Preserving Wildlife Habitat

picture of lake More than 181,000 acres of public land under TVA’s management have been set aside for natural-resource management, which includes the enhancement of wildlife habitat. About 40 percent of this total is administered by other agencies as wildlife management areas or refuges; the rest is managed by TVA.

Natural Heritage Project

In 1976, to analyze and manage biodiversity on TVA lands and to improve compliance with federal environmental regulations, TVA launched the Natural Heritage Project with the help and support of the Nature Conservancy. The project maintains data on threatened and endangered plant and animal species in the TVA power service area, which includes all of Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states. You can access lists of these species below:

Alphabetical Listing

Listing by Classification

To report rare species

If you’d like to report a sighting of a rare species, please download the Rare Species Observation Form, which can be printed out and mailed or faxed to TVA. The form is available in two formats:

Microsoft Word document (31 kb)
PDF file (PDF, 14 kb)

Include any available photographs, slides, negatives, or digital images. All submitted material will be used as physical documentation of a sighting and, unless otherwise stated, will be assumed to be the property of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Natural Heritage Project fieldwork

The project also conducts fieldwork aimed at protecting threatened and endangered species and environmentally sensitive sites. In addition, it maintains databases on geological features, natural areas, and other sensitive natural resources. Since its inception, the Natural Heritage Project has provided environmental input on TVA activities that range from transmission-line construction to economic development.

TVA Natural Areas

In managing the publicly owned land in and around its facilities and reservations, TVA has developed a land-use designation system under which 82 sites on 10,700 acres have been classified as TVA Natural Areas. The sites are identified as Habitat Protection Areas, Small Wild Areas, Ecological Study Areas, or Wildlife Observation Areas. Their management includes restrictions on activities that might endanger significant natural features.

Additional information

For more information on TVA activities related to habitat protection, send an e-mail message specifying the particular area of your interest to heritage@tva.gov.

View a bibliography of recent scientific papers by TVA staff members on ecosystem studies, water quality, and other environmental issues.

Also see papers and brochures on the flora and fauna of the Tennessee Valley, and contact names for obtaining copies.

You can also e-mail the Environmental Information Center with any other questions.