The Board of Trustees of the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust will hold its first quarterly meeting of 2023 on Thursday, February 2, at the Alabama Activities Center located at 201 Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama. The meeting will take place at 10 a.m.
The Board will hear updates on Forever Wild program activities. The Board will also hear tract assessments about land that the program may purchase in the near future. This meeting is open to the public so that any individual who would like to make comments concerning the program can address the board.
The public is invited to attend this meeting and is encouraged to submit nominations of tracts of land for possible Forever Wild program purchases.
Written nominations may be submitted by email to Forever.Wild@dcnr.alabama.gov or by letter to the State Lands Division, Room 464, 64 N. Union St., Montgomery, Alabama, 36130. Nominations can also be made online.
Since it was established by constitutional amendment in 1992, the Forever Wild Land Trust (FWLT) has purchased or leased more than 284,000 acres of land in Alabama for public use. Of this permanent land, the trust owns 223,466 acres. A long-term recreational lease has secured the balance of the total acreage.
Forever Wild’s acquisitions have also created more than 363 miles of recreational trails within 23 new recreation areas and nature preserves, including additions to 9 State Parks and 20 Wildlife Management Areas.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) manages these lands through its various divisions: State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. The ADCNR is not a General Fund Agency and relies on revenues from license sales (hunting and fishing) and park visitor fees to support its public service operations.
Without relying on taxpayer money, these coastal wetlands, forests, wildlife habitats, and other natural areas have been protected so that future generations can enjoy them.
State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas have existed in Alabama since the 1940s. However, to provide for greater habitat conservation and public recreational opportunities, the Forever Wild Land Trust Program created state-owned Nature Preserves and Recreation Areas.
The Forever Wild Land Trust believes in public hunting access for all Alabamians. But nearly 143,000 acres of leased public hunting land have been removed from the WMA system since 1992, with more lost yearly. The only funding method to replace these large tracts is the FWLT.
The Forever Wild Board meets quarterly to maximize public input into the program. Only through active public participation can the best places in Alabama be identified and conserved in order to remain forever wild.
ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management, and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
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