Service Recognizes Nature Conservancy Employee for Protection Work in the Chattahoochee National Forest
Atlanta, GA—Feburary 28, 2004—The U.S. Forest Service recently recognized Steve Friedman, director of protection for the Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, for his conservation efforts in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service have been working hand-in-hand to protect vital habitat on private land within the Forest.
“Steve has worked hard to advance the mission of conservation in the Chattahoochee National Forest,” said Jim Kidd, lands program manager for the Chattahoochee National Forest. “We are grateful for his dedication to this project and his genuine interest in protecting this area.”
Friedman, who has been with the Conservancy for five years, works closely with the Forest Service and voluntary, private landowners to explore conservation options to ensure the permanent protection of this national treasure. To date, the Forest Service and the Conservancy have collaborated on land deals resulting in the protection of 200 acres, which have been added to the national forest. Another 600 acres are currently under option.
“The Chattahoochee National Forest is one of those rare treasures that have received federal protection for its vast biological diversity and for the enjoyment of the American people,” said Tavia McCuean, vice president and director of the Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “Steve (Friedman) has done an outstanding job to further the Conservancy’s partnership with the Forest Service to achieve our common goal of protecting this national resource.”
The Chattahoochee National Forest encompasses 750,000 acres of mountainous forestland in the Southern Blue Ridge ecoregion of north Georgia and contains approximately 119,000 acres of the Conasauga River watershed. An especially diverse watershed with over 90 species of fish and 29 species of mussels, the Conasauga River system is one of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States.
“The Chattahoochee National Forest and the Conasauga River watershed are among the most biologically rich and beautiful places in the country,” said Friedman. “It’s been my honor to work with Jim Kidd and the rest of the Forest Service staff to protect this one-of-a-kind treasure.”
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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 101 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In Georgia, working with local communities and partners, more than 220,000 acres have been protected. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/georgia.
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