Tall Timbers Land Conservancy (TTLC)

By Kevin McGorty, Director

Tall Timbers Land Conservancy Staff — Top row (l-r): Kevin McGorty, Director; Dr. Christine Ambrose, Land Stewardship Coordinator; Neil Fleckenstein, Red Hills Planning Coordinator; Middle row (l-r): Ofelia Sivyer, Administrative Assistant; Lynne Boyd, Land Conservation Specialist; Bottom Row (l-r): Chris Borg, Conservation Biologist; Elizabeth Barron, Planning Assistant

As Tall Timbers celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2008, its Land Conservancy reached a milestone at the close of 2007 by protecting over 100,000 acres of land in north Florida and southwest Georgia through donated conservation easements. From its inception in 1990, TTLC has focused its conservation efforts in the Red Hills Region located between Tallahassee, Florida and Thomasville, Georgia. Last year, TTLC expanded its service area, particularly in southwest Georgia, with projects that further Tall Timbers’ broader research mission. The results have allowed TTLC to become the largest regional land trust in Florida and Georgia. We specialize in conserving working lands that are used for forestry, agricultural, and recreational hunting. These easements on private lands protect outstanding natural resources in perpetuity, from miles of scenic canopy roads, critical upland wildlife habitat and wetland ecosystems. With Congress approving the expanded federal tax incentives for conservation easements, we expect more landowners to consider conservation an option for the future planning of their properties. These incentives are making a difference and allowing families to keep their land in rural uses.

Complementing our land conservation efforts, TTLC is one of the few land trusts in the nation that provides extensive planning services to help communities conserve their rural character while growing sustainably. Like other areas of America, the rural traditions of our region are being threatened by poorly planned growth. Vast tracts of natural areas are being lost to sprawling development. This loss threatens our quality of life and is costly to taxpayers who subsidize this inappropriate growth. The focus of our planning efforts has been working with landowners, the development community, and local government officials to promote quality growth, halt urban sprawl, conserve natural resources, and protect rural landscapes. While much has been accomplished, much more remains to be done.

Please explore these pages, take a look at our collection of publications and visit our photo gallery to learn more about our land conservation and planning efforts and what the TTLC is doing to conserve our beautiful region.

Email Kevin McGorty, TTLC Director