Tennessee Wildlife Federation has received a significant multi-year grant to restore forest and grassland habitats in Tennessee. The grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), funds a three-year initiative for the Federation’s Habitat Restoration and Conservation program.
The project connects landowners with Farm Bill land management assistance programs.
The focus of the initiative is to write land management plans and assist landowners with enrolling in Farm Bill programs to restore wildlife habitat on their properties. Programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Working Lands for Wildlife program are critical to improving water quality and providing wildlife habitat for native song birds.
“It’s a great opportunity to engage private landowners that own some really strategic properties,” said Chris Roberts, director of conservation for Tennessee Wildlife Federation. “There is a lot of habitat available for wildlife on public land in Tennessee, but there is significantly more private land, so restoring habitat on private lands is critical to maintaining wildlife populations.”
The Federation and partners have restored more than 4,000 acres of native forest and grassland habitats over the last three years with a grant provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Our partnership with NRCS will allow the Federation to expand on that work and continue restoring native habitats for wildlife throughout the state.
This project is particularly focused on restoring native hardwood forest and savanna habitats in the Cumberland Plateau and the Western Highland Rim regions of Tennessee. Areas identified as high priority for conserving species of greatest conservation need will be given priority. Any landowners interested in restoring forest or grassland habitats on their property are encouraged to fill out the landowner interest form or contact Chris Roberts at info@tnwf.org.
Featured photo by Alisha Upton
