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The Nature Conservancy Transfers Lauderdale County Property To TWRA

John Tully Wildlife Management Area Open to the Public

Nashville, TN—03 March 2003— An additional $3.5 million has been secured in Forest Legacy funding to cover the cost of 12,000 acres of bottomland forest in Lauderdale County. This is the final step in a cooperative land deal between The Nature Conservancy and the state of Tennessee.

The Nature Conservancy purchased the of bottomland hardwood forest in Lauderdale County from Anderson-Tully Company for $15 million. The property had been leased to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) for the last 45 years and is considered to be one of West Tennessee’s most popular hunting areas as well as vital national habitat for neo-tropical songbirds and other non-game species.

The Nature Conservancy secured a loan to purchase the tracts and has held the properties until federal funding was appropriated. The Conservancy is now in the process of transferring the property to TWRA.

Tennessee’s Congressional delegation of U.S. Rep. John Tanner, 8^th District, and U.S. Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, as well as Mississippi U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran had already secured $4.5 million of Forest Legacy federal funds for 2002. This funding marked the largest Forest Legacy Project in Tennessee’s history.

Rep. Tanner made the House request for the additional funding in the 2003 funding cycle and Sen. Frist and Thompson’s staffs made a joint request to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"I am proud we were able to complete this project," Tanner said. "Preserving natural treasures is important to the quality of life in West Tennessee and one of the greatest gifts we can pass on to future generations."

"For years, our state has not been able to take advantage of federal programs like Forest Legacy. With leadership from Congressmen like Rep. John Tanner, the citizens of west Tennessee will have a place that their children’s children can enjoy for years to come," said Scott Davis, state director of The Nature Conservancy’s Tennessee chapter.

Besides serving as a recreation area for hunting and fishing, the property provides habitat for neotropical birds like cerulean warblers and Swainson’s warblers. Protecting this area is part of a long-range plan to provide 100,000 acres of bottomland forests for migratory birds along the Mississippi River corridor. By improving habitat for bird species, the habitat for other wildlife will also be improved.

More than 7,000 people use the property every year, according to Gary Myers, executive director of TWRA. He also noted the economic impact those visitors have on Lauderdale and surrounding counties.

The Division of Forestry will use 2,000 acres of the property as a demonstration forest for best management practices, prescribed burning and long-term management. The remaining acreage is under TWRA management as the John Tully Wildlife Management Area.

The Nature Conservancy is an international, non-profit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. In Tennessee, the Conservancy has an office in Brownsville as well as Nashville and has helped protect more than 134,000 acres in the state.