Our Stories

Dec 31 min read

Giving Tuesday 2024: Help Protect Rivers, Streams, Farms, and Forests in Georgia

Photo by Mark Huber Your individual donations flow together– just as small creeks form the Oconee, which then converges with other rivers...

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Species Spotlight: Eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)

hadrien57

Nov 213 min read

Species Spotlight: Eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)

by Sammy Pickering The eastern copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix ), a pit viper endemic to eastern North America, is one of my favorite...

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hadrien57

Nov 51 min read

ORLT 2024 Hike & Happy Hour Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Hike & Happy Hour on Saturday! We had a beautiful day to enjoy the fall colors at Sandy and...

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Notes from the Field: Updates from Former ORLT Executive Director Steffney Thompson

hadrien57

Nov 12 min read

Notes from the Field: Updates from Former ORLT Executive Director Steffney Thompson

by Steffney Thompson Photo courtesy of the University of Georgia School of Law After serving as ORLT's Executive Director for over 20...

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Next Steps to Oppose Proposed South Jackson County Quarry

hadrien57

Oct 93 min read

Next Steps to Oppose Proposed South Jackson County Quarry

This protected property that maintains the rural and scenic nature of south Jackson County is located just upstream along the North...

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hadrien57

Sep 271 min read

ORLT Butterfly Walk at Tallassee Recap

On Saturday last week, ORLT held a Butterfly Walk at Tallassee Forest Preserve, a 310 acre property on the Middle Oconee River owned by...

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hadrien57

Aug 221 min read

ORLT Speakers' Series

by ORLT Outreach Director Theresa Pippin ORLT Board Vice Chair Roger Nielsen presenting to the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation...

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hadrien57

Aug 204 min read

Mushroom, Mushrooms Everywhere!

by ORLT Land Steward Issac Ostrom August can be a slow time for botany. It’s too early in the summer for late season composite flowers (...

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Excerpt from “The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees”

hadrien57

Jul 232 min read

Excerpt from “The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees”

by Douglas Tallamy (2021, Timber Press Inc., Portland, OR) Katydids (pp. 106-107) Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Katy...

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Notes From the Field: Drawing Inspiration from the Beaver’s Persistence

hadrien57

Jul 233 min read

Notes From the Field: Drawing Inspiration from the Beaver’s Persistence

by Sammy Pickering Along the channelized yet beautiful Shoal Creek, a tributary of the Oconee River, my parents Stella Guerrero and John...

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AGLT Meeting Recap & Mapping Georgia's Wildlife Corridors

hadrien57

Jun 212 min read

AGLT Meeting Recap & Mapping Georgia's Wildlife Corridors

Last month, several of our staff members attended the yearly Association of Georgia Land Trusts (AGLT) meeting generously hosted by the...

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Notes from the Field: Flat Woods of Elberton

hadrien57

Jun 213 min read

Notes from the Field: Flat Woods of Elberton

by Issac Ostrom Last year in the spring while I was still a volunteer with Oconee River Land Trust (ORLT), then Stewardship Director Dan...

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New EPA Particulate Matter Standards May Affect The Use of Prescribed Fire in Georgia

hadrien57

Jun 202 min read

New EPA Particulate Matter Standards May Affect The Use of Prescribed Fire in Georgia

This past February, the EPA adopted a revision of the Clean Air Act which lowers the permissible atmospheric particulate matter (PM) by...

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hadrien57

Jun 184 min read

Two Sides of the Same Coin

by Dan Crescenzo Ninety-three percent of land in the state of Georgia is privately owned, as is most land east of the Mississippi River....

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Local Wetlands Protection Workshop Recap

hadrien57

May 221 min read

Local Wetlands Protection Workshop Recap

by Dan Crescenzo A few weeks ago I attended a workshop on wetlands protection hosted by UGA’s Land Conservation Clinic and the UGA River...

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Notes from The Field: Meriwether County in May

hadrien57

May 222 min read

Notes from The Field: Meriwether County in May

by Hadrien Turner Another early summer, and another Meriwether County conservation easement monitor trip in the books. While being out on...

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A Fond Farewell to ORLT Board Member Kathy Parker

hadrien57

May 21 min read

A Fond Farewell to ORLT Board Member Kathy Parker

Al and Kathy Parker on their conservation easement in Athens-Clarke County. If you have joined us on an ORLT member's hike, chances are...

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hadrien57

Apr 221 min read

ORLT Wishes you a Happy Earth Day!

With 30 Years of protecting beautiful waterways, forests, and farms ORLT has a lot to celebrate this Earth Day: To date, we have...

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Pulling Privet and Making Room for Native Species

hadrien57

Feb 261 min read

Pulling Privet and Making Room for Native Species

We say thumbs down to invasive species! Photo by Sarah Evans. On February 17th, ORLT members, staff, and volunteers met at the Orange...

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Invasive Species Removal and Nature Walk at Orange Twin

hadrien57

Jan 251 min read

Invasive Species Removal and Nature Walk at Orange Twin

Join Oconee River Land Trust (ORLT) for an herbicide free invasive species removal and nature hike at the 100-acre, permanently protected...

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