Georgia's 40 million acres make it the biggest state east of the Mississippi. Those acres encompass a diversity of landforms that ranges from barrier islands and swamps to the distinctive high bald mountains of the Southern Appalachians. Some of Georgia's best places are in trouble. And as often as not, trouble arrives by motor.

Wilderness on the Doorstep of a City: Mountaintown Roadless Area, Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia
Atlanta isn't the only wild place to visit in Georgia. From seeking out endangered wildflowers to thrill-seeking on a raging river, the best feature of the Mountaintown Roadless Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest is the array of recreational activities offered in wilderness that exists today as it always has -- despite being only a two-hour drive from Atlanta.

In June, 2006, Representatives Nathan Deal (GA-10) and Charles Norwood (GA-9) introduced the Chattahoochee National Forest Act of 2006, a bill that would establish the 13,382-acre Mountaintown National Scenic Area and would further protect 8,448 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest by designating that parcel a Wilderness Area.
>> Get details on the Chattahoochee National Forest Act of 2006
>> Read more about the Mouintaintow Roadless Area

Keeping it Wild: Celebrating the Natural Heritage of the Southeast
A unique series of events raises public awareness about the importance of wild lands and brings together diverse communities engaged in natural lands protection in Georgia and the Southeast.
>> Learn more

DuPont Land Donation Will Help Protect Okefenokee Refuge
DuPont has agreed to donate to the Conservation Fund approximately 16,000 acres adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area in Georgia, thereby relinquishing the opportunity to mine the land.
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A Tradition of Wilderness, More to be Done
Though Georgia boasts a protected wild land that is huge by eastern standards -- the 353,981 acres of Wilderness in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge -- only around 1.2 percent of the state's total area is designated Wilderness. The Wilderness Society and its conservation partners are campaigning to include much more in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
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Cumberland Island National Seashore
Cumberland, interposed between the Georgia coast and the pounding Atlantic, is among the largest undeveloped barrier islands in the world. It's both the largest and southernmost of Georgia's barrier islands and is accessible only by boat. Much of Cumberland is wild. Our challenge is to ensure that the National Park Service manages it to keep it the wild place that it is.
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Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
The Okefenokee became part of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1937. The refuge covers 600 square miles and includes 353,981 acres of Wilderness. The things that call it home range from black bears to alligators to pitcher plants. The major threat to the refuge's wildness is motorized use within the protected area.
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National Forest Management
Georgia has two National Forests, the Oconee and the Chattahoochee. The U.S. Forest Service is now developing management plans for both forests that will direct their management for the next 10 to 15 years. Public participation is a crucial part of this process and The Wilderness Society is actively involved. We hope you will be as well.
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Highway Threats to Ocmulgee National Monument
One of the most significant archaeological and cultural areas in the American southeast is the Ocmulgee Old Fields. In 1999, the land was designated a Traditional Cultural Property. That earned it a place on the national Register of Historic Places. For some, though, it's little more than a handy route for a four-lane highway and they've proposed to gouge one through the middle of this cultural-and ecological-treasure.
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Off-Road Vehicles Rampage
Dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles continue to damage Georgia's National Forests and their numbers increase every year. Evidence of their largely unmanaged passage includes eroded streambeds, silted trout streams and deep erosion gullies.
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Georgia's Mountain Treasures
The Wilderness Society has published "Georgia's Mountain Treasures: the Unprotected Wildlands of the Chattahoochee National Forest." This was one of the first of a series that will soon include all the states of the Southern Appalachians. "Alabama's Mountain Treasures" is the latest and last. The reports identify and describe areas that we must defend against logging, road building and burgeoning off-road vehicle use. For your free copy, contact our Southeast Regional Office  by calling 404-872-9453.