The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

The Nature Conservancy has long recognized the importance of America’s public lands. Americans have a deep-rooted tradition of turning to our landscape to sustain and enrich our lives.

Even during times of crisis, including the Civil War and the Great Depression, America’s greatest leaders have committed to conservation as a means of uplifting our people and healing our nation.

• President Lincoln authorized the protection of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove as California state parks in June 1864 — the same month the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, began.
• Later that summer, The New York Times called for the establishment of a public park in the Adirondacks.
• To save a generation of young men as well as our land, President Franklin Roosevelt set the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to work during the Great Depression. in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge  (now the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge) by executive order, and an all-black unit of the CCC was sent to the refuge in southeast Georgia where they built facilities that are still in use today.

Today, the Conservancy supports policy initiatives such as America’s Great Outdoors and urges a permanent commitment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Of course, the Conservancy also has a long history of working with local, state and federal entities to establish and expand popular and iconic American places. While the sites below represent only a fraction of our projects in Georgia we hope these highlights will inspire you to explore and protect our great outdoors.   

After all, this land is your land.

Chattahoochee National Forest

One of the largest national forests east of the Mississippi River, the Chattahoochee National Forest spans over 750,000 acres of mountainous forest land in north Georgia and encompasses the headwaters of the Conasauga and Etowah rivers. In total, The Nature Conservancy has helped to protect more than 1,100 acres Land within the Forest, including establishing the Holly Creek Preserve.

Coastal Georgia

Four to six miles offshore, Georgia’s 14 barrier islands protect the coast from the force of the sea. Working with a host of partners for more than four decades, The Nature Conservancy has played a critical role in helping protect this region where so many go to play in the surf and sand.

Moody Forest

Forming the first public-private land management partnership in Georgia, The Nature Conservancy paired with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2001 to create Moody Forest Natural Area. Open for variety of recreation opportunities, Moody Forest is also home to many rare species including red-cockaded woodpeckers and gopher tortoises.