TennGreen Land Conservancy

Tennessee is known for its extraordinary beauty from the mighty Mississippi to the Great Smoky Mountains. Our rich forests, farms, and wetlands are not only our home but also home to a vast diversity of fish and wildlife. Tennessee is experiencing extreme human development pressure, and every missed opportunity to protect our unique lands is an irreversible loss to our future. We must act swiftly and smartly to protect the places that provide us all well-being and an unrivaled quality of life.

Our conservation efforts are statewide, and sometimes beyond, to protect important land and resources for generations of people and wildlife. TennGreen Land Conservancy focuses on conserving land in four priority areas: large connected natural areas, areas of critical habitat, wetlands and lands along rivers and streams, and land for public recreation and open space. TennGreen has four primary programs: acquisition, conservation easements, restoration, and outreach & education.

Acquisition:
When it comes to effectively conserving our most significant unprotected lands, working together is key. Collaboration and collective action enable us to scale solutions across landscapes; engage groups at national, state, and local levels; and better mobilize funding to make a greater conservation impact. TennGreen Land Conservancy works closely with fellow conservationists, community leaders, and government partners to help them acquire important properties and connected spaces for wildlife habitat, our health, our communities, and our enjoyment.

Conservation Easements:
Conservation easements are voluntary, legal agreements designed to forever protect important natural resources from detrimental land practices. By conserving a property with a conservation easement, landowners can preserve their vision for the land and also create a lasting legacy.

Restoration:
TennGreen Land Conservancy assists landowners with special restoration projects on their properties. Restoration work can include treating diseased native plants, managing grasslands, planting native trees, removing invasive species, enhancing wetlands, and cleaning up trash in our rivers and streams. Restoration is an important tool to improve and protect conservation values on a property.

Outreach & Education:
Our individual physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being is dependent upon access to and experiences in beautiful, natural spaces; we need places to hike and play. We acknowledge that many within Tennessee may not understand the value of our natural assets. It is, therefore, our responsibility to listen, learn, engage, and provide many of the educational tools and experiences necessary to build awareness, relevance, and trust, to ensure that our work is honored in perpetuity.

TennGreen has an exceptional but small staff. Executive director Steve Law's resume spans nearly 25 years in the sector of conservation, including natural resource management, greenways planning and operations, strategic conservation planning, negotiating land acquisitions, and environmental education. He has a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine at Orono. Christie Henderson, Director of Land Conservation, holds an M.S. in Biology from Tennessee Technological University (TTU) where she focused her research on avian diversity and richness in the presence of timber harvesting at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area.

Additionally, TennGreen has a robust Revolving Land Fund, a revolving fund that provides emergency funding for land conservation projects which arise suddenly. This fund is continually replenished through private fundraising and/or land sales.

Since 1998, TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) has led the charge to protect the ecologically-rich, beautiful, and historically-significant treasures that make Tennessee unique. Thanks to fearless leaders, dedicated partners, and passionate supporters, we’ve protected tens of thousands of acres of our state’s wetlands, grasslands, mountains, forests, and waterways.

THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OUR CONSERVATION COMMUNITY, TENNGREEN HAS ACQUIRED, CONSERVED, OR ASSISTED WITH THE PROTECTION OF THESE WONDERFUL NATURAL PLACES:
Ambrosial Acres Nature Sanctuary Conservation Easement, Macon County
Banks Pisgah Conservation Easement, DeKalb County
Bark Camp Barrens Wildlife Management Area, Coffee County
Batey Forest, Sumner County
Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area Expansion, Franklin County
Bee Rock Conservation Easement, Putnam County
Belle Forest Cave Arboretum, Davidson County
Big Bottom, White County
Big East Fork Conservation Easement, Williamson County
Big River Park, Crittenden County, AR
Big Swan Headwaters Conservation Easement, Lewis County
Bill’s Rest Conservation Easement, Putnam County
Black Mountain, Cumberland County
Blackburn Fork Wildlife Management Area and Conservation Easement, Jackson County
Blueberry Hill at Beaman Park, Davidson County
Brady Mountain, Cumberland County
Branstetter Land Donation, Davidson County
Burgess Falls – Horsebluff Falls, White County
Cane Creek Swimming Hole (The Crusher Hole), Van Buren County
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area Expansion, Cumberland County
Charles R. Russell Preserve Conservation Easement, Cumberland County
Charlotte F. Neal Nature Preserve, Bradley County
Chickasaw Bluff, Tipton County
Clear Fork Crooked Creek Conservation Easement, Fentress County
Clear Fork Shoal Creek Conservation Easement, Fentress County
Coal Creek Farm (NFWF Restoration), Cumberland County
CROET, Roane County
Cumberland Trail – Campbell County, Campbell County
Cummins Falls State Park, Jackson County
Devilstep Hollow Cave / Head of Sequatchie, Cumberland Trail State Park and Conservation Easement, Cumberland County
Dry Creek Headwaters at Lost Creek State Natural Area and Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wildlife Management Area, White County
Duck River Trail, Maury County
Eagle Pass Trail, Cheatham County
Elizabeth Camp Preserve, Cumberland County
Fall Creek Falls Inholdings, Van Buren County
Gateway to Mound Bottom, Cheatham County
Grays Creek Conservation Easement, Shelby County
Happy Hollow Wildlife Management Area, Hickman County
Hawkins Cove Conservation Easement, Franklin County
Headwaters Wildlife Management Area, Cannon County
Heron Hill Conservation Easement, Roane County
Hickman Bar, Shelby County
Hidden Springs/Spring Creek Conservation Easement, Jackson County
Hill’s Island, Davidson County
Hinch Mountain on the Cumberland Trail, Cumberland County
Interior Dog Cove at Dog Cove State Natural Area, White County
and many more!