Breedlove Farm: Fifty-seven acres of prime Oconee County farmland are now permanently preserved as farmland with a conservation easement. ALT received a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) as well as Oconee County Greenspace funds, to purchase the conservation easement from the owners of the farm. The owners also donated a portion of the value of the easement. The tract is part of a 200-acre, fourth-generation family farm that includes a pecan grove, historic farmhouse, and outbuildings.

The conservation easement on this farm protects a small stream and wetland, a scenic hay field and grove of pecan trees. The owners of the Breedlove Farm have worked with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to fence the cattle out of the streams and this farm was recognized as the top protection priority by the Oconee County Partnership for Farmland Protection (OPFP). This particular combination of federal, state, and local funds to purchase the agricultural conservation easement was a first for the State of Georgia. The easement is the result of years of effort by OPFP and hopefully will be the beginning of an active farmland preservation movement in Oconee County, which has some of the best agricultural soils in the state and a viable farming community.

back to map

Bowden Park: Bowden Park is a conservation subdivision located two miles west of downtown Athens. ALT holds an easement that protects 17 acres of hardwoods and old fields. This area of the subdivision has been used for years as a passive recreation park. The easement protects land around a pond that the neighborhood uses for fishing and picnicking. An unimproved trail around the lake also provides walking and birding opportunities.

back to map

Five Acre Woods: This urban forest, which is home to large hardwood trees and an important bird habitat, is located one mile north of downtown just off North Ave. Five Acre Woods was purchased by Athens-Clarke County with Georgia Greenspace funds and is a county park. In addition, the Athens Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the tract to further ensure its protection as a natural park. The Over The River Neighborhood has been working to remove exotic vegetation and replant with rescued native plant species. There are walking trails through the park, which is accessible to all.

back to map

Kenney Ridge: Three easements protect 38 acres in this western Athens-Clarke County neighborhood. One easement protects 17 acres of mature upland hardwood forest, with rock outcroppings and two springs that flow into the Middle Oconee River. A second tract of 4.6 acres has magnificent hundred-year old oaks with old-field and edge habitat. The third tract has 17 acres of mature hardwoods and some old field habitat. This land serves as an important greenspace for the surrounding neighborhood.

back to map

Foxhall Farms: Foxhall Farms is a small conservation subdivision located in northeastern Athens-Clarke County. A conservation easement protects 11 acres of pine and hardwood forest along this neighborhood. The forested area contains fruiting american beauty berry, a good source of food for many birds. A walking trail is allowed in the area protected by the conservation easement and this area is open to all neighborhood residents.

back to map

Milford Hills: Milford Hills is the first conservation subdivision ALT has helped protect. A conservation subdivision is a residential neighborhood that incorporates greenspace for outdoor recreation and natural resource protection. A conservation easement protects 23 acres of predominately hardwood forest in the Milford Hills community. This mature forest buffers two streams that flow into the North Oconee River and includes rock outcrops, waterfalls and a diverse understory. This forest is open to all residents of the Milford Hills community.

back to map

Boulevard: An easement protects an undeveloped lot in the Boulevard Historic District of Athens. After a tornado irreparably damaged a house on Boulevard, the owner donated an easement on the lot for the establishment of a neighborhood park. The lot contains an historic rock wall and provides intown greenspace for birds and small mammals.

back to map

Hatmaker: This easement protects 29 acres of land including a swamp, seeps, an oak-hickory forest, stream corridors and pastureland. The easement was placed on the property by the original owner and then sold to a conservation buyer, an individual interested in buying land with protected conservation values.

back to map

 Pinecrest: 30 acres of hardwoods and pines as part of Pinecrest
neighborhood. Recently, Landscape Architecture students under the direction of Marianne Cramer assisted the Pinecrest Neighborhood Association with an outreach project in the neighborhood.

back to map

Langdale Farm: 63.6 acres of prime farmland in Athens-Clarke County protected through the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Athens-Clarke County Greenspace Acquisition Program funded by SPLOST. This conservation easement ensures that the land will be available for agricultural uses in perpetuity. NRCS provided 50% of the funds to purchase the easement, with Athens-Clarke County providing 25%, and the landowner, Mrs. George Langdale, donating 25%.

back to map

House Farm: 50 acres of Oconee County farmland also protected through the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program and Oconee County. The landowners, Rickey and Kay House, also donated 25% of the easement value. Part of a 100-acre farm, the easement property is used by the House family for cattle and hay.

back to map

Mitchell Farm Receives First State Grant for Conservation: On December 1, 2006, the very first Georgia Land Conservation Porgram (GLCP) grants were announced by Governor Sonny Perdue. The highest-ranking recipient was an application prepared jointly by ALT, the Oconee Partnership for Farmland Protection, and Oconee County. The $467,000 grant was used to provide the 25% match to protect 190 acres of farmland owned by Sam Mitchell. Half of the funding was provided by the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program as well as a portion from Oconee County and a donation by Mr. Mitchell.

The permanent easement was dedicated on November 28th, 2007 with NRCS State Director James Tillman, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, and Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis.

back to map

Jordan: A beautiful tract of land along the North Oconee River has been permanently protected by a conservation easement. Carl and Carmen Jordan have placed an easement on 13 acres of sloping oak and hickory forest with riparian areas in Athens-Clarke County. This land is surrounded by subdivisions so it is especially important habitat to have protected.

back to map

Bryant: Clay Bryant donated a conservation easement to protect 59 acres of forest and farmland in Oconee County. The property has a small pond and diverse habitat. This property has some diverse sloped forest filled with many large hardwood trees and native woodland species. The land is only a couple of properties from the House Farm which has 50 acres protected for farming. One of ALT's goals is to connect greenspace for the benefit of wildlife and water quality. We are currently working with the UGA Land Use Clinic to map existing greenspace and important natural resources to target for protection.

back to map