The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: cumberland mountains

Thursday, 30 October 2025 09:22

TennGreen Land Conservancy expands Cumberland Trail

 Cerulean Warbler Rondeau Provincial Park Ontario CanadaThe cerulean warbler is among the bird species and others that will benefit from the latest land acquisition to expand the Cumberland Trail near the Emory River in Tennessee. Wikipedia Commons

Nature Conservancy partners on Emory River watershed protection

WARTBURG — TennGreen Land Conservancy acquired about 58 acres near Wartburg to expand the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park and the Cumberland Trail. This important acquisition strengthens the long-term vision of connecting Tennessee’s first linear park from the Morgan County Visitor Center to Frozen Head State Park.

“TennGreen has long been committed to advancing the vision of the Cumberland Trail, and this acquisition represents an important step in enhancing trail connectivity while protecting ecologically rich lands,” said Alice Hudson Pell, TennGreen’s Executive Director.

The newly acquired property lies within several significant conservation planning areas, including the Catoosa, Frozen Head, and Upper Cumberland Areas of Interest (as designated by the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund) and the Catoosa/Emory River Conservation Opportunity Area. It also provides vital habitat for high-priority species including green salamanders (Aneides aeneus) and cerulean warblers (Setophaga cerulea). 

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A black bear cub is released into the Cumberland Mountains as seen in this video from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Two other cubs were also released after wildlife officers retrieved them from the side of the road after a sow was struck by a vehicle in Sullivan County.  TWRA

Wildlife officers rescue bear cubs after mother killed by vehicle

Matthew Cameron is a public information officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

BLOUNTVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) responded May 18 to a report of a sow black bear struck and killed by a vehicle along U.S. Highway 19E in Sullivan County. The response led to the successful rescue and release of three orphaned bear cubs into a remote area of the Cumberland Mountains.

TWRA received the initial call around 7 a.m. and had personnel en route within 30 minutes. By 8:30 a.m., officers were on the scene, but no cubs were immediately visible. Additional staff arrived with trapping equipment, and the deceased female bear was removed from the accident site. Three traps were then set in the area.
 
At about 11:40 a.m., a local resident provided a video showing three bear cubs on the same side of the road as the traps and the sow. This visual confirmation verified that the animals were indeed cubs and not older yearlings.
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