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TNC Buys Key Property on Cumberland Plateau

Pogue Creek Full of Natural Beauty

NASHVILLE, TN — 2 February 2005 — The Nature Conservancy has purchased 3,720 acres in Fentress County, adjacent to Pickett State Forest. The property includes sandstone arches, waterfalls and incredible bluff views overlooking wild stream gorges.

This is the second key tract purchased in Fentress County by The Nature Conservancy since 2001. The first was the 1,541-acre Jim Creek tract just west of Pogue Creek. The Conservancy recently transferred the Jim Creek property to Pickett State Forest as part of an ongoing effort to increase biologically significant, public recreation lands.

"Protecting this area is vital to Tennessee’s natural heritage. Pogue Creek is an important part of the larger Big South Fork/Picket State Park & Forest complex," said Scott Davis, state director of TNC’s Tennessee Chapter.

This spring the Conservancy will sponsor intensive biological surveys of the property to identify rare plants and animals that call the property home. They hope to find special plants and animals, such as the endangered Indiana bat, that are already known to occur next door on the Jim Creek tract and elsewhere in the Big South Fork area.

"This whole area is an ecological jewel on the Cumberland Plateau. In addition to harboring rich plant and animal diversity, these lands rival a national park in terms of their scenic beauty. The Conservancy views this area as a top priority for conservation work," said Gabby Call, Associate State Director.

The Nature Conservancy also owns Tally Wilderness Preserve and Dobbs Creek Preserve, totaling 1,583 acres, in Pickett County.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit 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. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In Tennessee, we have helped protect more than 200,000 acres. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/Tennessee.