CFO Assists in Cave Gate Construction Click here for complete story  and images Proactive Cave Conservation in Tennessee Tennessee is extremely rich in cave resources.  If you live in the eastern two-thirds of the State, chances are you are quite familiar with cave entrances, sinkholes, disappearing or “losing” streams, voids, and springs.  These landscape features, collectively known as “karst,” are present because of Tennessee’s interesting geology and abundant limestone.  Mild organic acids, formed by the mixture of water with air and soil-borne carbon dioxide, readily dissolve limestone creating cracks and fissures.  This process, working over the span of hundreds of thousands of years, has resulted in the current karst topography we see today. According to the Tennessee Cave Survey, there are over 8,000 known caves in the State!  more...

30 Years of Endangered Species Conservation in Tennessee by Jim Widlak - CFO Biologist (This article was submitted to and published by the Tennessee Conservationist [Jan-Feb issue]) Thirty years ago, Congress passed a bill into law that would set a standard for environmental conservation. Never before had any nation recognized the plight of its fish and wildlife resources; and acknowledged the aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value of plants and animals that were being depleted in numbers because of untempered growth and development. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is considered to be a milestone in conservation legislation. It’s purpose is not only to protect plants and animals facing extinction, but to provide a means for protecting and conserving the ecosystems upon which those species depend, and to provide programs for their conservation. No single law has encompassed a broader scope for the conservation of fish and wildlife, nor has any law generated more discussion and controversy. The Endangered Species Act has undergone many changes throughout its thirty year history and has been tested repeatedly, but it still stands as one of the most important pieces of legislation for the protection and conservation of imperiled fish, wildlife, and plant species in this country. More...