Keep Public Land in Public Hands
Approximately 10 percent—2.4 million acres—of Tennessee land is public land, yet public land generates $30 billion for Tennessee’s economy every year.
Public lands provide opportunities for millions of Tennessee residents and visitors to experience the outdoors in ways they would not otherwise be able to.
Outdoorsmen and women have all used and benefited from public lands—whether for hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, birdwatching, boating, or just enjoying some fresh air.
Public lands are valuable in numerous ways. Those who spend time outdoors, no matter how often, find social value. And public lands are vital for wildlife because large tracts of public land mean larger connected spaces of wildlife habitat. These values intertwine to impact the lands and communities surrounding them.
In 2022, Tennessee Wildlife Federation brought together a coalition of partners to stop the transfer of Yanahli Wildlife Management Area from the state to Maury County. This was a great win for public lands, but there is still work to be done.
To properly manage and provide access to public lands requires dedicated, consistent funding.
Advocacy from Tennessee Wildlife Federation and hundreds of other organizations across the country—as well as support from millions of outdoorsmen—led to passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, which provided millions of dollars to maintain national parks and fully funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect public lands.
Public lands are a collective resource, and it is the responsibility of all Tennesseans to support and speak up for Tennessee’s public lands.
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Conservation Priorities at the 2024 Tennessee General Assembly
In the 2024 Tennessee General Assembly, the Federation tracked 150+ state bills related to wetlands, outdoor recreation, and more.
Response to Recent Report about CWD
Making policy decisions around good science and data is how conservationists throughout the 20th century brought back many of our wildlife species—and is a big reason we can all enjoy the outdoors today.
Achievements at the General Assembly
During the 2024 legislative session, the Federation was instrumental on several conservation-related bills, including three major wins.