In June 2023, TennGreen Land Conservancy partnered with Harmony Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (“Harmony”) to place a conservation easement on their property in West Nashville. The conservation easement will forever protect Harmony’s lands and enable the nonprofit to continue its critical work of helping Tennessee’s native wildlife.
Harmony was founded in 1990 by Carol Burgess. 
After a decade-long hiatus, Harmony was revitalized by Anastasia Kudrez, a dedicated volunteer-turned-Executive Director. Between Harmony’s reopening in 2022 and the completion of the easement, its care team cared for over 400 animals from more than 50 species, including 
songbirds, hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and various other wildlife. On its website, Harmony sometimes features its more photogenic residents on a live cam. Past stars have included three orphaned great horned owlets and six newborn foxes and their mangy mama.
As the Nashville metropolitan area rapidly expands, native wildlife is losing its habitat and experiencing more run-ins with humans. By helping injured or orphaned wildlife heal and then releasing them in safe, wild locations, Harmony ensures that all Tennesseans—two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise—can peacefully coexist.
Harmony’s beloved ambassador is Frodo the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), who lives as an education animal at the Center. 
While Frodo’s five siblings grew to be healthy, full-size opossums, Frodo remained exceptionally small; he wasn’t a good candidate for release. Because of this, Harmony received a special license to allow Frodo to live at the Center and help teach others about Nashville wildlife. In April 2023, he made his debut at Nashville’s Sylvan Park Elementary School, helping teach a kindergarten class about North America’s only native marsupial.
The Harmony property hosts a wide variety of plant species and can withstand environmental stressors, but it remains susceptible to threats. With the completion of the conservation easement, Harmony can carry on its crucial work of healing and rehabilitating wildlife in Nashville with the peace of mind that its forests will stay a safe haven for those that call them home. Though the property remains privately owned, the finalized conservation easement ensures its rich forests will be protected forever, even if ownership changes.
If you own land within Middle Tennessee and are interested in discussing your conservation options, please contact TennGreen’s experts at land@tenngreen.org or call (615) 329-4441!