Mullican
In January 2022, TennGreen Land Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, and The Conservation Fund jointly acquired 838 acres on the western side of Fall Creek Falls State Park (SP), thanks to the support from the Open Space Institute (OSI) and the Lyndhurst Foundation. In October 2022, the partners conveyed this land, known as the “Mullican” tract, to the State of Tennessee, expanding Fall Creek Falls SP for public enjoyment. In addition to Fall Creek Falls SP, the region boasts extensive connected and conserved lands exceeding more than 65,000 acres.
Located within the Dry Fork watershed, the Mullican tract contains nearly five miles of streams, including Dry Fork, Benton Branch, and Mount Pleasant Branch. Waters from these streams flow within Fall Creek Falls SP to Cane Creek. In addition to pristine waters, the property is within the headwaters of numerous nearby caves. The land also serves as a buffer area that protects several known Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) and other rare species. During a visit to a cave on the property, State scientists documented the threatened tricolor bat (Perimyotis subflavus). The conservation of the Mullican tract enhances recreation opportunities on the Cumberland Plateau and protects the area’s steep bluffs, rock houses, and caves that support species threatened by our changing climate.
This property acquisition was funded through the OSI’s Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund and the Lyndhurst Foundation. OSI’s Fund supports land protection along the Appalachian Mountain range. This area is home to the world’s largest broadleaf forest, stores most of the nation’s forest carbon, and provides essential refuge for plants and animals at risk of habitat loss. The Fund is made possible thanks to major support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Lyndhurst Foundation, Riverview Foundation, Footprint Foundation, and the McKee family from Collegedale, TN.
The Mullican tract lies within the Cradle of Southern Appalachia Initiative, a conservation blueprint adopted by the Thrive Regional Partnership’s Natural Treasures Alliance (of which TennGreen is a partner). Over the years, TennGreen and partners have expanded Fall Creek Falls SP and several of its surrounding Wildlife Management Areas and State Natural Areas. The conservation of the Mullican tract represents TennGreen’s fourth collaborative expansion of Fall Creek Falls SP, further extending TennGreen’s conservation footprint in the region.