| STATE ESTABLISHES
TWO NEW STATE NATURAL AREAS
MURFREESBORO - State natural area protection has been given to
two additional middle Tennessee areas, the Department of Environment and Conservation
announced today. A 185-acre portion of Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro,
Tenn., and a privately owned 57-acre cedar glade in Middle Tennessee are the two latest additions
to the state natural area system. "Governor Phil Bredesen signed legislation in May
establishing these two areas and expanding two additional areas," said TDEC Commissioner
Betsy Child. "We're thankful for his leadership in this effort, which allows us to protect natural
habitats in our urban areas. I encourage citizens to visit our natural areas and state parks this
summer to take advantage of the educational and recreational opportunities that they
offer."
The 185-acre portion of Stones River National Battlefield was established as
Stones River Cedar Glade and Barrens State Natural Area for its high quality globally rare
limestone cedar glades and numerous rare plants.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, TDEC and the
Missouri Botanical Gardens are cooperating at the battlefield on efforts to recover two federally
endangered plant species, the Tennessee Coneflower and the Pyne's Ground-plum, both of which
are found only in a three county region of Middle Tennessee and nowhere else in the
world.
"The National Park Service has been integrating natural resource conservation
into our battlefield preservation program over the past several years, and has seen good results,"
said Stuart Johnson, superintendent of Stones River National Battlefield. "We are honored that
the state of Tennessee has created a state natural area at Stones River National
Battlefield."
The new law also expands Couchville Cedar Glade in Davidson/Wilson Counties
by 25 acres through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and expands North
Chickamauga Creek Gorge in Hamilton and Sequatchie counties by 1,012 acres through a
conservation easement donated by a private property owner.
Senators Ward Crutchfield and Larry Trail sponsored the natural areas
legislation in the Senate. Representatives John Hood, Kent Coleman and Kim McMillan
sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives. With this bill, Tennessee now has 68
designated natural areas protecting over 100,000 acres of ecologically significant lands across the
state.
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