CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. (Dec. 6, 2019)—The Conservation Fund and Open Space Institute (OSI) announced today the purchase of the largest undeveloped, unprotected Atlantic coastline in Georgia. Each organization recently acquired a portion of the 16,083-acre Ceylon property located along the Satilla River east of the city of Woodbine. The Fund and OSI will work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) and federal agency partners over the next several years to permanently protect the entire property under conservation easements and transfer ownership to GA DNR for the establishment of a new wildlife management area.
“Natural lands of this size are rare, and the ecological importance of this property has made it a top priority for conservation over the last decade,” said Andrew Schock, Georgia state director at The Conservation Fund. “With the property’s proximity to Interstate 95 and the growing population centers along the Georgia and Florida coasts, it was highly threatened by resort, residential and commercial development. We are thrilled to secure this land, together with OSI, and look forward to working with Georgia DNR, Georgia's U.S. congressional delegation, and critical federal, state and private funding partners to permanently protect it.”
“Protection of the Ceylon property represents a trailblazing achievement in large-scale land conservation for the state of Georgia and the greater Southeast,” said Kim Elliman, OSI’s president and CEO. “We are grateful for the support of the Wyss Foundation. We also thank The Bobolink Foundation and The Nature Conservancy as well as our partners The Conservation Fund and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for their tireless efforts on behalf of protecting coastal Georgia.”