Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
| Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | TWRA |
TWRA Seal
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1974 |
| Preceding agency | Tennessee Game and Fish Commission |
| Employees | 600+ |
| Annual budget | 85.6 million USD |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Tennessee, United States |
| Legal jurisdiction | State of Tennessee |
| Governing body | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission |
| General nature |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, Tennessee |
| Agency executives |
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| Regions | I (Jackson), II (Nashville), III (Crossville) and IV (Morristown) |
| Facilities | |
| Patrol cars | GMC, Ford and Dodge Light trucks and SUVs |
| Boats | Various patrol and utility craft |
| Planes | Partenavia, P68 Observer 2; Tail Number: N76TW |
| Website | |
| http://www.tennessee.gov/twra | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
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 engaged in hunter education and training through the Tennessee Hunter Education Program and provides support to the "Archery in the Schools Program" and financial support to safety and competitive shooting programs through the Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program.
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, 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.
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 boating laws (such as patrolling for intoxicated boaters, checking for correct boat registration, and enforcement of safety regulations) and maintaining public boat access areas.
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Wikipedia