Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on Thursday voted for the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which included $1.35 million for the Grassy Cove Project – a U.S. Forest Service project that will ensure the Karst Forest at Grassy Cove in Cumberland County is protected for future generations of Tennesseans to enjoy.
“I still can recall walking into Grassy Cove in Cumberland County one spectacular spring day in 1978 during my campaign for governor. I had not seen a prettier sight,” Senator Alexander said. “I’m glad this appropriations bill included funding to help conserve and protect another 1,000 acres on Bear Den and Brady Mountain by adding them to the Cumberland Trail State Park, so future generations of Tennesseans and tourists can enjoy Grassy Cove and the Cumberland Plateau.”
In 1973, 10,500 acres of land known as Grassy Cove Karst Area were designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service for the area’s geological significance. Since 2001, local leaders and the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation have worked to protect Grassy Cove and the surrounding area.
Funding for the Karst Forest at Grassy Cove project is included in the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill that the Senate passed today by a vote of 79 to 18. The House passed the bill on May 3 by a vote of 309 to 118.
Funding for the Grassy Cove project in the appropriations bill will protect another 1,000 acres on Bear Den and Brady Mountain by adding them to the Cumberland Trail State Park. The $1.35 million in funding will be provided to the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation, which will use the money to purchase the 1,000 acres and transfer the land to the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park.