Paint Rock River to become newest National Wildlife Refuge

A new national wildlife refuge will soon cover 87 acres of land in Franklin County. The Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge near the Tennessee-Alabama border will preserve the land along the Southern Cumberland Plateau donated by the Niedergeses family. The property adjoins the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Agency and will help protect the ecological diversity of the Cumberland Plateau. The protection of the property will also protect the headwaters that make safe recreation downstream possible. Biodiversity in the area includes more than 100 species of fish, mussels, and plants, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The property will be open to hunting, fishing, hiking, photography, and wildlife viewing.