Springville, Tenn.–The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge Complex has prepared a compatibility determination and appropriateness determination for cooperative farming on Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge and Cross Creeks, expansion of Antioch Harbor Boat Launch parking lot on the refuge and use of the Mount Zion Cemetery in the Old 23rd District which also is in the refuge. All three of these compatibility determinations are available for public review and comment.
Cooperative Farming is an economic use of the refuges and is utilized to provide food for wintering
waterfowl. Unharvested agricultural crops provide the greatest energy density for waterfowl and are an important component of a habitat complex. Farming on refuges is often accomplished through a
cooperative partnership with private farmers from the local community where approximately 25% of the crop is left unharvested for waterfowl.
The Antioch Harbor Boat Launch and current parking lot is too small to meet the public’s demand for access to Kentucky Lake. The proposed use is to expand the current parking lot to accommodate
approximately 20 additional trucks and trailers. The Service is in the process of acquiring 0.26 acres
adjacent to the current parking lot so the lot can be expanded to provide additional parking spaces.
The parking lot expansion will prevent overflow parking from affecting refuge vegetation or private property adjacent to the refuge.
The Mount Zion Church and Cemetery is located on the Old 23rd District of Henry County. The earliest documented head stone is from 1873 however, there is information of soldiers from the Battle of Fort Donelson buried in the Cemetery. TVA acquired the property in January of 1942. The Service assumed management of the property in December of 1945. The Service has allowed descendants to be interred in the cemetery since this date through the issuance of a Special Use Permit. This compatibility determination will identify those individuals wishing to be interred with their family members and set a definitive number and ending time for these requests.
The Service is seeking public comments on these three-draft compatibility determinations. Copies of the draft compatibility determinations are available from the refuge headquarters office in Springville, TN.
Comments on the proposed activity will be accepted until August 30, 2019. You may submit comments in writing to the refuge office at 1371 Wildlife Drive Springville, TN 38256 or by email to Refuge Manager Barron Crawford at barron_crawford@fws.gov.
Menu
