• U.S. Park Service reconsiders highway scheme
• NRDC negotiates pact with leading paper producer
• Tennessee allocates $82 million for forest conservation

Tennessee set aside $82 million to buy up 124,000 acres of native forests in the vast Cumberland Plateau BioGem. Championed by Governor Phil Bredesen and NRDC, the North Cumberlands Conservation Initiative overcame strong opposition from some Tennessee lawmakers and will safeguard many of the state's most outstanding woodlands from destructive development and logging. These areas include 10,000 acres at Emory River, including Love and Bird Mountains, which will be added to Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area. The sweeping scale of the conservation initiative will help protect the region's clear streams and rivers and provide a natural corridor for wildlife such as songbirds, elk and deer to move and migrate freely.