Donors protect 91 acres along Jackson County’s Paint Rock River

HUNTSVILLE – With 182 donors contributing the funds needed, Land Trust of North Alabama will preserve a 91-acre property in Jackson County that includes approximately 2/3-mile of Paint Rock River frontage.

Trust of North Alabama initiated a public appeal for this fundraising effort in June with a Nov. 1 deadline to raise the $223,000 purchase price. The community responded with enthusiasm, achieving that goal with a few days to spare, the organization said.

“As our region experiences growth, it is critical that we recognize spaces in need of protection and take action,” said Marie Bostick, executive director of Land Trust of North Alabama. “Our community has once again stepped up at the moment we needed them and we are incredibly grateful for their foresight and support.”

North Alabama’s Paint Rock River is known as one of the Southeast’s last free-flowing rivers and one of the most biologically diverse in the world with around 50 state- or federally-listed species found within the river and its tributaries.

The Paint Rock River Valley as a whole is incredibly important in terms of conservation value due to the high diversity of species, particularly aquatic and plant life, found there.

The organization said the property, primarily lowland farmland, is part of a Conservation Reserve Program. In the program, trees have been planted or preserved alongside the river to act as a buffer against erosion and runoff.

In the short term, Land Trust said it plans to maintain this buffer and agricultural use. Long-term property management plans include an extensive wetland restoration project to return the land to a more natural condition as a bottomland hardwood forest.

This transition would conclude agricultural use of the property, which is only marginally productive due to the land regularly flooding, and enhance habitat for wildlife and protection of the river corridor.

As a conservation property, it will not be open to public access due to sensitive environmental features, Land Trust said.

For information, visit landtrustnal.org/preserve-paint-rock.