Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office

Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office Welcome to the Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office page!

For official information about us, visit https://www.fws.gov/office/tennessee-ecological-services.

Another discovery!? Plant conservation is on a roll!USFWS Partners Biologist Robby Cogburn recently visited a property i...
08/06/2026

Another discovery!?

Plant conservation is on a roll!

USFWS Partners Biologist Robby Cogburn recently visited a property in Grundy County with Quail Forever Biologists Kris Oja and Macon Girdley. The intent of the visit was to check out how the site was responding after a prescribed fire, with the hope of seeing the federally threatened White Fringeless Orchid, or at least suitable habitat for it.

And that they did!

But they didn't just find habitat or a few White Fringeless Orchids..... Instead they found over 2,000!!! The discovery of this new population is HUGE because this is now one of the top 5 largest White Fringeless Orchid occurrences!

Through Quail Forever’s great work, along side the landowner, a White Fringeless Orchid haven has been created!

Discovery of new federally listed species occurrences is always exciting, but it is even more exciting when there are great partners and great landowners that make such an impact on recovering these rare species!

Quail Forever Tennessee Quail Forever

📸: Robby Cogburn, USFWS

07/22/2026

We loved seeing all the love for Pyne’s ground-plum on our last post! USFWS Partners biologist Robby Cogburn recently returned to the newly discovered site and shared an update on current site conditions.

In April 2025, USFWS Private Lands Biologist Robby Cogburn was visiting a landowner in Wilson County when he came across...
07/10/2026

In April 2025, USFWS Private Lands Biologist Robby Cogburn was visiting a landowner in Wilson County when he came across a plant that made him think someone was pulling an April Fools’ prank.

It turned out to be anything but a joke — he had discovered a new population of federally endangered Pyne’s ground-plum!

Until this find, Pyne’s ground-plum was only known to naturally occur in Rutherford County, making this new Wilson County population an exciting and significant discovery.

Thanks to a strong partnership between the landowner, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Quail Forever, and the Missouri Botanical Garden, restoration work is now underway to improve the property’s limestone glades. Seed collection efforts have also begun to help safeguard this rare and remarkable species.

A big win for conservation in Tennessee! 🌱✨

July's Endangered Species of the Month is the Pyne's Ground-plum (Astragalus bibullatus)🪻This rare wildflower grows only...
07/01/2026

July's Endangered Species of the Month is the Pyne's Ground-plum (Astragalus bibullatus)🪻

This rare wildflower grows only in a few patches of limestone glades in Middle Tennessee. With delicate plumlike fruits and tiny purple blooms, Pyne’s ground-plum is beautiful—but extremely vulnerable. Urban development and invasive plants continue to squeeze out its limited habitat. By supporting conservation of native grasslands and glades, we help preserve one of Tennessee’s botanical treasures.

📸: Abbey Brown, USFWS

Big things are happening at Vervilla! 🐟💧This Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge site — once overrun by mosquitofish afte...
06/22/2026

Big things are happening at Vervilla! 🐟💧

This Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge site — once overrun by mosquitofish after a major flood — is being restored so it can finally serve its original purpose: a release site for the Barrens topminnow.

With mosquitofish removal and habitat upgrades underway, Vervilla is on track to become a safe, high‑quality home for future topminnow reintroductions.

A huge win for native fish conservation.

📸: Abbey Brown, USFWS

Fish delivery day! 🐟✨Barrens topminnow are officially the first species moved into the new joint propagation facility at...
06/16/2026

Fish delivery day! 🐟✨

Barrens topminnow are officially the first species moved into the new joint propagation facility at Dale Hollow NFH — a collaboration between the TNFO, Dale Hollow NFH, and Conservation Fisheries Inc..

This new facility expands propagation capacity, strengthens techniques, and creates much‑needed space for additional at‑risk species that depend on conservation partnerships like this one.

A big milestone for native fish recovery!

📸: Abbey Brown, USFWS

The Barrens topminnow propagation and reintroduction plan was approved in 2024, opening the door for more than 1,000 Bar...
06/10/2026

The Barrens topminnow propagation and reintroduction plan was approved in 2024, opening the door for more than 1,000 Barrens topminnows to be released back to the wild.

Today, we’re already seeing the payoff — stronger populations, restored spring habitats, and a renewed future for one of Tennessee’s rarest fish.

None of this would be possible without the dedicated partnerships among agencies, researchers, landowners, and conservation groups working together to bring this species back from the brink. A powerful reminder that conservation succeeds when we collaborate. 🤝

📸: Abbey Brown, USFWS (Barrens topminnow being acclimated before getting released to the wild)

Jumping into June with another Endangered Species of the Month🐟With its bright colors and distinguishing exclamation poi...
06/03/2026

Jumping into June with another Endangered Species of the Month🐟

With its bright colors and distinguishing exclamation point on their backs, the endangered Barrens topminnow (Fundulus julisia) is one of Tennessee’s most charismatic small fish. It lives in clear springs and streams on the Barrens Plateau, where groundwater changes and the invasive western mosquitofish threaten its survival. Restoring springs and controlling invasive fish are key to keeping this topminnow thriving in its native waters.

📸: Abbey Brown, USFWS

USFWS biologists Emily Granstaff and Warren Stiles attended the second annual Race for the Laurel Dace in Spring City, T...
05/21/2026

USFWS biologists Emily Granstaff and Warren Stiles attended the second annual Race for the Laurel Dace in Spring City, TN, an event organized by the Tennessee Aquarium. Participation grew to 200 racers this year, helping raise vital funds for laurel dace conservation.

The biologists hosted an educational booth featuring a game to identify parts of a laurel dace and spark conversations about endangered species. The event fittingly took place the day after Endangered Species Day and highlighted the laurel dace, the official fish of Spring City.

This growing community celebration continues to build awareness and support for protecting one of Tennessee’s rarest fish.

Photo credits: Emily Granstaff (USFWS) and Doug Strickland (Tennessee Aquarium)

Tennessee Field Office biologist (Karman Morgan) recently assisted staff from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (T...
05/19/2026

Tennessee Field Office biologist (Karman Morgan) recently assisted staff from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority to collect brooding females of the endangered Cumberland rockface for a captive propagation effort at TWRA's Cumberland River Aquatic Center. The Cumberland rockface has been reduced to only two native populations in the Powell River (VA/TN) and Duck River (TN). This effort is being funded by the Service to reestablish several mussel species, including the Cumberland rockface, back into the Elk River (TN/AL). The last record of the Cumberland rockface from the Elk River was in 1970.

📸: Brittany Bajo-Walker, TWRA

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