The Nature Conservancy Acquires 299 Acres of North Georgia Mountains, Expands Protection of the Etowah River

Private Landowner, The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Department of Transportation Allies in Protecting the Headwaters of the Etowah River

Atlanta — February 3, 2006 — This week, The Nature Conservancy purchased 299 acres of mountain land located within the Chattahoochee National Forest in Lumpkin County, Ga. Surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land, the property is traversed by five freshwater streams, including the main stem of the biologically rich Etowah River.

“With development pressures pushing into north Georgia, the natural diversity found within the mountain forests, rivers and streams are at risk of being lost forever,” said Tavia McCuean, vice president and state director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. “The Etowah River (below) sits in the middle of this development pressure – and it contains more imperiled aquatic species than any other river system of its size in the southeastern United States.”

The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from a private landowner who shared The Nature Conservancy’s vision for protecting the land.

Etowah River “This land has a special place in my heart,” said Dave Garwood, who purchased the property more than 20 years ago. “When the opportunity came along to sell our land to The Nature Conservancy, we knew that the history and the natural heritage of the land would be safeguarded and preserved.”

“Mr. Garwood has been a conscientious caretaker of this land,” said McCuean. “We share the same vision – to protect this incredible landscape from development and ensure that it continues to exists as it does today for the benefit of people and nature.”

To ensure the long-term protection of the property, The Nature Conservancy will sell the land to the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT), which will establish a mitigation bank on the site. A mitigation bank is an aquatic resource, such as a stream or a wetland, that is restored, established or enhanced to compensate for unavoidable impacts to other aquatic resources.

“We will be restoring the streams and wetlands on the property to their natural state, as well as removing a dam from one of the streams,” said Susan Knudson, ecology and permitting section chief, Georgia DOT. “Since the property is located in the Etowah River basin, a high priority conservation area, mitigation of the streams and wetlands will provide a significant amount of credits once the property is restored.”

Because the property is adjacent to the Chattahoochee National Forest, the Georgia DOT is discussing long-term management plans for the land with the Forest Service,.

The 299-acre acquisition represents the first phase of a multi-tiered land deal between The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia DOT. Within the next year, The Nature Conservancy expects to purchase an additional 180 acres from Garwood and again transfer the land to the Georgia DOT to be included in the mitigation bank.

“This area represents a high conservation priority for The Nature Conservancy, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to work with both private and public partners to ensure that this portion of the Etowah River watershed is protected for generations to come,” said Candace Stoughton, Etowah River project director for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia.

About the Etowah River
The Etowah River watershed, located approximately an hour north of Atlanta, joins the Oostanaula River in Rome, Ga., to form the Coosa River which then flows west into Alabama. The Nature Conservancy is working in the upper portion of the Etowah basin above Lake Allatoona where the aquatic biological diversity is mostly intact. With over 76 species of fish, including 17 rare or declining species, scientists have estimated that the Etowah River has more imperiled aquatic species than any other river system of its size in the southeastern United States. The greatest threat to the river system is sprawling urban growth. The Nature Conservancy is working with local communities and other conservation partners to develop sustainable land use planning practices that would protect ecologically sensitive areas.