An 860-acre parcel of privately owned land in Jackson County now is home to the largest conservation easement in Alabama’s chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
The easement purchase, announced Wednesday, will preserve the Paint Rock River watershed, which is rife with caves, oak and hickory forest and home to Burks Creek, a tributary to drinking water sources in Huntsville, Ala.
“We’re really looking to protect not just plants and animals, but the [Paint Rock] River,” said Steve Northcutt, director of protection for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. “That’s a portfolio site for us.”
The land will remain in private ownership, but the Nature Conservancy will be responsible for monitoring it and ensuring the preservation of its attractive environmental and wildlife qualities.
The land lies in one of the most cave-heavy counties in the South, and the area is teeming with rare species of fish and mussels.