Included in today�s announcement was the transfer of approximately 3,000 acres of new gifted properties previously designated for conservation easements in 2004, as well as 483 acres of pristine timberland deemed high in ecological and historical value.

Bowater CEO Dave Paterson and Tennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation Jim Fyke presented details of the company�s land transfers, as well as results of ecological studies, at a news conference at the State Capitol today.

�Bowater is pleased to have been a vital partner with the State of Tennessee for many years in the preservation of special lands on the Cumberland Plateau, and is proud of its contributions toward the achievement of many of the conservation initiatives begun with the State nearly five years ago,� said Paterson.

Today�s donation of 3,000 acres represents tracts located in the company�s former Pocket Wilderness areas of Stinging Fork, Piney River, Upper Piney River Gorge, and North Chickamauga, and are in addition to the 610 acres gifted to the State in June 2004. Together, the donated lands will allow for further development of the State�s Cumberland Trail system.

�The Cumberland Plateau features some of the most ecologically and culturally significant lands anywhere in the United States, and we�re appreciative to have had the opportunity to partner with Dave Paterson and Bowater to protect priority tracts, both through donation and purchase,� said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke.

In addition to the gifted properties, Paterson also announced the sale to the State of 298 acres, including 194 acres in the Scott�s Pinnacle area adjacent to the Bridgestone/Firestone Wildlife Management and 104 acres adjoining Bledsoe State Forest.

�By focusing on priority areas with significant ecological or conservation value, and bringing partners to the table with similar conservation goals, we are able to leverage resources and do more with less,� said Fyke. �Bowater has been a key partner in the state�s conservation efforts and an example of how effectively these partnerships can work.�

In addition to the gifted and sale properties, Bowater announced finalization of a cooperative effort with the Heritage Conservation Trust to make 185 acres available to Historic Rugby, one of Tennessee�s most treasured landmarks.

�We owe a great deal to the State and to Bowater,� said Barbara Stagg, Executive Director of Historic Rugby. �This strategic appropriation of land not only protects Historic Rugby from incompatible development, but also safeguards an important watershed area adjoining the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.�

Paterson also announced today the conclusion of a landmark joint biological and archeological study of the company�s special coves and gulfs, completed this summer in conjunction with the Department of Environment and Conservation and the University of Tennessee. Pointing to �significant findings� to be officially released in the near future, the report includes discoveries of new colonies of large-flowered skullcap, a plant species listed as �threatened� by the federal government and currently listed by NatureServe as �globally imperiled.� It also reports sightings of a prehistoric red ochre pictograph in a Cumberland Plateau rock shelter, indicating human habitation thousands of years ago. These findings will result in the protection of these areas under state ownership.

�Not only are we proud to have participated in such an important study that yielded these results, but we are most pleased to report that the ecological sampling also allowed us to develop the first-ever �predictive model� for large-flowered skullcap, which will allow biologists to identify expected occurrences of this plant species,� commented Dr. Matthew Gray, an ecologist with the University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, and leader of the study's biological assessment. �While these results are currently in scientific peer review, we�re confident that our findings will assist in restoration of this species, which has for many years been considered imperiled,� Gray said in a written statement.

Bowater Incorporated, headquartered in Greenville, SC, is a leading producer of coated and specialty papers and newsprint. In addition, the company sells bleached market pulp and lumber products. Bowater employs approximately 6,900 people and has 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea. In North America, it also operates a converting facility and owns 10 sawmills. Bowater�s operations are supported by approximately 708,000 acres of timberlands owned or leased in the United States and Canada and 28 million acres of timber cutting rights in Canada. Bowater operates six recycling plants and is one of the world�s largest consumers of recycled newspapers and magazines. To learn more, visit www.bowater.com.

(Images provided by Dogwood Alliance.)

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