Our Top 10 Protected Places Part 2

In this second edition of the two-part series, we continue to count down a staff-curated top 10 list of our conservation projects throughout our 40 years, ranked in order of increasing significance.  Read on as we reveal our top 5 land accomplishments of all time.

5. Lovitt Woods (322 acres)

Did you know there is a wildlife habitat gem less than a half mile from Shelby Farms Park?  Lovitt Woods is a sizeable tract of land protected in 2006 after a lengthy effort by the Conservancy, the Memphis Garden Club, Ducks Unlimited and many other partners and advocates. Why so many partners? The Lovitt Woods property was actually a mitigation effort for the expansion of the Wolf River Boulevard across Germantown, which disrupted ecology and movement of many wildlife species, affecting Riverwoods State Natural Area along with acres of Wolf River floodplain. The City of Germantown ended up assisting in an initiative which protected a great many more acres than were negatively affected by the road construction. For nearly two decades, Wolf River Conservancy has been managing the Lovitt Woods property to improve wildlife habitat, to teach kids and adults alike about the outdoors, and to remove nonnative invasive plant species.  

4. Lucius E. Burch, Jr. State Natural Area (788 acres)

The very first plot of land protected by the Wolf River Conservancy’s great advocacy work was a highly impactful one. The Shelby Farms Forest State Natural Area was created only three years into the Conservancy’s existence after a letter writing campaign and numerous op-eds in The Commercial Appeal by board president Charles Cooley and others in 1987 and 1988, which helped push the protection of two large tracts of land (north and south of Walnut Grove Rd.) in the middle of Shelby County across the finish line.  Years after its establishment, the natural area was renamed after renowned conservationist Lucius E. Burch, Jr.  The State Natural Area now protects the rare copper iris (Iris fulva) and significant swaths of bottomland hardwood forest. This protected land designation also aided the campaign to prevent Kirby Parkway from bisecting Shelby Farms Park and helped to create more wildlife-friendly recreational opportunities  – think hiking trails and birding instead of motocross and ATV riding. Hundreds of thousands of people have since used  this area to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, and educational programming by Wolf River Conservancy, Agricenter International, and Shelby Farms Park Conservancy has engaged many students.  

3. Wolf River Wildlife Area (2,100 acres)

A partnership between Chickasaw Basin Authority and Wolf River Conservancy from the late 1990’s through 2005 along with funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) spurred conservation of most of this land on the northern edge of Collierville. to protect the fabulous wetlands upstream of this area. After years of work by the Wolf River Conservancy, encouraging dollars for study and implementation of plans, the USACE was able to complete a river restoration project,  installing rock weirs and bank stabilization to slow the head-cutting and erosion of this section of the Wolf River, which threatened to move inexorably upstream into high quality wetlands  The Wolf River Wildlife Area now harbors great wildlife habitats and miles of trails open to the public for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, and the fabulous wetlands of the upper Wolf River are protected from damage.  

2. Hays Crossing (725 acres)

Through communication with the landowner, advocacy, and grant writing, the Conservancy helped to protect this significant property, which was acquired by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in 2009 as a single tract of over 700 acres. The Hays Crossing tract includes 3 miles of both sides of the Wolf River between Moscow and Rossville and a massive number of wetlands which recharge the Memphis Sand Aquifer. The family could have sold it on the open market but instead chose to conserve the property; the Conservancy and countless other people are grateful to them on behalf of the abundant wildlife which continues to thrive there. In 2020, the Conservancy was able to add 270 acres adjoining Hays Crossing, thus creating nearly a 1,000-acre hub of conservation land open to the public.

1. The Ghost River  (4,067 acres)

In 1995, the most famous land protection story in Wolf River Conservancy’s history culminated in the creation of the Ghost River State Natural Area and the Wolf RIver Wildlife Management Area. This was a gargantuan effort better described in a previous article The Heroes of Ghost River: A 40th Anniversary Reflection.  The protection of the Ghost River section of the Wolf River has positively impacted thousands of paddlers directly and over 1 million people indirectly through the aquifer recharge that occurs on this immensely important property. Cheers to the 30^th anniversary of the saving of the Ghost!

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