TennGreen Land Conservancy

06/05/2026

🚨Farmers be aware!🚨

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has issued temporary animal import requirements following a recent detection of New World screwworm in Texas.

There is currently no indication of an outbreak in Tennessee. This proactive order focuses on education, early detection and prevention to help protect animal health.

New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that can affect warm-blooded animals, especially through open wounds. Animal owners, producers, veterinarians and transporters are encouraged to monitor animals closely, especially wounds and areas around the nose, ears, eyes, mouth and genitalia.

Watch for drainage, discharge, bleeding, swelling, discomfort, lethargy, isolation or unusual odors.

Suspected cases must be reported to the Tennessee State Veterinarian’s Office within 24 hours at 615-837-5120 or [email protected].

To read more about the order, visit:
tn.gov/agriculture/animals/animal-health-resources/alerts.html

06/04/2026

For more than 20 years, Steven Walsh has helped TennGreen Land Conservancy turn generosity into permanently protected land. As Senior Development Officer, Steven has spent decades working with donors—exemplifying trust, sharing stories, and showing how philanthropy can and does safeguard Tennessee’s most treasured places.

When asked what stands out most from his 20-year journey, Steven doesn’t hesitate. “That a dedicated group of people can make our world a better place,” he says. It’s a belief shaped by years of watching donors, landowners, and conservation partners come together to create lasting impact.

We sat down with Steven to learn more about the memories, places, and people that have defined his time at TennGreen and continue to inspire his work today.

Read the full interview: https://heyor.ca/WaXh6A

06/02/2026

Did you know that 33 Tennessee State Parks offer access to free all-terrain wheelchairs? These chairs are designed to navigate various types of terrain that may be encountered in outdoor environments. Each park with an all-terrain wheelchair offers specific trail experiences that can accommodate this specialized wheelchair.

Learn more: https://heyor.ca/3Csrlx

06/01/2026

In 2022, TennGreen Land Conservancy transferred both Haston Point Gulf (84 acres) and Mullican (838 acres) to the State of Tennessee for an expansion of Fall Creek Falls State Park.

As this map shows, these two protected areas (located just one mile apart) connect key conservation lands on the Cumberland Plateau. Together, they safeguard more than five miles of streams, support rare and endangered wildlife, and protect waters that flow into Cane Creek.

🟡 Learn more about Haston Point Gulf: https://heyor.ca/D9E5g3

🔵 Learn more about Mullican: https://heyor.ca/0SgTXn

06/01/2026

Have something good to say about TennGreen? If you do, please tell the world! 🗣🌎 Sharing your stories and positive experiences helps us connect with new conservation opportunities and protect more land for people and nature in Tennessee.

Google Reviews are especially helpful! Leave one here: https://g.page/r/CdTqQUxATqW4EAI/review

05/31/2026

Tennessee contains more than 780,000 acres of wetlands, many of which lie within the western part of our state. Bottomland hardwoods, primarily found in West Tennessee, are the most widespread wetland system here and are described as “river swamps,” as they’re found along rivers and streams, including the Mississippi River. These forested wetlands serve as important habitat for birds, especially ducks, and for many other water-loving animals and plants.

The bottomland hardwoods along the Mississippi River are known for their ability to absorb nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) from adjacent agricultural practices as well as reduce sediment entering the river. These hardwoods are also the heart of the Mississippi Flyway, a larger corridor used by more than forty percent of North America’s waterfowl and sixty percent of all bird species migrating through the United States.

TennGreen Land Conservancy recognizes the importance of Tennessee’s wetlands and protects them through conservation easements, land acquisitions, and restoration projects. In recent years, TennGreen and partners have protected thousands of acres of wetlands across the state, many of which are directly connected to the Wolf River, Hatchie River, and Mississippi River ecosystems.

Learn more about our work in Tennessee: https://heyor.ca/emB8IU

05/30/2026

Near Tennessee’s Fiery Gizzard State Park, Head of the Crow State Park offers a quieter but equally compelling landscape. Here, the headwaters of Crow Creek emerge from a limestone plateau of caves, springs, forested ridges, and valleys. The park brings together treasured State Natural Areas, including Natural Bridge, Sherwood Forest, the Carter tract, and Hawkins Cove, long-standing icons of the South Cumberland wilderness and Tennessee’s outdoor recreation.

These lands protect rare plants, important wildlife habitat, and defining geological features of the Cumberland Plateau. Visitors can stand beneath sandstone arches, listen to water flow from cave openings, and experience a place where nature sets the pace.

TennGreen Land Conservancy has supported conservation efforts in this part of the Plateau for many years, often working with landowners and partners as opportunities arise. While we cannot currently share details of specific projects, we are grateful to play a role in strengthening remarkable landscapes like this one!

05/29/2026

Landowners Gretel & Allen Branton have been instrumental in the creation and expansion of Tennessee's Blackburn Fork Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

Their unwavering commitment to conservation began in 2007, when they partnered with TennGreen Land Conservancy to place a conservation easement on 423 acres in Jackson County, guaranteeing its permanent protection. And this was just the start of their commitment! In 2011 and 2014, the Brantons generously donated their land to TennGreen, enabling us to transfer it to the State of Tennessee and lay the foundation for what would become Blackburn Fork WMA.

Last spring, TennGreen transferred an additional 82 acres of forested land to further expand this beloved WMA. This continued expansion, completed in partnership with The Conservation Fund, not only protected the forests and lands along the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River but also created a vital corridor of conserved lands, giving wildlife the space to roam while safeguarding clean air and water.

None of this would have been possible without the Brantons’ visionary actions, which set in motion the conservation of this beautiful and important area in Tennessee.

05/28/2026

In March 2021, TennGreen Land Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, and The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee joined together to acquire 534 acres that would become Cardwell Mountain State Archaeological Park. This represented the first joint acquisition of the three nonprofits and built a framework for continued collaborative conservation efforts across Tennessee.

Prior to European colonization of North America, this region of Tennessee was home to Indigenous peoples who lived, built, cultivated, hunted, and moved through the landscape for millennia. Archaeological research has identified a complex cultural landscape with evidence of Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian period occupations—spanning thousands of years of human activity.

The most prominent landmark protected by the park is an earthen monument constructed approximately 1,000 years ago.

The area around Cardwell Mountain was also part of major travel routes used by Indigenous American groups and later by European settlers. During The Trail of Tears, the mountain and its surroundings witnessed the forced removal of Cherokee families, leaving a somber chapter in American history etched into the soil and memory of the land.

In the centuries after, Cardwell Mountain was tilled, farmed, and homesteaded by Euro-Americans, carrying the site’s legacy into modern times. With archaeological evidence of these eras preserved, the new state park marks the creation of a premier educational destination for the historic and cultural heritage of the region.

Archaeological sites like those at Cardwell Mountain are irreplaceable windows into the human past. Once disturbed, developed, or destroyed, the stories they hold are lost forever. Preservation successes such as Cardwell Mountain State Archaeological Park must remain scientific and cultural priorities in kind.

05/27/2026

To this day, Devilstep Hollow Cave/Head of Sequatchie Springs remains one of our favorite conservation projects. This Tennessee treasure was brought to TennGreen's attention more than a decade ago by, friend and former Board member, Bob Brown. Although the land was far outside of TennGreen's price range, Bob insisted that we pursue it—suggesting that it was so valuable, so historic, and so scenic that it should be a national park.

Read the full conservation story: https://heyor.ca/1x8FlB