This is an opinion piece.

The Board of Trustees of the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust will hold its fourth quarterly meeting of 2023 on Nov. 2 (Thurs.), at the Auburn University College of Forestry. News of that meeting will not even rate a raised eyebrow from most outdoor lovers in Alabama.

Sadly, Forever Wild, like EMTs, stay pretty much out of mind until you need them.

Some believe Georgia is light years ahead of Alabama in almost everything, but when it comes to successful conservation programs, Georgia hopes to grow up and become Alabama one day.

Everyone who loves Alabama’s outdoors should be aware of the David vs. Goliath battle going on in middle Georgia right now. It is not a battle that David is likely to win this time.

Everyone knows about the incredible growth surrounding Atlanta. Incredibly, that expansion now threatens High Falls State Park, which is located about 50 minutes southeast of Atlanta. Many are trying to save the park’s tranquility and the property values of the homes in the neighborhoods surrounding the park. One of those residents told me he’d give anything to have Forever Wild in Georgia. He said it would be the savior in their uphill battle.