U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said Thursday that the appropriations bill he co-authored has been approved by the Appropriations Committee, with a number of state projects funded.

The bill includes $6 million for the Cherokee National Forest for acquisition of land in Rocky Fork in Greene and Unicoi counties.

It also includes funding for the Tusculum municipality.

Nolichucky District Ranger Terry Bowerman said in a telephone interview Friday that the money will be used to purchase additional land in Rocky Fork from the Conservation Fund.

The approximately 10,000-acre Rocky Fork tract adjoins the existing national forest.

Until last year, Rocky Fork was considered one of the largest remaining tracts of undeveloped mountain land held in private ownership in the eastern United States.

This project has been the U.S. Forest Service's highest-ranked land acquisition project for several years.

Bowerman noted that the Forest Service received $5 million in the 2009 budget and plans to use that to purchase part of the Rocky Fork tract. That agreement was announced in December.

"We're pleased that, if we get $6 million more dollars, the National Forest would be able to add to our acquisition by purchasing more land that the Conservation Fund owns" in Rocky Fork, Bowerman said.

Ralph Knoll, a field representative for the Conservation Fund, said in a separate telephone interview that he was pleased to hear that the funding bill had passed "this huge hurdle," in the Appropriations Committee. "That's obviously great news," he said.

Knoll said Sen. Alexander "continues to be a real champion for Rocky Fork," along with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. and several members of Congress from North Carolina who support the acqusition.

However, Knoll urged anyone interested in Rocky Fork to contact their senators and congressional representatives and urge continued support.

Knoll said the $5 million that the Forest Service received last year will be used to purchase about 1,200 acres, and the $6 million, if it is finally approved, would purchase about 1,500 acres.

He said the price is based on the $4,000 per acre Forest Service appraisal of the land.

Increased funding for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other national parks, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and several water and wastewater projects in Tennessee communities is also in the bill, according to the press release.

The bill, which must now be considered by the full Senate, would provide $20.4 million in base operations funding for the Smokies, an increase of $1 million over last year.

The appropriations bill also includes $500,000 for the Cherokee National Forest to relocate and construct a new Cherokee National Forest Work Center for employees and equipment used to maintain federally managed property in the Watauga region of the forest.