Land Donation By Local Resident Expands Williams Bluffs Preserve

ATLANTA — December 21, 2005 — The Nature Conservancy expanded its Williams Bluffs Preserve in Early County, Ga., recently with the addition of 1,218 acres, donated by the estate of the late Myrtle Williams. Mrs. Williams helped establish the preserve in 1996 with the donation of more than 1,000 acres, given in memory of her late husband John, an avid hunter and conservationist.

"It was important to both of them that the land remain natural and not developed," said Philip Buckhalter, executor of Mrs. Williams' estate. "That's why they wanted to donate the property to The Nature Conservancy, so it will be protected for years to come."

Bounded on the west by the Chattahoochee River, Williams Bluffs Preserve contains a combination of natural communities including sandy uplands, mature bottomland swamps, and old-growth bluff forests. The preserve is also host to various imperiled species such as the state endangered Florida willow and the Chamberlain's dwarf salamander.

“The generosity and the conservation ethic demonstrated by Mrs. Williams have enabled The Nature Conservancy to preserve an important part of southwest Georgia’s natural heritage,” said Tavia McCuean, vice president and Georgia state director for The Nature Conservancy. “We are grateful to the Williams family for this generous gift to conservation.”