Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge protects 87.37 acres in Franklin County, Tennessee, within the Paint Rock River watershed near Alabama, and is part of a broader protected landscape of about 40,000 acres. In one of eastern North America’s last large deciduous hardwood forest tracts, its forests, streams, caves, and karst support exceptional biodiversity, including at least 15 federally listed threatened or endangered species, rare mussels, and rich fish life. Long sought by conservationists, the refuge was authorized in 2016 and established in 2023 through a key land transfer and partnerships among federal, state, and private conservation groups to safeguard habitat, water quality, education, and future compatible recreation.