Four hundred years ago, Native Americans built their homes on the banks of the Rappahannock River, relying on its waters for nourishment and transportation. In 2008, as part of the Army Compatible Use Buffer program, we helped secure nearly 700 acres of conservation easements that will protect this area’s natural and archaeological resources, while forming a buffer zone that limits development around one of the East Coast’s largest military training installations. Our success stems from a public-private partnership with the U.S. Army, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others.
Prior to 2008, we joined forces with Bass Pro Shops, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a generous landowner to protect and restore 460 acres as an addition to the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge. Located along Farnham Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock, the land features wetlands and forests that are ideal habitat for migrating waterfowl and songbirds.
In every region, The Conservation Fund and its partners are protecting America's favorite places before they become just a memory. Scroll over the map and click on a section to learn more about our work in that region.
For nearly two decades, the Alabama Trails Association, The Conservation Fund, Georgia Pinhoti Trails Association and others have worked to protect more than 7,000 acres and add more than 20 miles to the Pinhoti Trail across Alabama and Georgia.
“When I was 16 and 17 years old I took my first long hikes on the Appalachian Trail and developed the dream of linking the mountains of Alabama to the Appalachian Trail. I applaud The Conservation Fund, Centex and Temple Inland for helping to make this dream a reality. It is an extraordinary achievement born from hundreds of volunteer hours and decades of work to link the trail between Alabama and Georgia.
With support from the Centex Homes Land Legacy Fund and in partnership with the Alabama Trails Association and Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association, we acquired 1,760 acres of pine and hardwood forest, including 266 acres along the border of Alabama and Georgia, as an addition to the Pinhoti Trail. This capped a long-term effort to link the Alabama trail to the Appalachian Trail.
When the Appalachian Trail was mapped in the 1920s, the plan set out by Benton Mackaye called for a trail and associated spurs that stretched from Maine to northern Alabama. While the primary trail was completed in north Georgia in the 1930s, efforts to extend the trail into Alabama faded.
In 1985 the Alabama Trails Association spearheaded an attempt to link the Pinhoti Trail in the Talladega National Forest in Alabama to the Appalachian Trail in north Georgia. The Association worked with The Conservation Fund to engage private landowners and negotiate the acquisition of properties key to completing the trail.
We helped acquire nearly 10 properties to extend the trail, including the 2006 purchase from Temple Inland which protected three miles of trail corridor and culminated the effort of hundreds of volunteers who have worked for more than two decades to link the Pinhoti to the Appalachian Trail. In 2008, with key support from Fred and Alice Stanback Jr., we partnered with the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association and Chattooga County to protect roughly 325 acres that connect the trail with Chattahoochee National Forest, expanding public access and moving the trail off-road. With our partners, we have successfully linked the Alabama and Georgia segments of the Pinhoti Trail and joined them with the Appalachian Trail.
Note: A pop-up may appear to verify our site—press continue, our site is secure!
Charity Navigator and
American Institute of Philanthropy
give us their highest rating.
Powered by: Phase2 TechnologyThe Conservation Fund National Office
1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1300
Arlington, Virginia 22209-3199
Phone: 703-525-6300
Fax: 703-525-4610
Email: postmaster@conservationfund.org
