"Heal yourself on a Tennessee trail," by Kathleen Williams

Cummins Falls

Kathleen Williams is Founder and Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. TPGF has been responsible for saving numerous waterfalls, beautiful vistas, and critical habitats and helping place thousands of acres of land in conservation easements. I reported on the dedication of Cummins Falls in this blog in May of 2012.  Cummins Falls has got to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. When I die, I think that is where I would like my ashes to be scattered.

Since saving Cummins Falls, TPGF was instrumental in saving Virgin Falls, a water fall that falls out on one cave and into another. It is unique in that it has no upstream or downstream. Many people thought this fall was already protected but it was not. The State had a long-term lease on the property that was set to expire. The falls could have been lost to public use, it not for the work of TPGF.  I have never visited the falls myself but look forward to doing so.



Virgin Falls

Tennessee conservatives who love nature should get behind the work of TPGF. TPGF is privately funded and has no condemnation authority, or coercive authority of any kind, yet has saved many of Tennessee's natural treasures. Kathleen Williams is my sister and I am extremely proud of the work she is doing.

Heal yourself on a Tennessee trail

Kathleen Williams

by Kathleen Williams, Tennessee Voices, The Tennessean, June 6, 2014 - For a healthier path, get on
a trail. Preferably hike in an old forest or near water to get all the benefits. Breathe in the ancient air. One hundred twenty chemical compounds — many unknown — will lower your blood pressure, your diabetes will improve, your mood or attitude will be transformed, you will think more clearly. You’ll be less stressed, more creative, more affectionate, playful, even elated. And you’ll live longer. (link)

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Governor Haslam to Dedicate Virgin Falls State Natural Area Wednesday, Dec. 11.

NASHVILLE. TN Press Release – Governor Bill Haslam, along with leaders from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation will be officially dedicating the purchase of Virgin Falls State Natural Area this Wednesday, December 11.

Through the support of a number of private/public partnerships, the state acquired the land in November 2012. Prior to that, Virgin Falls had been under private ownership, but managed by the state as a natural area for nearly 40 years. Working closely with the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, the state of Tennessee was able to purchase the 1,551-acre parcel near Sparta through a combination of funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and private donations.

A favorite hiking destination for decades, Virgin Falls features a waterfall that exits a cave at the top of a cliff and then disappears into a second cave at its base. Nature lovers have noted the existence of unique flora and fauna and amateur geologists have explored the composition and structure of its many caves.

My Comment: I had the good fortune to be at the dedication last year when the state acquired Cummins Falls. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend tomorrow's dedication ceremonies. I wish I could be there. Kudos to my sister, Kathleen Williams, Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, who was instrumental in making this happen. We are fortunate to live in Tennessee which has some of the most precious natural treasures in the world. I think it is important that we save beautiful waterfalls and vistas and critical habitats for future generations. 

If you are reviewing your end of year giving and looking for a good cause to support, join me in contributing the the Tennessee Parks and Greenways foundation and help save Tennessee's natural treasures. Without the work done by TPGF and similar organizations, these natural treasures would be lost for ever. State government is slow and cumbersome. An organization like TPGF can raise private money, purchase the property or option the property and then sell it to the state when the state is ready to purchase it. Without the intermediary roll of TPGF, these treasures would be lost forever.

“This is the fifth land project for our small non-profit foundation in the corridor that connects Fall Creek Falls to Virgin Falls.  We’ve helped protect more than 4,500 acres along the Caney Fork, the Cane Creek Gorge, Welch’s Point and now Virgin Falls,” said Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. 

Saving Virgin Falls had been a priority of TPGF for  more than a decade.

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State Of Tennessee Purchases Virgin Falls

An iconic Tennessee waterfall now belongs to the state. ...  The 1,551-acre tract in White County that contains Virgin Falls had been privately owned since the 1970s, though the state had leased it. more

Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation  negotiated and optioned the property on the State’s behalf. If not for their effort, this natural wonder might have been lost as a park forever. My sister Kathleen Williams is the executive director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation and is responsible for saving many Tennessee treasures. I am proud of the work she does. To learn more about Virgin Falls and the work of TPGF, follow this link. 

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Cocktails and Conservation to Protect Virgin Falls

Join me this Wednesday.

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Help Protect Virgin Falls!

Reposted from  Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation 

Virgin Falls

To realize the scale, notice the human figure in the upper left at the top of the falls.

