Plain English Breakdown
The bill summary does not provide details about management or funding of these natural areas.
Expanding Tennessee's Natural Areas
This bill increases the size of several existing natural areas and adds new ones to protect unique habitats in Tennessee.
What This Bill Does
- Increases the Ozone Falls scenic-recreation area from 16.5 acres to 41 acres.
- Adds Clifty Creek Gorge, an 89-acre site in Morgan County, as a natural scientific area.
- Designates Rocky Hill, a one-acre site in Rutherford County, as a new natural scientific area.
- Includes Union Grove, a 59-acre area in Hamblen County, as a natural scientific area.
- Adds Versailles Knob, a 40-acre forest in Rutherford County, to the list of protected areas.
- Expands Barnett's Woods and Prairie from 40 acres to 156 acres.
- Increases Cedars of Lebanon Natural Area from 2,690 acres to 2,754 acres.
- Expands Couchville Cedar Glade from 140 acres to 627 acres.
- Increases Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens from 846 acres to 928 acres.
- Expands Hawkins Cove from 249 acres to 273 acres.
- Increases Pogue Creek from 3,000 acres to 3,600 acres.
- Expands Radnor Lake from 1,367 acres to 1,388 acres.
- Increases William B. Clark Conservation Area from 428 acres to 476 acres.
Who It Names or Affects
- People who visit and use Tennessee's state parks and natural areas.
- Local communities near designated natural areas.
Terms To Know
- Class I scenic-recreation area
- A type of protected land that is open to the public for recreation while preserving its scenic beauty.
- Natural scientific area
- An area designated by Tennessee law to protect unique natural features and habitats.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify how these areas will be managed or funded.
- It is unclear what specific protections are added for the new and expanded areas beyond their designation as protected land.