Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke have announced the acquisition of five tracts totaling approximately 461 acres in Rutherford County. The land, which is part of Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens State Natural Area, was previously owned by The Nature Conservancy and cooperatively managed under the State Natural Areas Program.

The purchase from The Nature Conservancy, which offered the land to the state at a reduced sale price, was made using a $552,087 federal grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This project once again demonstrates the value of partnerships in our goal to protect some of the most environmentally significant places in Tennessee,” said Bredesen. "Working with The Nature Conservancy and leveraging federal grant dollars has allowed us to ensure the ongoing protection of these sensitive areas.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program provides funding for states to acquire habitat for species listed as endangered and threatened with the goal of recovery and eventually being able to de-list those species.

Flat Rock protects the habitat of numerous state listed rare plants and two species of federally listed plants, the leafy prairie clover and Pyne’s ground plum. Leafy prairie clover is known to exist in only three states, including a few locations in northern Illinois where it occurs in thin soils over limestone substrate, and in the central basin of Alabama and Tennessee where it lives in prairie-like areas on the edges of cedar glades. Pyne’s ground plum is known to exist in only a small area of Rutherford County and is not known to occur anywhere else in the world.

"Cedar glades are unique to Middle Tennessee and our chapter has a long history of trying to protect these areas,” said Scott Davis, Director of the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “We have always been thrilled that the Flat Rock preserve was open to the public and we know that the state management of the property will enhance and promote the protection of such places for future generations of Tennesseans."

The newly acquired tracts are adjacent to 385 acres already owned by the state. The Department of Environment and Conservation and The Nature Conservancy managed the tracts under a cooperative agreement until the state could acquire them and bring the management of Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens State Natural Area under one unified management umbrella.

“The Nature Conservancy is an important partner in Tennessee’s land conservation efforts,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke. “They have helped protect this land for several years and once the state was able to secure a federal grant for its purchase, they provided the land to us at reduced cost so that it may be afforded the full protection of the Natural Areas Act into the future.”

"I commend the efforts of Governor Bredesen, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and The Nature Conservancy to preserve and protect our natural resources in Rutherford County,” said Representative John Hood.

In addition to providing access to the general public, the natural area is used for educational purposes as well. Because Flat Rock, like most state natural areas, is an ecologically significant preserve, it also serves as an outdoor research laboratory for biology students at Middle Tennessee State University.

Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens State Natural Area is located just east of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, and parking and hiking trails are provided. It is one of 75 Tennessee State Natural Areas, protecting approximately 108,000 acres of ecologically significant land in the state.

To reach Flat Rock, take I-24 to exit #81B. Go approximately one-quarter mile on Church St. and turn right on S. Rutherford Blvd. Proceed approximately five miles and turn right at Greenland. Proceed three miles east on Halls Hill Pike, then turn right on Factory Rd. Follow Factory Rd. for one mile to the parking lot on the right.

For more information about Flat Rock and the State Natural Areas Program, please visit: www.tdec.net/na.