Appalachian Conservation Institute

Appalachian Conservation Institute Appalachian Conservation Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit protecting nearly 11,000 acres in Tennessee’s Little Sequatchie Cove.

The fall picnic is back, and it’s FREE!Join us on Saturday, October 17th from 11 AM - 1 PM Central for hamburgers and ho...
08/31/2026

The fall picnic is back, and it’s FREE!

Join us on Saturday, October 17th from 11 AM - 1 PM Central for hamburgers and hotdogs (with veggie options), games for ACI swag, guided hikes, and bird observatory tours. Just claim your free ticket today at the link found in the comments.

📍1900 Pryor Ridge Road Tracy City, TN 37387 (Follow Copperhead Road all the way to camp.)

Good news, friends! We got a visit this week from Soco Ono the One-Eyed Cumberland Plateau Queen, the Allegheny Woodrat ...
08/26/2026

Good news, friends! We got a visit this week from Soco Ono the One-Eyed Cumberland Plateau Queen, the Allegheny Woodrat we’ve been tracking since last year when we found her with her babies in one of our outbuildings.

She’s a feisty one—check out all the predators she’s dodged in the video linked in the first comment. They may have taken one of her eyes, but they’ll never take her spirit. ✨

Rick and Quentin are Grundy County TV stars! 🤩 If you've been wondering, "What even is ACI?" Rick and Quentin did an ama...
08/26/2026

Rick and Quentin are Grundy County TV stars! 🤩

If you've been wondering, "What even is ACI?" Rick and Quentin did an amazing job talking about our work, and what people can expect from ACI in the near future.

Rick said it best, "Don't worry about whether you know how to identify the birds and the plants and the trees. You don't have to be a person who knows all of the science behind all this stuff. Doesn't matter. Main thing is that you come out and you appreciate the fact that that land's there."

This was filmed as one of the final Morning on the Mountain with Iva and Friends segments before Iva retires from GCTV 6. You can watch the full segment at the link in the first comment.

FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT 📣 We have received $42,603 in funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Environm...
08/21/2026

FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT 📣 We have received $42,603 in funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program! Over the next two years, we’ll use this funding for conservation activities such as:
🪓 Invasives removal of autumn olive and other non-native invasive species
🥾 13,000+ ft in new fire breaks (which will double as hiking trails!)
🌳 Forest stand improvement through selective thinning of unwanted and invasive plant/shrub species to promote higher quality forest composition and wildlife habitat
🔥 147 acres of prescribed burning

A huge thank you to the Marion County NRCS office that approved ACI for this funding. We’re committed to being the best companion to the land that we can be, and this funding is mission critical.

Last day of their internship! 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓Man, I’ll miss these guys. Elizabeth and Everett have been hugely helpful this summe...
08/14/2026

Last day of their internship! 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓

Man, I’ll miss these guys. Elizabeth and Everett have been hugely helpful this summer both in the field and with storytelling. Whether it’s invasives removal, hanging signage, or going on a quest for that * one special shot * I need for a social post, these two go above and beyond.

We’ll be rooting for you both!

📸 Photos (of course) by Elizabeth Cook and Everett Ackley

We don’t like to move them…and not just because they’re venomous. But, because this land is their home first. This year,...
08/07/2026

We don’t like to move them…and not just because they’re venomous.

But, because this land is their home first.

This year, we’ve had to move two timber rattlers on our property from highly trafficked areas. It was simply too dangerous leaving them where they were.

We ended up releasing them about a mile away on our property, to a new habitat that closely matches where they were before. A bluff line, a sheltered overhang. They’re happier not dodging humans, and we’re definitely relieved to be able to walk in and out of the bird lab freely.

All animals were handled by trained professionals. Do not attempt on your own.

📸 Photos by Elizabeth Cook and Quentin Miller

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Check out our latest newsletter about everything going on at ACI this summer. One correction: In the ...
07/28/2026

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Check out our latest newsletter about everything going on at ACI this summer.

One correction: In the newsletter, we mention that Ceruleans prefer North-facing slopes. They actually prefer East-facing slopes. Sorry for the slip-up!

Link to newsletter is in the first comment. If you'd like to be added to the email list for our next newsletter, just DM us!

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Tracy City, TN
37387

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