Purpose: To convert land formerly used for production agriculture to bottomland hardwood forest and to expand public use. This restoration project was supported by a generous gift of $65,000 from Tyson Foods, Inc. The project area, known as Thorny Cypress Wetlands, was incorporated into the Ernest Rice Wildlife Management Area and is managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). This project was part of a larger conservation effort supported by a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant and led by the TWRA. The goals of the larger project are to restore wetlands and associated areas throughout the Lower Obion River Basin.

Location: Dyer County, Tennessee

Acres Impacted: 312 acres

Habitat Type: Bottomland hardwood forest

Partners: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation
North American Wetlands Conservation Council
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

Timeline: Project completed April 2006