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Division of Natural Areas Contact

Reggie Reeves, Director
7th Floor, L&C Annex
401 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37243-0447
615-532-0431

FY 2006/2007 Annual Report

The Natural Areas Program was established in 1971 with the passage of the Natural Areas Preservation Act (T.C.A. 11-14-101). Since passage of this act, the General Assembly has designated 79 State Natural Areas. Management and use of State Natural Areas is governed by this act and the Rules for the Management of Tennessee Natural Resources Areas. Many of these Natural Areas are managed through Cooperative Management Agreements with other local, state and federal agencies as well as with non-governmental organizations.

In addition, the Natural Areas Program administers the Natural Areas Registry Program which develops non-binding voluntary agreements with private and public landowners to protect sites of ecological importance. There are presently over 30 such Registered State Natural Areas. The Natural Areas Program seeks to include adequate representation of all natural communities that make up Tennessee's natural landscape, and provide long term protection for Tennessee's rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal life.

The National Natural Landmarks Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of our country's natural history. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership nationwide. National Natural Landmarks (NNLs) are designated by the Secretary of the Interior, with the owner's concurrence. To date, fewer than 600 sites have been so designated. The National Park Service administers the NNL Program. Thirteen NNLs have been established in Tennessee, 6 of which are designated State Natural Areas (Bone Cave, Cedars of Lebanon Forest, May Prairie, Piney Falls, Reelfoot Lake, and Savage Gulf) and 1 is a registered State Natural Area (Sinking Pond and Goose Pond at Arnold Engineering and Development Center). For more information on the NPS National Natural Landmark Program, visit: http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/ (exit TDEC). (Rules for Management of Tennessee Natural Resources Areas-.pdf format)

Natural areas represent some of Tennessee's best examples of intact ecosystems and serve as reference areas for how natural ecological processes function. Research activities that provide greater knowledge of these processes are permitted upon approval of the Division of Natural Heritage. Applications for Scientific Research Collecting Permits may be obtained and submitted to the Division of Natural Areas for considerations. Upon approval, a Permit will be returned to the applicant and must be in the applicants possession when conducting permitted research activities. State law prohibits any collection of plant, animal or mineral from State Natural Areas without a valid Scientific Research-Collecting Permit.

State Natural Areas
1. Auntney Hollow 41. Montgomery Bell
2. Barnett's Woods 42. Morril's Cave
3. Bays Mountain 43. Morrison Meadow
4. Big Cypress Tree 44. Mount View Glade
5. Bone Cave 45. Natural Bridge
6. Burgess Falls 46. North Chickamauga Crk
7. Campbell Bend Barrens 47. Overbridge
8. Carroll Cabin Barrens 48. Ozone Falls
9. Carter (Harry Lee) 49. Piney Falls
10. Cedars of Lebanon 50. Pogue Creek
11. Chimneys 51. Powell River
12. Colditz Cove 52. Radnor Lake
13. Couchville Cedar Glade 53. Reelfoot Lake
14. Crowder Cemetery 54. Riverwoods
15. Devil's Backbone 55. Roundtop Mountain
16. Dry Branch 56. Rugby
17. Duck River Complex 57. Savage Gulf
18. Dunbar Cave 58. Sequatchie Cave
19. Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade 59. Short Mountain
20. Fall Creek Falls 60. Short Springs
21. Falling Water Falls 61. Sneed Road Cedar Glade
22. Fate Sanders Barrens 62. Stillhouse Hollow Falls
23. Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens 63. Stinging Fork Falls
24. Frozen Head 64. Stones River Cedar Glade
25. Gattingers Cedar Glade 65. Sunk Lake
26. Ghost River 66. Sunnybell Cedar Glade
27. Grundy Forest 67. Taylor Hollow
28. Hampton Creek Cove 68. Twin Arches
29. Hawkins Cove 69. Vesta Cedar Glade
30. Hicks Gap 70. Vine Cedar Glade
31. Honey Creek 71. Virgin Falls
32. House Mountain 72. Walker Branch
33. Hubbard's Cave 73. Walls of Jericho
34. John Noel - Bon Aqua 74. Walterhill Floodplain
35. Langford Branch 75. Washmorgan Hollow
36. Laurel Snow Pocket 76. Watauga River Bluffs
37. Lucius Burch Jr. Forest 77. William B. Clark
38. Manus Road Cedar Glade 78. William R. Davenport
39. May Prairie 79. Wilson School Road Forest and Cedar Glades
40. Meeman-Shelby  

Contact:

Brian Bowen
Program Manager, State Natural Areas Program
(615) 532-0436
[email protected]