The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is an independent state agency of the state of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

with the mission of managing the state's

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

and

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

and their

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, as well as responsibility for all wildlife-related

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term ...

activities. The agency also has responsibility for fostering the safe use of the state's waters through a program of law enforcement, education, and access. The TWRA is engaged in hunter education and training through the Tennessee Hunter Education Program and provides support to the "Archery in the Schools Program" and financial support to safety and competitive shooting programs through the Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program.

History

The role of the TWRA was originally handled by various state agencies and departments until 1949, when the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission was set up as an independent agency. In 1974, the Game and Fish Commission was reorganized as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Organization

Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission

The TWRA is governed by the 13-member Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission, whose members are citizens appointed by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, the speaker of the state house, and the

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the state senate.

Regions

The state is divided into four administrative regions, each containing two law enforcement districts. Regions are headed by a Law Enforcement

Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

, as well as fisheries and wildlife program managers. Districts are headed by Law Enforcement Captains Each county in the state is assigned at least one uniformed TWRA officer.

Region 1

Region 1 is headquartered in offices on Lake Graham outside of

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackson ...

, and covers all of

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its ...

plus four counties along the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...

. It is subdivided into law enforcement districts 11 and 12.

Region 2

Region 2 is headquartered in offices at the

Ellington Agricultural Center The Ellington Agricultural Center is an agricultural center in Nashville, Tennessee, US. It is home to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the Tennessee Agricultural Museum. History The 207 acres o ...

in Nashville, Tennessee. It covers most of

except for the four counties straddling the northern part of the Tennessee River near West Tennessee and the counties along the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms " Al ...

. It is subdivided into districts 21 and 22.

Region 3

Region 3 is headquartered in an industrial development north of downtown

Crossville, Tennessee Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Crossville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,071 at the 2020 census. History Crossville developed at the inte ...

. It covers most of the counties in Tennessee along the

and in southern

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...

. It is subdivided into districts 31 and 32.

Region 4

Region 4 is headquartered in

Morristown, Tennessee Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. Morristown also extends into Jefferson County on the western and southern ends. The city's population was recorded to be 30,431 at the 2020 United States ce ...

in offices located along Cherokee Reservoir. It covers most of the counties of northeastern East Tennessee and is divided into districts 41 and 42.

Officer rank structure

TWRA law enforcement officers are divided into a rank system similar to that of many law enforcement agencies, adopting the names and insignia of some ranks in the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

. Majors are placed in charge of law enforcement activities within TWRA regions, assisted by a Lieutenant. Captains are in charge of law enforcement activities within TWRA districts.

Law enforcement

TWRA officers are tasked with enforcing state and federal game and non-game wildlife regulations, including hunting, fishing and trapping. The TWRA is also responsible for enforcing all

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

laws (such as patrolling for intoxicated boaters, checking for correct boat registration, and enforcement of safety regulations) and maintaining public boat access areas. Although TWRA officers concentrate on wildlife-related law enforcement and rarely are called to enforce other laws, they carry not only state-level commissions, but commissions granted by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

as well, giving them the ability and responsibility to enforce all state, local, and federal codes.

Forensics

The TWRA maintains a modern

forensics Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimin ...

laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Martin that includes state of the art DNA analysis equipment.

Homeland security and disaster response

TWRA officers are often called to provide assistance in search and rescue operations, due to their extensive experience working in woodland environments. TWRA K-9 units are utilized during missing persons situations in rural or wild areas within the state. TWRA officers also are included in

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

training as first responders and anti-terrorism enforcement officials. TWRA officers were sent to the Gulf Coast to provide assistance to local law enforcement and rescue teams in the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

Support programs

In addition to traditional law enforcement, the TWRA maintains

Honor Guard A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

and

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

programs. The TWRA Honor Guard takes part in ceremonial services such as presenting the

colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

and funeral services for active or retired officers. In 2014, the TWRA formed a chaplaincy program to support the spiritual needs of its commissioned law enforcement officers and promote resiliency among those placed in high-stress situations. It is designed as a voluntary, peer-supported program to provide trained chaplains to respond to traumatic incidents and assist in next-of-kin notification.

Conservation

The TWRA takes an active role in wildlife and fisheries conservation and the reintroduction of wildlife that were driven from an area due to human intervention. Recent conservation activities included the successful reintroduction of

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...

s to West and Middle Tennessee, as well as a successful elk reintroduction program in East Tennessee.

Wildlife management areas

Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are publicly managed protected lands set aside for wildlife conservation and recreation, including camping, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and fishing. TWRA manages over spread across 123 WMAs statewide. Some WMAs are co-located with federally managed properties, such as Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and

Cherokee National Forest The Cherokee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. states of Tennessee and North Carolina that was created on June 14, 1920. The forest is maintained and managed by the United States Forest Service. It encompasse ...

Education and public outreach

Tennessee Hunter Education Program

Since 1985, Tennessee has required completion of the Tennessee Hunter Education Program (THEP) as a prerequisite to obtaining a hunting permit in the state for all persons born on or after January 1, 1969. All hunters over the age of 10 are required to be in possession of a Hunter Education certificate while in the field, and those under 10 must be accompanied by an adult of at least 21 years of age who has completed the course and who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device. The course is offered free of charge and consists of a minimum of 10 hours of classroom participation, although most courses generally last 12–16 hours. Students are then required to successfully pass a written examination and a live firing exercise. The course contains instruction on ethics, marksmanship, history of hunting and firearms, wildlife management and identification, laws, knowledge of firearms and ammunition, wilderness survival, emergency first aid, etc. The THEP was established as a formal hunter education program in 1975. According to the TWRA, since its institution hunting and firearm related accidents in Tennessee have declined dramatically. Hunter safety certification via the THEP is recognized by all states, Canada and Mexico.

Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program

In 2001, the TWRA partnered with the

National Shooting Sports Foundation The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is an American national trade association for the firearms industry that is based in Newtown, Connecticut. Formed in 1961, the organization has more than 8,000 members: firearms manufacturers, distrib ...

and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to institute the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program. This program is designed to provide elementary- to college-aged students in Tennessee with opportunities to compete in clay target shooting sports with their peers across the state. These programs are usually organized as school-endorsed athletic programs, however teams are also organized through 4-H clubs, Boy and Girl Scout Troops, or community groups. The program draws over 1,000 youth annually to the state championships.

Tennessee Wildlife magazine

As part of its public outreach and education efforts, the TWRA publishes Tennessee Wildlife magazine. Published quarterly, the magazine focuses on seasonal content with subjects relating to wildlife management and conservation, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. Agency personnel author numerous articles alongside free-lance pieces submitted by the public.

References

External links

* {{authority control State wildlife and natural resource agencies of the United States Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Resources Agency