| COUNTY: | Shelby | ACREAGE: | 21 |
| 7.5' QUADRANGLE: | Germantown | OWNERSHIP: | Memphis Garden Club |
| PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE: |
Coastal Plain | YEAR DESIGNATED: |
1978 |
DESCRIPTION |
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Riverwoods
is a 21-acre natural area located along the Wolf River in Germantown just
outside of Memphis in Shelby County. Riverwoods is situated in a densely
urban setting but provides refuge for plants and wildlife. It is a small
biological island that was formerly part of a larger forested area.
Riverwoods was donated to the Memphis Garden Club in 1973 and then designated as a state natural area in the 1978. In 2006 the Memphis Garden Club, a member of the Garden Club of America, donated the property to the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas. An agreement to manage and open the natural area was entered into between the State, the Memphis Garden Club and City of Germantown. The Memphis Garden Club donated funding to purchase materials to build the kiosk. The Germantown Parks and Recreation Department installed the parking area and built the trail. Today, Germantown manages the natural area in cooperation with the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas.
The
vegetation within the natural area is a small remnant mixed mesophytic,
oak-hickory and bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem. The topography of
the site reveals that floodplain terraces were once periodically flooded
prior to river channelization. The upper terrace of the floodplain provides
excellent site conditions that support a small scale example of the mixed
mesophytic and oak-hickory forest. The understory has been impacted by
the invasive exotic pest plant, common privet, a species native to Asia.
The spring flowering shrub buckeye is present and provides wonderful spring
color. While the area retains local significance, its statewide significance
has declined since designation in the 1970’s because of rampant
growth and urbanization of the surrounding area and impact of exotics.
Unfortunately, it is an example of how small urban natural areas are negatively
impacted by external threats.
SITE MANAGEMENT
Division of Natural Areas, Jackson Environmental Field Office, 1625 Hollywood Drive, Jackson TN 38305, phone (731) 512-1369. Division of Natural Areas, 7th Floor L&C Annex, 401 Church St., Nashville TN 37243, phone (615) 532-0431. Germantown Parks and Recreation, 2276 West Street, Germantown TN 38138-5955, phone (901) 757-7376.
PUBLIC ACCESS
A parking area, short trail and information kiosk are located on the east side of Kimborough Blvd.
DIRECTIONS
Exit Interstate 40 at Germantown Road. Follow Germantown Road south under Walnut Grove and across the Wolf River. Turn left at Wolf River Parkway. As Wolf River Parkway curves right, look for a gravel parking area immediately across from the Kimborough Grove neighborhood entrance.
