Conservancy Helps Acquire Wolf River Land
Partnership preserves West Tennessee refuge for wildlife, public access
Nashville, TN — August 30, 2007 — A 722-acre tract of rich bottomland hardwood forest surrounding West Tennessee’s Wolf River will soon become a state wildlife management area, thanks in part to support from The Nature Conservancy. Until recently a private hunting ground, the land known as the Briggs Tract was acquired by the state of Tennessee in June through a partnership of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, the Wolf River Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy’s financial support was achieved using funds from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
The Briggs Tract is a vital, well-preserved example of the Wolf River’s primeval floodplain forest. The protection of this river and wetland habitat is of great importance for a wide variety of wildlife, including waterfowl, migratory songbirds, raptors, river otters, beavers, alligator snapping turtles and numerous varieties of fish. The bottomland hardwood forests of West Tennessee are one of the most productive bird nesting areas in the U.S. and one of the most threatened. The Wolf River is also enormously important for people. It filters and recharges the natural aquifers that provide much of the drinking water for Memphis and Shelby County.
The property, which surrounds both banks of the Wolf River, is located 30 miles east of Memphis in Fayette County, near the Conservancy’s 500-acre William B. Clark Preserve. When opened by TWRA, the Briggs Tract will allow public access and recreation such as fishing, hunting, canoeing, hiking and wildlife viewing.
“A major focus of our conservation work in West Tennessee has been the protection of the biologically rich bottomland hardwood forests along major tributaries to the Mississippi River, such as the Wolf and Hatchie Rivers,” said Scott Davis, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee. “The Briggs Tract is a key piece of the conservation puzzle along the Wolf. We’re glad that we could help our partners protect this special area for future generations to enjoy.”
Thus far, 17,000 acres of the Wolf’s floodplain are protected by public ownership. Working with the state of Tennessee, the Wolf River Conservancy and other partners, The Nature Conservancy hopes to expand protection of this biologically rich river.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. 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. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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