Tennessee to add thousands of acres of natural land
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Tennessee plans to add thousands of acres to its sprawling network of parks and public land, officials said Monday.
Why it matters: The additions to the state's portfolio will be used for a new park, conservation and outdoor recreation.
State of play: Leaders from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) presented their land acquisition plans to the State Building Commission's executive subcommittee on Monday.
- The subcommittee quickly signed off on each item.
By the numbers: Thirty-eight acres in East Tennessee will go toward the upcoming Clinch River State Park.
- Another addition will add 431 acres to the recently opened Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park in Sparta.
Zoom out: The TWRA's acquisitions would add massive swaths of land to state wildlife management areas.
East Tennessee: One addition in Campbell County accounts for about 3,295 acres of fields and forests.
- The area, which will expand spaces for hunting, fishing and recreation, has been eyed for conservation for years.
West Tennessee: Officials want to create a new wildlife management area that would preserve about 7,200 acres of forests and wetlands along the Hatchie River.
- That area supports more than 100 fish species and over 250 bird species, per TWRA.
Davidson County: Radnor Lake State Park will also expand its footprint by 10 acres, according to information submitted to the subcommittee.
- That land is a gift from the park's nonprofit foundation, which has worked to add surrounding plots of land to the park for years.
Learn more about the state's conservation strategy in Axios Nashville's Tennessee Trailheads series