Madison-Morgan Conservancy

Welcome Zach Goodwin, GIS/Cartography & Stewardship Manager!

We're excited to welcome Zach Goodwin to our team as GIS/Cartography & Stewardship Manager.

Zach brings a passion for land conservation and a talent for turning complex data into compelling maps and visualizations that help inform decisions, tell stories, and inspire action. His work focuses on the connections between people, communities, and the natural landscapes they call home.

Most recently, Zach served as a Cartographer with the Global Water Security Center at the University of Alabama, helping policymakers understand challenges at the intersection of food, energy, and water resources. He previously worked with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, where he managed the state's conserved lands database and contributed to updates for Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan.

Before moving into GIS and cartography, Zach spent several years working in conservation field positions across the Intermountain West, gaining firsthand experience with the landscapes and resources he now helps protect through mapping and stewardship.

Zach holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies and a GIS Certificate from the University of Montana, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Georgia. He and his family live near Bostwick, Georgia, where they enjoy life on their five-acre homestead.

Please join us in giving Zach a warm welcome! We're thrilled to have his expertise, creativity, and conservation commitment helping advance our mission.

Attention Farmers & Landowners

The Madison-Morgan Conservancy is now accepting inquiries for the FY2027 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP-ALE).

This federal program provides funding to help landowners permanently protect productive farmland from subdivision and development while keeping the land in private ownership and agricultural production.

A conservation easement does not mean giving up your land. You continue to own it, farm it, lease it, sell it, and pass it on to future generations. The easement simply ensures that the property remains available for agriculture and other compatible rural uses forever.

As development pressure continues to grow across our region, conservation easements are becoming an important tool for preserving family farms, supporting succession planning, protecting natural resources, and strengthening our agricultural economy.

Interested landowners should contact the Conservancy by June 30, 2026, to discuss their property and determine eligibility for the FY2027 funding cycle.
For more information, contact Wynn Howard at [email protected] or 706-818-8046.

We are excited to announce the acquisition of 120 acres of forestland in the Hestertown community through an innovative $2 million conservation loan from The 1772 Foundation.

This project represents a forward-thinking conservation model that allows organizations to buy, protect, and ultimately transfer important conservation properties into long-term stewardship while reinvesting proceeds into future land conservation efforts.

With springs, forests, wildlife habitat, and critical water resources, the Conservancy will actively manage the property through forest restoration, prescribed fire, and conservation practices designed to protect water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, and preserve the rural character of our region. This project helps protect the natural systems our communities depend on, now and for generations to come.

This is conservation in action, and the Conservancy extends sincere gratitude to The 1772 Foundation for its leadership and partnership in advancing proactive land conservation.

Our Power, Our Planet is the slogan for Earth Day 2026. It’s a reminder that real change starts in our local communities: protecting clean air, clean water, productive soils, agrarian views all for current and future generations.

Small local choices can change the world.

And while Earth Week shines a spotlight on this work, it’s not something we celebrate just once a year. It’s what we’ve been showing up for, every day, for more than 25 years.

Because when a community comes together, our collective power becomes something real and lasting. Here are just a few ways that power has shaped our world here in Morgan County:

• 6,000 acres are permanently protected in Morgan County through conservation easements
• Local, state, and national partners are happily working with the Conservancy on innovative programs like ACEP-ALE and Working Farms Fund
• The Land Trust Accreditation Commission recently accredited the Conservancy’s new land trust
• Education on land protection and stewardship is readily available to residents, landowners, and elected officials
• The Conservancy’s Endangered Properties Revolving Fund is actively saving farmland from subdivision/development and saving historic places from demolition

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating the results of this community coming together.

Join us. Be part of the power that protects our planet.

Quarter 1 recap - and it's a big one.
Fairplay School Open House, Accreditation celebration, Land Stewardship Workshop, Annual Membership Supper at Malcom's Crossroads, UNDER CONTRACT on our next Endangered Properties Revolving Fund project.

Morgan County still has a chance to avoid the sprawl rapidly changing the landscape all around us. 75% of our land is still in farms and forests. Morgan County still ranks 31st of 159 counties in GA for total agricultural production. We have one of 3 county-funded farmland protection programs in the state. And we have a culture of conservation driving many of our land use decisions.

We still have a chance to remain productive, wild, and beautiful. And Conservancy Members, Board, and Staff are pushing hard during this window of opportunity. Let's not let it close on us.

Join us to support our work - donate your time, talent, and treasure.

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