Partner Preserves
In addition to GALT’s preserves, we have collaborated with various conservation organizations to establish protected areas where communities across our region can recreate and reconnect with nature.
Cannoochee Sandhills WMA
GALT worked with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to protect a 10,224-acre property in Bulloch and Bryan Counties near Groveland, GA. This now wildlife management area (WMA) features many diverse ecosystems including sandhills, flatwoods, bay swamps, and floodplain forests along Lotts Creek. These habitats support many protected species like the gopher tortoise. Visitors can enjoy deer, turkey, and small game hunting, blackwater creek fishing, and wildlife viewing in this rich natural area.
Lightning Point
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Mobile County, GALT protected 40 acres in Mobile County, Alabama! The historic Lightning Point in Bayou La Batre features habitats of intertidal marsh, brackish tidal marsh, maritime forest, and savannah/wet prairie. Since 1916, the shoreline near the mouth of the Bayou has retreated 200 feet from daily wave action, boat traffic, storm surges, and in extreme cases, hurricane events. The Nature Conservancy and other agencies have recently completed the largest coastal restoration project in the history of Alabama to repair the Bayou La Batre shoreline at Lightning Point!
Lightning Point is used by the public for fishing, recreating, bird watching, and viewing the shrimp and oyster boats leaving Bayou La Batre and coming in from Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound. By protecting this area, the nutrients being generated in the marsh will benefit the shrimp and oyster colonies found further out in the Sound, providing economic value to the small community of Bayou La Batre.
Charles B. Henson Cave Preserve
In 2013, GALT began acquiring land around Johnson's Crook near Rising Fawn, Georgia, an area known for having one of the highest concentrations of caves in the southeast. This property alone boasts over 40 caves, including Johnson's Crook Cave, which spans over a mile in length, and Lost Canyon Cave, one of Georgia’s deepest. At the outset of the project, the property was in bankruptcy and fragmented into numerous lots. Over several years, GALT, in collaboration with Chuck Henson, worked diligently to consolidate and permanently protect most of the land around Johnson's Crook. Eventually, this land was transferred to the Southeastern Cave Conservancy and designated as the Charles B. Henson Cave Preserve.
The Citadel Bouldering Preserve
We are proud to have supported the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) in their purchase of the Citadel Boulders in Fort Payne, Alabama. This 58-acre acquisition ensures the preservation of a key climbing destination, scenic views, water quality, and critical plant and wildlife habitat. The Citadel Boulders, home to over 150 unique climbing challenges, is set to enhance Fort Payne’s reputation as a regional climbing hub, while also offering hiking and nature exploration opportunities for the community.
Trail System at Lula Lake Land Trust & Cloudland Canyon Stat
For ten years, GALT worked with Lula Lake Land Trust and Cloudland Canyon State Park to create connector trails linking the two conserved properties. Since then, Lula Lake Land Trust has continued to expand the trail system allowing people to hike from Cloudland Canyon State Park all the way to Chattanooga, TN!