Collaborating For Conservation

Restoring Forests

In 2009, The Nature Conservancy partnered with the Cherokee National Forest on coordinating representatives from 13 groups, including state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations and others to form the Cherokee National Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (CNFLRI). Since then, the CNFLRI has provided science-based restoration recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service related to its work in the North Zone of the national forest. More recently, a second group—the South Zone Collaborative—formed to provide similar input for the national forest’s South Zone. Together, these groups are pioneering innovative restoration projects, many which are the first of their kind in the nation. 

Nonprofit Partners

Protecting Land

In 2020, TNC concluded a project that marked the successful protection of 400,000 acres in Tennessee since opening our doors in the state in 1978. The project—acquiring an approximately 685-acre inholding within the Cherokee National Forest—symbolizes many aspects of TNC’s work in Tennessee and around the world. Thanks to a strong partnership with The Conservation Fund, TNC had the ability to move quickly on securing the parcel to provide time for the U.S. Forest Service to assemble Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars approved for purchasing and permanently protecting this property—one of the agency’s highest priorities in the Southeast. Once in ownership, the U.S. Forest Service intends to manage the inholding as they do the surrounding forest, for species protection and recreational opportunities such as fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, kayaking and hiking, including along the nearby Appalachian Trail. The additional acres also bolster this mostly unbroken and forested Southern Appalachian Mountain landscape in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

Building Capacity

The Nature Conservancy assisted the Tenn Green Land Conservancy (TennGreen) with developing a Strategic Land Conservation Plan that enables them to continue facilitating and supporting land acquisition priorities for state agencies and local communities while pursuing their own conservation priorities. The plan includes GIS technology that helps to identify and prioritize land acquisitions to achieve the greatest conservation outcomes. For years, TennGreen has worked successfully in partnership with state agencies, local communities and organizations like TNC to create and expand some of the state’s most popular public recreation areas. 

Foundation Partners

Support Spans Generations

The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund has long supported Tennessee organizations that improve the lives of young people and further wildlife conservation, a mission now carried out by a new generation that includes Dan and Margaret’s granddaughter, Tommye, who says, ““I feel that now, more than ever, people long for a connection with nature and the outdoors. For me, time spent in nature restores peace and harmony and calls me to enjoy her wonders with respect. When I’m outdoors, I see how biodiversity strengthens ecosystems just like diversity enriches our human communities. Going forward, it is fundamental to engage diverse communities in nature conservation.”

Over the years, the Maddox Fund has supported TNC projects at the Duck River and Harms Mill Dam, in urban areas like Nashville and, most recently, at the Bridgestone Nature Reserve at Chestnut Mountain. She adds, “At the Maddox Fund, we are grounded in the conviction that humanity, nature and all life are interconnected, and that these relationships must be grounded in respect. We are thankful for TNC’s mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. We share that vision are thankful for the partnership. My grandparents would be pleased.”