Williams Island Native Grassland Prairie

Williams Island is a 450-acre island at the gateway of the Tennessee River Gorge. For over 10,000 years, humans have been interacting with this unique space. Over the past century, notable portions of the island have changed form from its prior form and taken over by a list of invasive species . The Tennessee River Gorge Trust is seeking begin a long term restoration process to degraded sites on Williams Island to the biodiverse native grasslands that once flourished on the island. The new Williams Island Trail will take visitors through the prairie to educational kiosks, a pavillion, and abundant spring and summer wildflowers. Bird banding research projects will also occur within this restoration area to assess how bird species respond to the habitat improvements.