To avoid double counting acres where multiple programs contributed to the acquisition of a single parcel, the parcel acreage is only aggregated under the program that provided the majority of funding. For example, if the chart displays a dollar amount greater than $0, but also shows 0 acres, it is because the program was not the primary contributor for any parcels in that year.
Local Programs Include:
The City of Atlanta
Cherokee County
Cobb County
DeKalb County
Forsyth County
Paulding County
| Year | Acres | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 665.5 | $52,786,046 |
| 2007 | 690.9 | $38,356,678 |
| 2006 | 460.8 | $18,704,908 |
| 2005 | 90.9 | $9,939,699 |
| 2004 | 465.1 | $24,411,873 |
| 2003 | 496.5 | $21,601,911 |
| 2002 | 185.7 | $7,985,732 |
| 2001 | 1,443.6 | $24,599,004 |
| 2000 | 155.0 | $2,130,000 |
| 1999 | 155.0 | $1 |
| Totals | 4,808.9 | $200,515,855 |
Initiated by the Governor in the late 1980s and early 1990s Preservation 2000 was funded through General Assembly and was designed to secure lands that provided for a variety of recreational uses, including parks and wildlife management areas. Preservation 2000 was completed in 2001 having protected more than 100,000 acres.
RiverCare 2000 is a conservation program, which started in 1997 and ended in 2002. It consisted of three related tasks: assessing important river resources throughout the state, identifying more effective management tools for river corridors, and acquiring riverfront lands for the program. The Department of Natural Resources administered the program, with guidance from four citizens’ advisory groups. The program acquired more than 47,000 acres of riverfront land.
River Care 2000 Program sought specifically to protect wildlife management areas, parks, natural areas, greenways and similar sites along rivers and streams in Georgia. The Department of Natural Resources acquired and continues to manage these lands. It chiefly sought unaltered, old growth forest, and wetlands, including river bottom hardwood forests, Carolina bays, and other naturally occurring water features. RiverCare 2000 was funded mainly through state bond funds.
RiverCare 2000 and Preservation 2000 no longer exist.
The Georgia Wetlands and Streams Trust Fund is an in-lieu fee compensatory mitigation program in cooperation with the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the loss of aquatic resources including wetlands and streams as required under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Since the programs inception in 1997, more than $9 million has been provided to conservation partners for the benefit of wetlands, streams and habitat for endangered species. Over 4,480 acres have been protected to date including 1,480 acres of wetlands and 31.2 miles of streams.
The Georgia General Assembly created the Georgia Greenspace Program during the 2000 legislative session. The statute created a Georgia Greenspace Trust Fund, which was funded annually by the Georgia General Assembly. Greenspace grant funds are provided to assist local governments in carrying out their strategies for acquiring and permanently protecting land. In order to receive grants local governments had to create a Community Greenspace program and a Community Greenspace Trust Fund as specified by the statute.
The program was administered by the Department of Natural Resources. A five-member Georgia Greenspace Commission reviewed and approved community greenspace programs submitted by eligible counties. The statute defined "greenspace" as permanently protected land and water, including agricultural and forestry land, that is in its undeveloped, natural state or that has been developed only to the extent consistent with, or is restored to be consistent with, one or more listed goals for natural resource protection or informal recreation.
The Georgia Land Conservation Program replaced this program in 2005.
| Year | Acres | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 0.0 | $75,000 |
| 2005 | 0.0 | $32,250 |
| 2004 | 490.8 | $2,795,771 |
| 2003 | 941.5 | $5,359,337 |
| 2002 | 2,455.3 | $12,406,768 |
| 2001 | 4,360.0 | $16,844,437 |
| 2000 | 4,527.5 | $10,049,090 |
| 1999 | 1,237.3 | $2,804,590 |
| 1998 | 592.4 | $2,333,038 |
| Total | 14,604.8 | $52,700,284 |
Department of Natural Resources (Georgia)
The Georgia Land Conservation Program offers grants for fee title or conservation easement purchases from the Georgia Land Conservation Trust Fund. It also offers low-interest loans for fee title or conservation easement purchases from the Georgia Land Conservation Revolving Fund. Tax incentives are also available for donations of conservation lands or conservation easements.
| Year | Acres | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 8,281.5 | $19,406,851 |
| 2007 | 5,820.6 | $17,426,261 |
| 2006 | 10,248.6 | $7,022,831 |
| 2005 | 13,933.2 | $9,359,634 |
| Total | 38,283.9 | $53,215,579 |
Started in 2006, the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program provides a financial incentive to landowners to encourage dedication of their property for conservation uses. The incentive is provided in the form of a state income tax credit that can be applied in the tax year of the donation; any unused tax credit can then be carried forward and applied to the landowner’s tax liability for up to five additional years.
The total income tax credit provided under this Act cannot exceed the lesser of $500,000 or 25 percent of the fair market value of the donated property in the year in which it was donated. For individual landowners, the total amount of the tax credit cannot exceed $250,000. For corporate landowners, the total tax credit cannot exceed $500,000.
The overall goal is to provide permanent protection for a variety of important conservation areas throughout Georgia through voluntary donations of property.*
*http://glcp.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,82613131_114687036,00.html
| Year | Acres | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 13,542.0 | $0 |
| 2007 | 25,576.9 | $0 |
| 2006 | 12,684.0 | $0 |
| Total | 51,802.9 | $0 |