For immediate release May 26, 2006

TENNESSEE CELEBRATES NATIONAL TRAILS DAY
PROGRAMS INCLUDE HIKES, TRAILBUILDING AND MAINTENANCE AND A GRAND OPENING

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennesseans are encouraged to participate in activities ranging from trail building and path maintenance to hikes and a grand opening ceremony for a new Tennessee state natural area in celebration of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is pleased to offer a range of National Trails Day activities at diverse locations across Tennessee.

Volunteers are needed to help prepare a summer field camp at Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area in Carter County. The field camp will be home this summer to several trail-building volunteer groups. And volunteers are welcome to help state natural areas staff close down illegal trails at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area in Hamilton County. In Middle Tennessee, Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area in Maury County will celebrate its grand opening. Or you can enjoy a guided hike at the Virgin Falls State Natural area in White County.

“It’s important that our State Parks and Natural Areas offer citizens and visitors a variety of trails and greenways so they can get outside, get moving and experience the wonders of our natural world,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke. “We are pleased to join communities across the state in offering these accessible, enjoyable pathways to better health.”

Since 1993, the American Hiking Society has set aside the first Saturday in June as National Trails Day. This date is the only nationwide trails celebration held across the United States, bringing together thousands of outdoor enthusiasts each year to participate in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, instructional workshops and trail projects. It also provides an opportunity to recognize the many volunteers, land managing agencies, and outdoor-minded businesses for their support in developing and maintaining trails.

Brief program descriptions and contact information is attached for National Trails Day events in Tennessee involving the Department of Environment and Conservation. For further information, call 615-532-0431 or visit Environment and Conservation’s Division of Natural Heritage Web site at www.tdec.net/nh.

National Trails Day Events at Tennessee State Natural Areas

Carter County - Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area: Birchfield Field Cabin Preparation - Lisa Huff, Stewardship Ecologist with the Tennessee State Natural Areas Program, along with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, will be spearheading an effort to prepare field camp for trail-building crews who will be working through the summer. This National Trails Day project will employ volunteers to deploy and inventory the equipment for the field camp that the summer trail crews will depend on. The field camp will be in a unique early 20th century cabin standing at about 4,100 feet elevation in the cove.

Meet at the parking area at 9:00 a.m. EST. Transportation to the cabin from the parking area will be provided. Drinking water is available at the site. Bring food and come prepared for any weather. Volunteers may stay overnight at the cabin if they wish. Volunteer spaces are limited to 5. Reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Lisa Huff at (865) 594-5601 or by email at lisa.huff@state.tn.us. For directions, visit www.tdec.net/nh/natareas/hampton/.

Hamilton County – North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area: Trail Maintenance
Kevin Fitch, Science Director for the State Natural Areas Program, along with the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, will spearhead an effort to close illegal trails in the natural area. Trail hiking will be relatively flat and will be six to eight miles roundtrip. Please bring plenty of water and lunch. Work will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather.

Call for time and registration. For more information or to make reservations, contact Kevin Fitch at (615) 253-3203 or by email at Kevin.fitch@state.tn.us. Or contact Larry Cook at (423) 842-1163 or by email at larry@northchick.org. For directions, visit www.tdec.net/nh/natareas/northchick/.

Maury County – Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area: Grand Opening
The Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation and the Maury County Parks Department will celebrate the grand opening of Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area at 10:30 a.m. CST at the natural area. Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area is named for its most significant feature, a 75-foot waterfall, which can be seen by walking approximately ¾ mile along the trail. The property was purchased in 2005 by the TN Parks and Greenways Foundation and is in the process of being transferred to state ownership. Parking area improvements and the hiking trail were funded by the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, and installed by the Maury County Parks Department and the Columbia/Franklin chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association.

The public is invited to attend the grand opening ceremony and enjoy the falls. Stillhouse Hollow Falls is located approximately 21 miles south west of Columbia on the west side of U.S. Highway 43 in the southern end of Maury County. Reservations are not required, but anyone with questions may call 615-532-0431.

White County – Virgin Falls State Natural Area: Guided Nature Hike
Forrest Evans, Stewardship Ecologist with the State Natural Areas Program, will lead a guided nature hike at Virgin Falls State Natural Area. Participants may meet at 8:00 a.m. on the east side of Nashville at the Kroger off I-40 and Old Hickory Boulevard or meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Virgin Falls parking area located southeast of Sparta off Highway 70. The hike will be a strenuous eight mile round trip. Wear sturdy footwear and bring plenty of water and lunch.

Reservations are required. Contact Forrest Evans at (615) 741-9205 or by email at forrest.evans@state.tn.us. More information, including directions, can be accessed at www.tdec.net/nh/natareas/virgin/.

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For more information contact:

Tisha Calabrese-Benton
Office (865) 594-5442