Skinner Mountain WMA

TennGreen Land Conservancy had the opportunity to join several partners and assist in the funding of a 3,041-acre expansion of Skinner Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA). This expansion project was completed in partnership by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and The Conservation Fund to:

• Nearly double the size of this state-owned and -managed WMA;
• Open new public recreational access for activities like hiking and wildlife viewing;
• Protect critical habitat for endangered species;
• Support the local economy through sustainably harvested timber production;
• And conserve ecologically-sensitive forest in the Cumberland Plateau region.

TennGreen secured the funds to assist with this expansion following a 2013 settlement between the Sierra Club, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), Tennessee Clean Water Network, and National Coal LLC, as well as through a past settlement with Apollo Fuel. These funds were specifically designated to further land protection in the region and, after holding them for several years, TennGreen and the Sierra Club worked with The Conservation Fund to allocate these dollars to the protection and expansion of Skinner Mountain WMA. This conserved WMA property includes frontage on the East Fork of the Obey River and provides critical habitat for a variety of endangered and declining species of bats, mussels, migratory songbirds, and plants.

Also, the Mountain Eye Cave system is located within these protected lands, providing essential habitat for several bat species of concern. TennGreen is grateful to the Sierra Club for entrusting it with the contributed settlement funds. TennGreen is also thankful for the opportunity to assist The Conservation Fund, TWRA, and the following funding partners with this important acquisition that will benefit generations to come: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration program; the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund; the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund; The Tucker Foundation; Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., in honor of Henry Diamond; and the National Wild Turkey Federation.