This week has been a good one for outdoor enthusiasts in Georgia. On Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the recipients for its Georgia Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Then on Thursday, it was announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had given a $2.1 million grant to the Georgia Sentinel Landscape as part of its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a program born from the 2018 Farm Bill.
The Georgia DNR announcement came at an even more propitious time than usual for the winners, as municipal revenues are taking a major hit due to COVID-19 and any hope of accomplishing these projects without the grant funding would be slim.
“We are excited to support these communities and these projects because we want to make sure that every Georgian has a chance to get outdoors,” said Mark Williams, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. “We’ve seen public access dramatically increase through the many great trails built in partnership with RTP, and we are looking forward to even more.”
RTP aims to support communities in developing recreational trails and trail-related facilities. The funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund and approximate the fuel tax for off-highway recreational use. Many of the projects are in rural parts of Georgia, from Cairo to Young Harris. The selected projects include five trails in public parks, two water trail projects for canoeing and kayaking, three greenway paths through communities, one rails-to-trails project, and six off-road motorized trail systems.
The announcement from the USDA for the Georgia Sentinel Landscape is a win for a partnership of Georgia-based conservation groups. A portion of the funding will be used for habitat management in significant areas, notably the ever-troubled longleaf pine ecosystem. The rest will be used for conservation easements on farms adjacent to military properties.
“The RCPP funding will help us meet several of the Georgia Sentinel Landscape goals, including the enhancement of habitat for the threatened Gopher Tortoise, a keystone species,” notes LTC (Ret) Ken Bradley, Georgia Sentinel Landscape coordinator. “At the same time, these funds contribute to the success of our Georgia military installations by assisting local landowners in continuing compatible agricultural and conservation activities in our military communities.”
A variety of groups are involved in the partnership, from the U.S. Department of Defense and Agriculture to the Georgia Conservancy and state agencies like the DNR and Georgia Forestry Commission. The partnership was developed in 2017 with the goal of meeting conservation priorities across South Georgia.
“The Georgia Sentinel Landscape partnership is a wonderful example of how Georgia’s land and people can benefit when we leverage our collective resources and collaborate on common goals,” says Bart Gobeil, Georgia Conservancy President. “The Georgia Conservancy is proud to work with our partners to put forward conservation solutions that also align with the needs of our federal government. The landscapes conserved and enhanced by the RCPP funding will have a lasting impact for generations to come.”
