None The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee Press Releases Search All Press Releases Gina Hancock 2021 21st Ave. South, Suite C-400 Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 383-9909 ghancock@tnc.org

Congressional Action to Fund the Walls of Jericho

Congressional Support for Tennessee’s Walls of Jericho Will Allow The Nature Conservancy to Transfer Property to Public Ownership

Nashville, TN—28 July 2005—The Nature Conservancy today applauded Congressional action to fund the Walls of Jericho with $1.9 million from Forest Legacy Project Fiscal Year 2006 monies, which will allow the organization to transfer the property to public ownership.

Late Tuesday night the House and Senate appropriations committees filed their joint conference report on the Department of Interior Appropriations bill. Final approval by the Congress is expected this week. The President is expected to sign the bill into law in August.

Through this appropriation, the Walls of Jericho, located in Franklin County, will now be placed in public ownership through an agreement with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The total tract of land containing the Walls of Jericho is 21,227 acres. The property was purchased late last year by The Nature Conservancy. Of that total acreage, 12,510 acres is located in the state of Alabama, which is now part of Skyline Wildlife Management Area.

"The Walls of Jericho is home to some of Tennessee’s most critical habitat," said Scott Davis, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Tennessee chapter. "The support of Senator Frist, Senator Alexander, Rep. Wamp and Rep. Davis was essential to ensuring that this precious landscape will continue to thrive and provide numerous benefits to Tennessee communities."

The Nature Conservancy is currently working with TWRA as well as Franklin County officials to develop public access to the Walls of Jericho from the Tennessee side of the property. This access will also include a parking area. The State Natural Areas Program of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation will co-manage 750 acres of the Walls of Jericho and its immediate watershed. The site will also be designated a State Natural Area.

U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis said, "The Walls are a unique Tennessee treasure that should be enjoyed by everyone. Having hiked it myself I understand how important it is to protect this beautiful area with its diverse plant and animal life. I'm happy I was able to work with The Tennessee Nature Conservancy and the state delegation to get these funds appropriated."

"I am excited that Congress has recognized the importance of the Walls of Jericho to our Franklin County community and has valued the natural assets here that are so important for our survival," said F. Montgomery Adams, Mayor of Franklin County.

The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership between the United States Forest Service (USFS), state governments and private landowners that identifies and protects ecologically important forest habitat which is threatened by possible development or unsustainable practices. Program objectives are met through land acquisition or the use of conservation easements, which protect working forests while meeting important conservation goals.

Since its first appropriations in Fiscal Year 1992, the Forest Legacy Program has conserved over one million acres across 29 states and territories. This program has also provided excellent leverage of the forest conservation federal investment by protecting over $384 million of land value with a Federal investment of $198 million.

###

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 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.