Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is an independent state agency of the state of Tennessee
with the mission of managing the state's fish
and wildlife
and their habitats, as well as responsibility for all wildlife-related law enforcement
activities. The agency also has responsibility for fostering the safe use of the state's waters through a program of law enforcement, education, and access.
The TWRA is governed by the 13-member Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission, whose members are citizens appointed by the governor, the speaker of the state house
, and the speaker
of the state senate.
Each county in the state is assigned at least one uniformed TWRA officer. The state is divided into four administrative regions, with offices in Jackson
, Nashville
(also the location of the headquarters), Crossville
and Morristown
. Each region is itself divided into a number of law enforcement areas (typically three), headed by a law enforcement supervisor and an assistant supervisor that oversee and coordinate the activities of the officers in their area.
laws (such as patrolling for intoxicated boaters, checking for correct boat registration, and enforcement of safety regulations) and maintaining public boat access areas.
Although TWRA officers concentrate on wildlife-related law enforcement and rarely are called to enforce other laws, they carry not only state-level commissions, but commissions granted by the federal government
as well, giving them the ability and responsibility to enforce all state, local, and federal codes.
s to West and Middle Tennessee, as well as a successful elk
reintroduction program in East Tennessee. The TWRA manages over 215000 acres (870.1 km²) of forested land for public hunting and wildlife research. The TWRA maintains a modern forensics laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Martin that includes state of the art DNA
analysis equipment.
TWRA officers are often called to provide assistance in search and rescue operations, due to their extensive experience working in woodland environments. TWRA officers also are included in Department of Homeland Security training as first responders and anti-terrorism enforcement officials. TWRA officers were sent to the Gulf Coast to provide assistance to local law enforcement and rescue teams in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
.
The course is offered free of charge and consists of a minimum of 10 hours of classroom participation, although most courses generally last 12-16 hours. Students are then required to successfully pass a written examination and a live firing exercise. The course contains instruction on ethics, marksmanship, history of hunting and firearms, wildlife management and identification, laws, knowledge of firearms and ammunition, wilderness survival, emergency first aid, etc.
The THEP was established as a formal hunter education program in 1975, and since its institution hunting and firearm related accidents in Tennessee have declined dramatically.
Hunter safety certification via the THEP is recognized by all states, Canada and Mexico.
and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to institute the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program. This program is designed to provide elementary- to college-aged students in Tennessee with opportunities to compete in clay target shooting sports with their peers across the state. These programs are usually organized as school-endorsed athletic programs, however teams are also organized through 4-H
clubs, Boy and Girl Scout Troops
, or community groups. The program draws over 1,000 youth annually to the state championships.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
with the mission of managing the state's fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and their habitats, as well as responsibility for all wildlife-related law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
activities. The agency also has responsibility for fostering the safe use of the state's waters through a program of law enforcement, education, and access.
History and organization
The role of the TWRA was originally handled by various state agencies and departments until 1949, when the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission was set up as an independent agency. In 1974, the Game and Fish Commission was reorganized as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.The TWRA is governed by the 13-member Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission, whose members are citizens appointed by the governor, the speaker of the state house
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
, and the speaker
Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee
The Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee is the Speaker of the Tennessee Senate and first in line in the succession to the office of Governor of Tennessee in the event of the death, resignation, or removal from office through impeachment and conviction of the Governor of the U.S...
of the state senate.
Each county in the state is assigned at least one uniformed TWRA officer. The state is divided into four administrative regions, with offices in Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
(also the location of the headquarters), Crossville
Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
and Morristown
Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown is a city in, and the county seat of, Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties...
. Each region is itself divided into a number of law enforcement areas (typically three), headed by a law enforcement supervisor and an assistant supervisor that oversee and coordinate the activities of the officers in their area.
Law enforcement
TWRA officers are tasked with enforcing state and federal game and non-game wildlife regulations, including hunting, fishing and trapping. The TWRA is also responsible for enforcing all boatingBoating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
laws (such as patrolling for intoxicated boaters, checking for correct boat registration, and enforcement of safety regulations) and maintaining public boat access areas.
Although TWRA officers concentrate on wildlife-related law enforcement and rarely are called to enforce other laws, they carry not only state-level commissions, but commissions granted by the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
as well, giving them the ability and responsibility to enforce all state, local, and federal codes.
Conservation and other activities
The TWRA takes an active role in wildlife and fisheries conservation and the reintroduction of wildlife that were driven from an area due to human intervention. Recent conservation activities included the successful reintroduction of wild turkeyWild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
s to West and Middle Tennessee, as well as a successful elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
reintroduction program in East Tennessee. The TWRA manages over 215000 acres (870.1 km²) of forested land for public hunting and wildlife research. The TWRA maintains a modern forensics laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Martin that includes state of the art DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
analysis equipment.
TWRA officers are often called to provide assistance in search and rescue operations, due to their extensive experience working in woodland environments. TWRA officers also are included in Department of Homeland Security training as first responders and anti-terrorism enforcement officials. TWRA officers were sent to the Gulf Coast to provide assistance to local law enforcement and rescue teams in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Tennessee Hunter Education Program
Since 1985, Tennessee has required completion of the Tennessee Hunter Education Program (THEP) as a prerequisite to obtaining a hunting permit in the state for all persons born on or after January 1, 1969. All hunters over the age of 10 are required to be in possession of a Hunter Education certificate while in the field, and those under 10 must be accompanied by an adult of at least 21 years of age who has completed the course and who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device.The course is offered free of charge and consists of a minimum of 10 hours of classroom participation, although most courses generally last 12-16 hours. Students are then required to successfully pass a written examination and a live firing exercise. The course contains instruction on ethics, marksmanship, history of hunting and firearms, wildlife management and identification, laws, knowledge of firearms and ammunition, wilderness survival, emergency first aid, etc.
The THEP was established as a formal hunter education program in 1975, and since its institution hunting and firearm related accidents in Tennessee have declined dramatically.
Hunter safety certification via the THEP is recognized by all states, Canada and Mexico.
Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program
In 2001, the TWRA partnered with the National Shooting Sports FoundationNational Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, is a non-profit trade association for the shooting, hunting and firearms industry. Based in Newtown, Connecticut in the United States, NSSF's membership includes manufacturers, distributors, retailers, sportsmen's organizations and media.NSSF manages...
and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to institute the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program. This program is designed to provide elementary- to college-aged students in Tennessee with opportunities to compete in clay target shooting sports with their peers across the state. These programs are usually organized as school-endorsed athletic programs, however teams are also organized through 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
clubs, Boy and Girl Scout Troops
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, or community groups. The program draws over 1,000 youth annually to the state championships.