Protecting the Aetna Mountain Bogs
By Eliot Berz
Barking Tree Frog
In 2021, the Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT) purchased a property atop Aetna Mountain that contained a series of mountain bogs with noteworthy biodiversity. The mountain bogs represent an exceedingly rare habitat that host an impressive collection of threatened plant and animal species. Many of these imperiled species, such as the barking tree frog, Virginia chain fern, or sharp-scaled mannagrass, rely on a very unique set of environmental conditions that are provided by the Aetna Mountain Bogs. If these conditions are altered, the bogs will lose the ability to serve as a home for these rare species. Due to the sensitivity of the bogs coupled with the scarcity of this habitat type, TRGT has partnered with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative to scientifically monitor the Aetna Mountain Bogs. The recently established monitoring program will inform TRGT’s forest management plan for the property and allow the team to proactively protect this sensitive habitat. The data collected through monitoring will reveal the status of each rare plant species and inform the TRGT land management team if any restoration efforts are needed.
