TWRA to Be Represented at Cookeville’s 6th Annual Nature Fest

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) will be participating in the city of Cookeville and Putnam County’s 6th Annual Nature Fest to be held Thursday, April 22 through Sunday, April 25.

 

Nature Fest is a four-day event that celebrates the great outdoors and is designed to educate the citizens of the Upper Cumberland region and beyond about the plentiful opportunities to experience and enjoy nature in the region.

 

All indoor programs for the free event will be held at Pennebaker Hall on the Tennessee Tech University campus. Most of the outdoor activities will be held at Cane Creek Park.

 

On Thursday and Friday evenings, sessions will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. On Thursday, TWRA Wildlife Officer, Dale Grandstaff will be one of the opening program presenters as he speaks about interesting and amusing wildlife investigative cases in Pennebraker Hall, Room 308.

 

TWRA Region III biologist, Mark Thurman, will be a presenter at one of Friday evening’s 6:30 sessions and speak about salamanders in the Upper Cumberland Area. Thurman’s presentation will be in Pennebaker Hall, Room 320.  He surveys and monitors wildlife populations, and he has spent many hours in the field surveying salamanders, frogs, and reptiles.

 

Chris Simpson, TWRA Region III Nongame Inventory Manager and a member of the Nature Fest Planning Committee, will have the TWRA Education Trailer set up at Cane Creek on Saturday and Sunday. The exhibit will be available from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Simpson was awarded the TWRA Biologist of the Year award in October.

 

 Nature Fest has seen growth in each of its five previous years of existence. Many of the events are repeats due to interest, but several new topics have also been added for this year’s sixth anniversary. Special children's activities will also be offered including hands-on crafts that relate to nature.

  

For more information telephone (931) 520-4386, or check out these Web sites: www.naturefestcookeville.com and www.cookeville-tn.org/ls.

 

(For a schedule and event information, click on the attachments below)