10/28/09 - Henry County
The Tennessee National Wildlife
Refuge in Henry County will move its headquarters right into the
wildlife refuge itself. The current headquarters is located
nearly 10 miles away from the area it protects.
Thanks to $6.3 million in federal
stimulus funds, officials at TNWR can look forward to a better
location. Troy Littrell, deputy refuge manager, said,
"Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is now 65-years-old and
we've never had an on-site headquarters and visitors' center.
This will allow us to have a facility that's actually on the
refuge."
While the headquarters is a big
step for the TNWR, some neighbors of the future site are
expressing their concerns. Ben Williamson said, "There's going
to be a lot of traffic in the neighborhood and it's going to run
off a lot of the ducks and wildlife." Gary Moon, another upset
neighbor, said, "[My concern is] the intrusion on the habitat
for the wildlife that's been there for more than 60 years."
Littrell said TNWR performed an
environment assessment that shows there will be no negative
impact on wildlife. Upset neighbors said their only hope is
that local labor is used in the facility's construction. A
contract has yet to be issued for the site.
Groundbreaking for the new
facility that will house offices and education facilities for
families will be November 5.