Central Georgia Wildlands Initiative
This is a critical time for wildlands in central Georgia. Weyerhaeuser Corporation recently sold 322,000 acres of forestland, including two large tracts leased by the state: the Oaky Woods and Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Areas. This region is rapidly losing land to development, road building, and mining.
The Weyerhaeuser sale is one of the largest in state history and, unless the land is brought into public ownership or management, there is a high risk of major fragmentation of habitat critical to the black bear, bald eagle, Swainson’s warbler, red-cockaded woodpecker, and other threatened species. Located primarily in the Oconee and Ocmulgee watersheds, most of the land is in private hands, so protection of wildlife is limited.
To safeguard the region’s natural qualities, The Wilderness Society has created the Central Georgia Wildlands Initiative. One goal is to educate landowners about the value of conserving their property. In addition, through the Central Georgia Rivers Partnership we are identifying the lands most important to maintaining healthy fish and wildlife populations.
We also are leading the Partnership’s efforts to convince state and federal lawmakers in the region to fight for money from land conservation funds to help buy acreage from willing sellers. Success will depend on developing a conservation plan that promotes a healthy local economy, and we will be conducting the economic analysis required to produce such a plan.
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