After 25 years of service to the state and wildlife, Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Manager Jim Lane is retiring. Lane was hired as a Wildlife Officer in 1996 and assigned to Roane County. He transferred to a Wildlife Manager 1 position on Catoosa in 1999 and was promoted to a Wildlife Manager 2 in 2000. Lane stated, “When asked what my goals were in my first TWRA interview, I shared that I wanted to be the manager at Catoosa, and I hope I’m leaving it better than when I started.”
Lane oversaw more agency-owned land in the region than any other manager. Along with Catoosa WMA, Lane also managed Keyes-Harrison WMA, Luper Mountain WMA, and Mt. Roosevelt in the region. Work on Catoosa WMA includes maintenance of 70 miles of main gravel roads, 67 miles of large stone gravel roads, and 200 miles of trails, campsites, two check stations, and a shooting range.