation.

§   Tennessee Wars Commission Parker’s Crossroads, Henderson County – A $300,000 grant to assist in the preservation of 86 acres of core battlefield at Parker’s Crossroads.  The acquisition will protect another of the state’s 38 most significant and endangered battlefields.   A portion of the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will include pedestrian trails, incorporating it into the existing interpretive program.  Partners include the city of Parker’s Crossroads, the Civil War Preservation Trust and Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Association. 

§   Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Escanaba Tract, Lake and Dyer Counties – A $563,200 grant to assist in the acquisition of land for wetland restoration.  The Escanaba tract will be added to TWRA’s Tumbleweed Wildlife Management Area and will be allowed to recover to hardwood, creating optimal habitat for interior forest birds.  Acquisition of the tract will also provide fishery habitat protection on the Mississippi River.  The tract is near Blaker Towheard, a river feature containing backwater habitat for game fish and the federally endangered pallid sturgeon.  Partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

§   Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Shaw Tract, Lake County – A $953,344 grant to assist in the acquisition of land for wetland restoration.  Located adjacent to the Escanaba tract, the Shaw tract will be added to TWRA’s Tumbleweed Wildlife Management Area.  Once conserved, the tract will be allowed to recover to its natural, pristine state of hardwood forest to provide optimal habitat for interior forest birds.   The Shaw tract is part of TWRA’s larger acquisition program in the Lower Obion watershed and will be used as match to leverage future funding from the North American Wetland Conservation Fund.  Partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The projects approved for grant awards must meet certain criteria before the funds are provided, including property surveys and appraisals, environmental assessments and enactment of mechanisms, such as conservation easements, to guarantee the permanent protection of the properties.

“Greater prioritization of funding is given to projects that involve partnerships, leverage state funds, and enhance or connect existing public lands,” said Trust Fund Chair Drew Goddard. “This round of grants will help protect more than 14,455 acres, with an estimated total value of more than $25.7 million.  By leveraging available funding for priority projects, we’re able to provide the maximum benefit for Tennesseans.”

Eligible projects range from the preservation of tracts for the purposes of tourism and recreation to projects focused on protecting or restoring the state’s physical, cultural, archaeological, historical and environmental resources.

The application deadline for the next grant funding cycle will be March 1, 2008, with grants to be announced in June 2008.  Projects demonstrating a level of urgency for threatened lands also may be considered by the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund Board at any time.  Pre-application instructions and forms and additional information about the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund is available at http://tennessee.gov/environment/trustfund.

From Chattanoogan.com

Historic Land Acquisition on Cumberland Plateau
Connecting the Cumberlands - 127,000 acres in state hands
posted November 8, 2007

Gov. Phil Bredesen joined Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke and representatives from The Nature Conservancy Thursday to celebrate the completion of a historic 127,000-acre conservation acquisition on the northern Cumberland Plateau.

“Today we mark the successful conclusion to the largest land conservation initiative in our state since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated in 1940,” Gov. Bredesen said. “This project gave us a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect ecologically significant woodlands on a large scale and make them available for recreation. It will also help protect our air and water quality and wildlife habitat, as well as the natural beauty and cultural heritage that make our state uniquely Tennessee.”

The project is called “Connecting the Cumberlands” because it connects the acquired property with other publicly owned land on the northern Cumberland Plateau. This connection creates a swath of protected forestland for preservation and public enjoyment that totals 200 square miles – about twice the size of the city of Knoxville where today’s celebration was held.

The state of Tennessee partnered with The Nature Conservancy and two conservation-minded timber companies, Conservation Forestry and Lyme Timber, to successfully complete the acquisition, which encompasses contiguous tracts in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan and Scott counties. All 127,000 acres will be managed for public use by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee State Parks.

The state contributed $82 million to the $135 million total investment through a one-time appropriation supported by the General Assembly. Conservation Forestry and Lyme Timber contributed approximately $40 million, and The Nature Conservancy added $13 million, as well as a great deal of time and expertise, to help make the project successful.

“We’re pleased to celebrate the successful completion of this project with our partners here today,” said Commissioner Fyke. “It will increase recreational opportunities such as hunting and fishing, as well as hiking, biking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing, while at the same time, utilizing conservation tools that protect the land and local economies.”

Those conservation tools include working forest easements that allow working lands to continue to produce economic benefits with the use of sustainable forestry practices; conservation easements that provide protection without removing lands from the property tax rolls; and in lieu of tax payments made by the state to local communities on properties purchased outright.

“This is the kind of opportunity that doesn’t occur very often,” said Scott Davis, director of the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “We have to seize this moment to protect one of the last great places left in Tennessee.”

“I believe the best things are accomplished when people with a shared vision work together toward a common goal,” said Bredesen. “We were able to do just that, successfully leveraging our resources to make an investment that will support tourism and the economies of some of our most rural areas, while at the same time ensuring this land is protected for the benefit of Tennesseans for generations into the future.”