Bredesen, State Renew Focus on Conservation
In the storm over ethics and special elections, it’s worth stepping back to recognize one positive development — the State of Tennessee’s renewed focus on conservation. Among other things, the State Department of Environment and Conservation is leveraging federal funds to purchase remaining tracts in the Flat Rock Cedar Glades, about eight miles east of Murfreesboro, to bring the entire natural area under state control. The move comes on the heels of the creation of Governor Phil Bredesen’s new Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust, which will use an initial $10 million in state funds to begin acquiring and protecting other vital tracts across the state. As Bredesen noted in his personal blog, the State is planting seeds that will “grow to protect and preserve for generations to come some of the most beautiful land that God ever created.”