(There is a fundraiser to support this project this Wednesday night September 19, 2012 from 5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at the Belle Meade Carriage House in Nashville, Tennessee. $50 per person. Join me in helping  save a Tennessee treasure. Please RSVP to Jeanne Fitch at (615) 329-4441 or jeanne@tenngreen.org. Rod )


Help Protect Virgin Falls! Our deadline is September 28th!!

Virgin Falls is Tennessee’s premiere scenic wonder and natural attraction!  Formed underground, its stream emerges from a cave, drops 110 feet, and disappears into another cave at the bottom of the falls.  A waterfall with no visible upstream or downstream! Virgin Falls is located on a privately-owned 1,551-acre tract with portions designated as a State Natural Area.  The Wilderness Area also holds numerous other upstream spectacular waterfalls including Big Laurel Falls, Sheep Cave Falls, and Big Branch Falls.  Additional attractions along the trail include caves, rock houses, Virgin Falls Sink, and Sheep Cave Sink! Also the land would conserve over a half mile of the Caney Fork River headwaters and incredible habitat for rare life.

Help protect this destination in a 55,000 acre wilderness.
Located on the Cumberland Plateau near Sparta, TN, it is a priority destination in the Corridor that links Fall Creek Falls to Scott’s Gulf to Bledsoe State Forest.  An impressive forest corridor of more than 55,000 acres will link awe-inspiring 110’ Virgin Falls to the dramatic Fall Creek Falls, the tallest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains at 256’.  A 54-mile-long distance hiking trail is being developed called the Mid-Cumberland Wilderness Trail to take you through this wilderness corridor.  With your help, we can conserve the most important privately-held feature in the area.  Adding this scenic destination will keep visitors here longer and add to the economic vitality of the entire area.

Its privately-owned so…its future is at risk.
Although the 1,551-acre Virgin Falls State Natural Area is currently managed by the state, it is still privately owned and subject to private development pressures.  Virgin Falls was a “Bowater Pocket wilderness area,” set aside in 1970 for preservation.  The State purchased the lease from Bowater in 2006, but the land was still owned by four different private entities.  When the State’s lease expires, the land will be at risk to development.

We now have a short window of opportunity to purchase this natural treasure and to ensure it remains forever conserved and open to the public. Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation has negotiated and optioned the property on the State’s behalf.  The total cost of the project is $2.9 million but the landowners have discounted the price by more than $800,000.  Thankfully, $1.5 million is available through a state-secured federal grant and TWRA has committed $300,000.  Through the leadership of the Save Virgin Falls Committee, we’ve raised another $85,675.  We’re almost there!  We only need to raise $107,530 by September 28, 2012.  Will you help?

Each acre costs $1,318– a small price to pay for such beauty. Leave a legacy of an acre or a grove of up to 10 acres for this and future generations to enjoy.  Whatever gift you can make will get us one step closer to saving this wild and wonderful land.  We appreciate you.

This has been a priority for the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation for more than a decade. 
Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation is a statewide non-profit organization founded in 1998 with a mission to conserve Tennessee’s natural treasures.  In the Scott’s Gulf to Fall Creek Falls Corridor, we have secured more than 3,000 acres in four parcels. Conserved tracts include scenic Welch’s Point overlooking Scott’s Gulf, Caney Fork River bottomlands and the vista from Milliken’s Overlook in Fall Creek Falls.  All are open for public access with ownership divided between State Parks and TWRA.  Our most recent successes are the creation of Tennessee’s 54^th State Park:  Cummins Falls State Park and the most-recently established wildlife management area at Short Mountain:  Headwaters WMA.

For more information, contact Kathleen Williams, President & Executive Director, Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation at 615-329-4441 or Steve Walsh, Director of Membership, at 615-545-0195.

To make a secure, tax deductible donation towards this worthy cause, click the PayPal ‘Donate’ link on our website (be sure to include ‘Virgin Falls’ in the note section of your payment). You may also send cash, check or credit card information to:

Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation
117 30th Avenue S. , Nashville, TN 37212

Additional comment:  Many people already think this natural treasure is preserved, but as you can see from reading the above it is not.  The reason that it is important to purchase this property now is because the price is right and the owners are wanting to sell. As time goes on and current owners die and leave their interest to their heirs, the number of people necessary to negotiate a sale, multiplies. If the property is not purchased now, it could be lost forever.

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