Nesmith Preserve

Calling all photographers and nature lovers - we are hosting a photo contest throughout the month of January for the chance to win an SCT aluminum water bottle and a reusable SCT chico bag! Share your best pictures of our nature areas with us for your chance to win! Tag us in your pictures and email them to [email protected] to enter our photo contest! We are very excited to see your photos! This beautiful photo was taken at Sams Lake this time last year.

"Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?" describes what the call of a Barred Owl sounds like. Barred Owls are very common in Georgia, and you may hear them calling back and forth to each other in your yard. They are best described as being crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk; however, they are also active during the day when it's overcast or raising their young. Listen for the Barred Owl's distinctive call the next time you visit one of our public nature areas. This gorgeous Barred Owl was photographed at Nesmith Preserve over the summer. Photo by Edgardo Ramirez.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped us exceed our #GivingTuesday goal yesterday! You helped us kick off the beginning of the Fayette Environmental Center, and we have been blown away by your generosity. Because of you, we more than doubled our goal and raised $7,330! Thank you again for everything. If you haven't had a chance to make a gift, it's not too late! Make your tax-deductible contribution today to expand access to environmental education for children and adults in Georgia and the Southeast by visiting www.sctlandtrust.org/Nature.

We cannot thank everyone enough for your generous support today! There are just a few more hours to double your donation and help support the development of the Fayette Environmental Education Center! We have met our goal for #GivingTuesday; however, we still have a long way to go before Fayette County’s newest attraction is fully funded. Please visit www.sctlandtrust.org/GivingTuesday to learn more about the many ways you can help.

We are absolutely thrilled to announce we have reached our #GivingTuesday fundraising goal of $2,000 for the Fayette Environmental Education Center (FEEC)! Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed and shared our message! Danger Noodle, one of our resident animal ambassadors, wants to thank you for your support and share that a special donor has announced they will match all NEW donations up to $5,000 made by midnight tonight, which will help your gift go twice as far...! Will you join us and double your impact to expand access to environmental education and help us build Danger Noodle and his friends at FEEC a new enclosure by donating today? Danger Noodle is a grey rat snake (Pantherophis spiloides) currently being raised at FEEC. Grey rat snakes are a very common snake in Fayette County and can reach up to 6 feet long. During warm days you can find these snakes sunbathing on the branches of trees. Visit www.sctlandtrust.org/GivingTuesday for more information on how you can support SCT this Giving Tuesday!

2020 has been a year unlike any other, but this #GivingTuesday we are very excited to offer something to look forward to in 2021: the opening of the Fayette Environmental Education Center on March 20, 2021, in downtown Fayetteville, GA! The Fayette Environmental Education Center will be a place where children, families, and visitors of all ages can connect with the wonders of nature in Georgia and learn about what makes Georgia such a beautiful place. The Fayette Environment...al Education Center will feature multiple exhibit rooms with native wildlife and plants, an indoor environmental classroom, an environmental art gallery, outdoor programming and pollinator gardens, and much more. Please support our new endeavor by donating to the Fayette Environmental Education Center to help us expand access to environmental education for children and adults in Georgia and the Southeast and sharing our exciting news with your friends and family. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. To learn more about our exciting plans and to donate, please visit www.sctlandtrust.org/Nature.

Check out Nesmith Preserve managed by the Southern Conservation Trust!

Today is the day! This #GivingTuesday, help SCT bring more environmental education to your own community. Giving Tuesday is just the beginning of our fundraising for this extensive project. Visit https://sctlandtrust.org/givingtuesday to learn all the ways you can be a part of expanding nature for Fayette County and donate to support our new Fayette Environmental Education Center.

Happy #NationalTakeAHikeDay! Grab a jacket and celebrate by getting outdoors and exploring the various trails at any of our 8 public nature areas in Fayette County! If you've visited any of our public nature areas before, which one is your favorite? We'd love to see your trail adventure photos and videos - share them with us by tagging 'Southern Conservation Trust' in your posts! For more information about our public nature areas, please visit: https://sctlandtrust.org/nature-areas/.