The Fund and its partners have protected more than 15,000 acres in Alabama, including Civil War battlefield sites, blufflands for a national preserve, and a long-anticipated trail connecting Alabama to the Appalachian Trail.

Recent Projects

Weeks Bay

The Fund was part of the effort to contribute the largest addition to the Weeks Bay NERR since its designation in 1986. This property offers both wetlands and forests that serve as winter havens for various migratory birds and are open to the public recreation, including birdwatching. Read more >>

The Pinhoti Trail on Rebecca Mountain in Talladega National Forest

In 2009, our Racing for Wildlife program helped to protect the eight-mile crest of Rebecca Mountain, a major ridge in the Appalachian Mountains. Located just a short drive from Talladega Superspeedway within the Talladega National Forest, the protection of this land allows the U.S. Forest Service to complete a portion of the Pinhoti Trail, which connects Rebecca Mountain to the popular Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Georgia. The property will be open to visitors for hiking, camping and recreation.

Click here for a history of our work on the Pinhoti Trail.

Past Projects

Little River Canyon National Preserve

The Little River Canyon National Preserve features one of the nation's longest mountaintop rivers, the Little River, which flows on top of Lookout Mountain for nearly all of its length. For the past five years, we have worked to protect the canyon’s spectacular viewshed from development, preserving 88 acres along the eastern rim, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Most recently, with support from Fred and Alice Stanback Jr., we protected an additional 14 acres here, stretching the preserve’s eastern boundary. Our efforts to save this favorite recreation destination continue, with support from Alabama’s congressional delegation.

Brasher Woods Preserve

Some of the South’s biggest trees grow in one of Alabama’s smallest counties. Here, at Brasher Woods Preserve, songbirds nest in the branches of towering hickories, oaks and maples. In 2008, we worked closely with the property’s longtime owners, the Brasher family, and The Nature Conservancy to preserve 40 acres adjacent to Brasher Woods—capping a three-year effort to protect 170 acres buffering this old-growth forest. Support from Fred and Alice Stanback Jr. and a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grant made this acquisition possible.

Civil War Battlefield Conservation

Back to Civil War Battlefield Campaign

Day's Gap Battlefield

The Conservation Fund acquired 82 acres on the Day's Gap battlefield in Morgan and Cullman Counties in Alabama, site of a critical Civil War battle.

In April of 1863 US Colonel Abel D. Streight and his 1,500-man brigade were sent on a cavalry raid to destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad in western Georgia and to divert CS Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry while US Major General Ulysses S. Grant moved his forces down the Mississippi River. On April 30 at Day's Gap on Sand Mountain, Streight ambushed one of Forrest's columns and captured two of his guns. On May 3 Forrest bluffed the exhausted U. S. force into surrendering, but Streight's raid was successful in keeping Forrest away from the Mississippi River while Grant landed his forces on the east bank of the Mississippi River and launched his Vicksburg Campaign.

Today, the location remains much as it did 141 years ago and still holds significant natural value in addition to its historic importance.