Since Foothills Land Conservancy’s first beginnings 40 years ago, our organization has been blessed with many outstanding Board Members and truly wonderful people who have continually helped us fulfill our mission. This story highlights William ‘Billy’ Minser, who has served either as a Board of Directors member or Special Advisor since 1988 – and has always given his time, resources, and passion to our work.

To say that Billy “walks the walk” about land conservation is a huge understatement. For over 50 years, Billy has had an impact through many paths. He served as a Wildlife Biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and with the Georgia Game & Fish Commission. Billy received an MS in Forestry/Wildlife Management University of Tennessee. Following two years of service as an officer in the US Army, including Vietnam, Billy became a teacher and researcher with the University of Tennessee’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. He served for 40 years in those capacities at UTK until he retired in 2011. Billy reflects, “Since I was a small child, during my young teenage years as an Eagle Scout, and as a young college student, I knew I wanted to work in land conservation. It’s been my pleasure to share what I know with students, our community, and FLC.”

The conservation projects and highlights that Billy Minser has been involved with over the years include:

• Assisted in the acquisition of about 500,000 acres in the Tennessee Valley which includes eight new wildlife management areas and a 300-acre addition to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Helped to spearhead an effort in 2006 to protect 292,000 acres of public lakeshore property around TVA lakes acres in eight states.
• Involved in securing the Foothills Wildlife Management Area (FMWA), which has since grown from 4,000 Blount County acres donated to TWRA back in the ‘90s to approximately 10,000 acres, providing a wildlife corridor with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Partnered with Carpenter’s Elementary in Maryville, TN, to create a one-of-a-kind ‘Outdoor Classroom’ that includes trails, wildlife habitats, learning signage and teacher lesson plans. This project has caught the attention of several schools throughout the region who are also looking to implement something similar in their schools and community.
• Assisted in promoting the creation of the Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.
• Facilitated efforts between FLC, TWRA, and Ducks Unlimited to acquire 524 acres of wetlands and uplands, now called the Kyker Bottoms Wildlife Refuge, located in Blount County, TN. Kyker Bottoms is managed by TWRA and is open to the public. The refuge includes fields, forests, wetlands and thickets. It is managed primarily for waterfowl and shorebirds as well as for diverse nongame, and especially songbirds.
• Worked with FLC, The Conservation Fund, TWRA and other groups to acquire a 2,500-acre refuge, called Yuchi Wildlife Management Area. Yuchi is located on the Chickamauga Reservoir near Chattanooga, TN. It is owned and managed by TWRA and includes wetlands, uplands, and riparian habitat and is one of a string of nearby refuges and natural areas providing feeding/resting habitat for migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes.
• Assisted in the education and graduation of more than 1,000 Wildlife & Fisheries professionals at the University of Tennessee, who are now making their own impact on conservation across the United States.

To date, the Minser Family has protected nearly 200 acres of personal land in proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest, Kyker Bottoms Wetland Management Area, and Foothills WMA. In addition to conservation easements (CE’s) Billy has placed on his own property, he has also helped other family members and neighbors to do the same.

For Billy there has never been a more critical time to preserve land, and the role of a land trust is vital to making this happen. “Tennessee is one of the most biologically diverse states in the U.S. but is also among the top 10 states in conversion of farmland and forestland to development. We have an opportunity right now to protect and preserve land for public parks, scenic views, wildlife habitat, clean waterways, unique natural features, farming, historical sites and the list goes on. Land trusts, like the Foothills Land Conservancy, have the tools and resources to partner with private and public landowners to preserve their land – this benefits all of us, our quality of life, and that of future generations.”