WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander today announced that the National Park Service has awarded $860,289 to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the acquisition of 2,600 acres of land at Cumberland Trail State Park, located in Hamilton and Morgan Counties.
“Tennessee’s abundance of wildlife and natural beauty is a vital resource for the state and the nation,” said Frist. “This funding will allow the Cumberland Trail State Park to continue to flourish through the expansion of more than 2,600 acres in Hamilton and Morgan Counties. I thank the National Park Service for recognizing the importance of this natural refuge and for further preserving our national lands.”
"This is an important commitment by the National Park Service to preserve land in Tennessee,” Alexander said. “These additional acres to the Cumberland Trail State Park will benefit everyone who enjoys outdoor recreation and appreciates our state's beauty.”
The $860,289 federal grant covers half of the total project cost of $1.72 million to acquire more than 2,600 acres of land for Cumberland Trail State Park. It was allocated through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which provides help to state and local governments to acquire, develop, improve and maintain outdoor recreation areas.
The LWCF program was enacted by Congress in 1964 to provide conservation funds derived from receipts from oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Since 1965, funding for the grant program has averaged approximately $105 million per year. Additionally, Congress has appropriated approximately $93 million for the LWCF state grant program in fiscal year 2003 and 2004. Of the total number of projects, approximately 10,000 have helped states and localities acquire 2.3 million acres of significant wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation areas.