The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: frozen head state park

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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frozen_head.jpg Commemorative sign in Frozen Head State Park.   Creative Commons Mark BY-NC 4.0  Jim “Gravity” Smith — Hike with Gravity: North Bird Mountain Trail

Written comments will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2023

WARTBURG — Harvey Broome Group of the Sierra Club and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning want to encourage the public to weigh in on the proposed Tennessee State Management Plan for Frozen Head State Park & Natural Area in Morgan County.

Some of the proposed developments could drastically impact park natural resources and visitor experiences. Frozen Head hosted nearly 400,000 visitors in 2022. It is frequented by many East Tennessee residents and is an important destination tourist attraction. Importantly, it is an outstanding reservoir of biodiversity in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains.

The Management Plan states Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area mission is “to protect and preserve the unique examples of natural, cultural, and scenic resources and to save one of the last vestiges of undisturbed landscapes in the Cumberland Mountain region,” and park management is intended to “restore and maintain the diversity and integrity of the resource.”

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