How Georgia is raising the bar for state-led conservation efforts
When we discuss conservation, we often look to the places that feel larger than life. Yellowstone. The Grand Canyon. The Sierra Nevada.
And although these places are majestic, critical ecosystems that have inspired Americans for hundreds of years, we must not overlook the natural beauty that is right in our own backyards.
Every region, state and even community across the nation is a piece of the natural world. And it is now our duty to steward this land, to take care of it and to pass it on to our children to do the same.
But just as we focus on the “heavy hitters” of conservation, the federal government tends to overlook the local ecosystems hanging in the balance. That’s why the state of Georgia took things into its own hands to protect the state’s most naturally beautiful spaces.
GOSA is a common-sense way to conserve land
The Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act created the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund in 2019 with a simple mandate: support parks and trails, and acquire and protect critical lands.
This was a common-sense move to conserve land crucial to Georgia’s wildlife populations, clean water maintenance and outdoor recreation activities.
Just in the past six years, GOSA has already allocated $117 million for 62 major conservation projects across the state of Georgia.
In fact, at the end of last year, the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund helped fund the conservation of over 10,000 acres of longleaf pine forest habitat — an endangered forest in the Southeastern United States — along the Georgia-Alabama border, protecting rare species of plants and animals and ensuring wildfire resilience.
This project also prioritized enhancing recreational opportunities, ensuring public access to the area for all kinds of nature lovers. Forty-five miles of critical waterways were also protected through the project.
SB 478 would dramatically increase funding
A new bill (Senate Bill 478) recently introduced in the Georgia General Assembly seeks to double the dollars sent to GOSA every year.
Money for the fund comes from Georgia’s sales and use tax on outdoor recreation equipment. This bipartisan bill is not a tax increase; rather, it’s a reallocation of tax revenue, increasing the amount allocated to the Outdoor Stewardship Fund from 40% to 80%. Within days of introduction, the bill has already passed the Senate and awaits consideration in the House.
The passing of this bill wouldn’t just double GOSA’s funding. It would double the number of conservation projects seen to completion. Double the wildlife species protected. Double the acres of habitat conserved. Double the lands stewarded. Double the recreational opportunities for Georgia families and visitors. It would double the state’s conservation impact.
Georgia has already made itself a proven leader when it comes to conservation with this unique program that has been long supported by citizens and lawmakers alike. The state is a model to the rest of America for state-led, common-sense conservation efforts.
But that doesn’t mean the work is finished. Georgians are proud of their state’s heritage, and they want to be able to pass the place they love to the next generation. The Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, with this increased funding, has the power to ensure they will.
Benji Backer is the founder and CEO of Nature Is Nonpartisan and bestselling author of “The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future.”
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