Newsroom

Members of the TWRA Honor Guard recently participated in a two-day training session at the John Sevier Range alongside the University of Tennessee ROTC Dragoons.

Wally Akins has retired as Assistant Chief for the Wildlife and Forestry Division, Field Operations. Wally had been serving in the position since the summer of 2020.

After an impressive 32-year career with the Agency, Capt. Tim Sain has retired. Capt. Sain began his journey in 1993 as a wildlife officer in Unicoi County, an area known for its rugged terrain and pristine waters within the Cherokee National Forest. He thrived in the mountains, often working late into the night to ensure compliance with wildlife laws.

The TWRA was represented at One Health Day hosted by the Nashville Zoo. TWRA was among the state, federal, universities, and non-profit organizations participating in the event which is celebrated annually and held for the first time at the Nashville Zoo.

In a unified effort to conserve an endangered species, the TWRA joined forces with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reintroduce one of the rarest freshwater mussels in North America—the Appalachian Rockshell— into the Clinch and Powell rivers of upper East Tennessee and Virginia.

TWRA Deputy Director for Field Operations, Brandon Wear, was among those who had the privilege to participate in Bosslift 2025. Sponsored by the Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve (ESGR). Bosslift is an annual event for area employers of National Guard and Reservists to see how their employees, who also serve in the military, train for deployment.

The 2025 Mississippi River Monsters Championship recently took place in Memphis, attracting hundreds of anglers from across the country who competed for the title.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host the inaugural Tennessee Biodiversity Summit, an event celebrating Tennessee’s rich habitats and multitude of species, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Middle Tennessee State University in the Grand Ballroom of the Student Union Building.

Agency staff participated in a fishing event hosted by Tennessee Titan Jeffery Simmons at Cedar Creek Marina on Old Hickory Lake on Sept. 9. Through his Give Em a Reason Foundation, in partnership with Music City Bass and Big Brothers and Sisters of Middle Tennessee, 12 youngsters were coached by Jeffery and others on how to fish off the dock at the marina.

TWRA Deputy Director for Field Operations, Brandon Wear, was among those who had the privilege to participate in Bosslift 2025. Sponsored by the Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve (ESGR). Bosslift is an annual event for area employers of National Guard and Reservists to see how their employees, who also serve in the military, train for deployment.

TWRA Region III employees, like all regions, recently banded geese. Interns and volunteers joined them to learn the intricacies of this task.

James Askins, Wildlife Tech 2 at Buffalo Ridge, was thanked for assisting the Fisheries Division in developing a kayak and canoe access point on the Buffalo River off Highway 13, between Lobelville and Interstate 40. James played a key role in a partnership project involving TWRA, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), and the Tennessee Scenic River Partnership (TSRP).