The Land Conservation Acquisition Program aims to protect the ecological resources and biological functions of land sites in Athens-Clarke County as the community grows and changes. As an added bonus, preserving the natural ecosystems often results in being able to protect cultural sites, heritage corridors, or archeological and historic resources. The Land Conservation Acquisition Program is a renaming and continuation of the SPLOST 2005 Greenspace Acquisition Program, which received $2.4 million in funding from the Greenspace Acquisition Program (see the original 2001 ACC Community Greenspace Program here). This project continues the goals and objectives of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) approved Greenspace Program with a goal of permanently protecting 20% of ACCUG’s land base through the use of acquisitions, easements, and ordinance protections. The Land Conservation Acquisition  Program is a critical component in ACCGov’s ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive county-wide “green infrastructure”.

Athens-Clarke County can help protect land by acquiring property through mechanisms such as purchases or easements. Property owners can nominate parcels of their land to be considered for protection, which will be reviewed and identified by the ACCGov Ecological Resources Administrator.

The nomination form can be downloaded directly here.