Conecuh National Forest in Alabama adds 1,000 acres
The U.S Forest Service and nonprofit group The Conservation Fund have announced the purchase of about 1,000 acres of sensitive land to be added to the Conecuh National Forest.
These parcels were purchased from private landowners to fill in gaps in the protected area of the Conecuh National Forest to create larger continuous areas for recreation, watershed preservation, wildlife and longleaf pine forest restoration.
The Conecuh National Forest encompasses 84,000 acres in south Alabama, between Andalusia and the Florida state line. It includes large stretches of longleaf pine forests, a habitat for multiple threatened or endangered species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, the eastern indigo snake and the gopher tortoise.
This young eastern indigo snake, found in the Conecuh National Forest in south Alabama in January 2020, is the first native indigo snake captured in Alabama since the 1950s. It is believed to be the offspring of snakes reintroduced into the forest over the past several years.Courtesy Jim Godwin, Auburn University
“Conecuh National Forest is a unique, ecological backdrop that showcases recreation opportunities and how active forest management improves longleaf pine restoration, rare plant communities and wildlife habitat,” Cherie Hamilton, U.S. Forest Service supervisor of Alabama’s national forests, said in a news release. “Thanks to The Conservation Fund, future generations will benefit greatly from this new land expansion on the Conecuh.”
The Conservation Fund, with funding from the the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), purchased the land and transferred it to the U.S. Forest Service for permanent protection. The properties were all called inholdings, meaning they were private lands surrounded by National Forest land.
The project was made possible by the federal LWCF, which was fully and permanently funded by the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020. LWCF is a bipartisan program that conserves ecologically and economically valuable land across the U.S., including many of Alabama’s iconic natural places.
Map showing the parcels that were acquired for addition into the Conecuh National Forest in south Alabama.The Conservation Fund
For many years, conservationist M.C. Davis had been acquiring these inholdings with the hope to one day conserve them as part of the national forest. Upon his passing in 2015, The Conservation Fund was able to acquire the properties and hold them until LWCF funds became available for the acquisition.
Alabama’s congressional delegation representing the Conecuh National Forest — U.S Sen. Katie Britt, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore — supported the use of LWCF funding for this project.
“The Conecuh National Forest contains some of the most pristine and ecologically invaluable land in the country, and I’m glad that its conservation mission is being strengthened through these acquisitions,” Moore said in a news release. “All Alabamians who love the outdoors will benefit from the protection and preservation of this beautiful natural space for future generations to treasure and enjoy.”