NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Council is working to increase the amount of green space in Nashville.

The council voted Tuesday night to increase the land at Beaman Park covering part of the Cheatham-Davidson County line.

The Tennessee Conservation Fund will purchase around 308 acres of Davidson County property adjoining Beaman Park. TCF will temporarily own and hold the property until it can be transferred to Metro Nashville for long-term management and protection as a new addition to Beaman Park. TCF is requesting around $1.6 million from HCTF for this property. The remaining $1.9 million of the project budget will be covered by other public and private funding sources.

District 16 Metro Councilmember Ginny Welsch said that as the city builds more and more, it’s getting increasingly difficult to get land donations or find land that can be donated to help expand Nashville’s park system.

The forested tract sits within Tennessee’s Western Highland Rim Forest, one of the largest contiguous forest areas in the southeastern United States. The forest is threatened by fragmentation and forest loss. The property across from Beaman Park is currently threatened by development and listed for sale at $3.4 million.

TCF is promising that the property’s conservation values, scenic views, hiking and recreation, streams and wildlife habitat will be protected.

“We need to be sure that this land is forever beautiful open green space that we can all enjoy because things are disappearing rapidly, not just around the county but around the world,” Welsch said. “We need to make sure we take advantage of these opportunities when they present themselves.”

Welsch said all of her colleagues agree that when there is an opportunity to expand and preserve land, they want to let their constituents know how important it is to protect the green space in Tennessee and make it available to all people.

“It adds to our quality of life; it adds to our health and wellbeing, and it is well worth the expenditures to make sure we protect these beautiful lands for all eternity,” Welsch said. 

Welsch said the cost of the property is a small price to pay to guarantee a safe future for the land for generations to come.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/middle-tn-neighborhood-news/metro-council-approves-resolution-to-protect-expand-land-at-beaman-park/