GPLT January 2018 Newsletter

The Land Connection

January 2018

The Georgia Piedmont Land Trust (GPLT) protects land where you live, work and play.

We protect land that supports healthy habitats where wildlife thrives and people can connect with nature.

GPLT Celebrates 20 Years of Land Protection

It all started 20 years ago when a group of Gwinnett County residents formed the Gwinnett Open Land Trust, GOLT, with the specific objective of protecting both open and greenspace, and the river corridors in the county. At a time when Gwinnett County was recognized as the fastest growing county in the nation and development was running rampant. GOLT was the first land conservation organization to be founded specifically for the purpose of identifying and protecting land within Gwinnett County.

At the time, founding member and current Executive Director Carol Hassell stated: "As development intensifies in the county, so does concern about tree cutting, river quality and preserving land in a way that enhances quality of life. It's important to provide a means of protecting some land before it's too late."

In 1999 GOLT put its first property of 13 acres under protection. In 2003 GOLT was approached by a landowner in a neighboring county to protect their property becoming the first non-Gwinnett property placed under protection.

By 2009 GOLT had about 615 acres under protection in Gwinnett and about 255 acres protected in 4 other counties. The board realized it was time for a name change to better reflect the expanded service area and officially became the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust, GPLT, servicing the northern half of Georgia.

In 2015 GPLT went through the rigorous process of becoming a recognized accredited land trust through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was incorporated in April 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance to operate an innovative program to build and recognize strong land trusts, foster public confidence in land conservation and help ensure the long-term protection of land.

Today GPLT has over 2,000 acres of land under protection located in the counties of Bibb, Catoosa, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Hall, Rockdale, Upson, Walton, Whitfield and Wilkes. We have a diverse portfolio of protected properties to include Civil War & Revolutionary battlefields in partnership with the Civil War Trust and the American Battlefields Protection Program, a green cemetery in partnership with the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, watershed restoration properties, conservation subdivision greenspaces, granite outcrops, habitats with threatened species and a community garden in partnership with citizens like you who care about green and open spaces in their communities.

We are proud and privileged to work with like minded citizens, communities, organizations and municipalities to protect important lands for today and for our children's tomorrow. We believe we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

GPLT Service Area

We cover the north half of Georgia to the fall line. This is the area that separates Georgia's Coastal Plain from its Piedmont region. Piedmont land is higher in elevation than that of the Coastal Plain, causing rivers that begin in the Piedmont to to gather speed - or “fall” - as they pass through the fall line into the Coastal Plain.

Why We Protect Land

The Georgia Piedmont Land Trust (GPLT) protects land because there is a direct connection between the state of the environment, the quality of our lives and the health of our communities. Preserving the lands of North Georgia ensures a healthy future for generations to come by safeguarding the natural resources that benefit us all.

Having sufficient amounts of natural lands is vital to the survival of our environment. This open space is required to protect our drinking water supplies and clean air, promote healthier, active lifestyles, preserve habitat for native plants and animal species, and provide nesting and breeding places for birds. Land preservation plays a critical role in the future of our environment and benefits our communities in numerous ways:

Protecting Our Water Supply

Our water supply is critical not only to local residents but to the millions of people who live downstream of our creeks, rivers and reservoirs. GPLT targets its preservation work in key watersheds by preserving wetlands, forests and fields that absorb rainwater, reduce flooding and filter contaminants from the environment.

Our water can be protected by preserving land to create buffer zones along rivers, streams, and creeks, diminishing flash floods and keeping pollutants to a minimum. Promoting smart growth and green planning designs can help prevent the construction of impervious surfaces in critical areas that should instead filter the millions of cubic feet of rainwater that are polluted runoff from nearby development.

Enhancing Our Quality of Life

Land preservation is a critical tool in the effort to manage growth wisely and maintain the character of rural, urban and suburban areas where we live, work and play. By working with local governments, organizations and citizens GPLT helps communities protect beautiful landscapes and historic areas, and provide ample space for outdoor recreation.

Protecting Wildlife Habitat

North Georgia is rich with plant and animal life. Our varied landscapes provide diverse habitat for a wide variety of species, including many classified as threatened and endangered. By protecting open space, we are also protecting the woodlands and fields, plants, birds, and animals that are essential to balance and biodiversity in our communities. A strategic preservation plan improves prospects for the survival of imperiled species over the long-term and the protection of historically and biologically significant areas.

"The story of land is older that the story of man. Every society must devise ways in which its members will share this gift and under what conditions that land will be passed on to the next generation. This is continuity." --From "The Community Land Trust: A Guide to a New Model for Land Tenure in America."