The Forever Wild Land Trust - Alabama Department of Conservation ...

Partnerships
Financial
In the late 1990s, several new federal programs were developed to assist state conservation programs in the effort to protect important
and unique habitats by purchasing specific tracts of land. Through these programs, many species of plants and animals have benefited
directly from these conservation efforts. In addition to helping restore the well-being of animals such as the bald eagle, which was
removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2007, many other species are being helped before they become so rare
that they require the protection afforded by the federal law.
Over the last 10 years, grant proposals developed by the ADCNR have been very successful in supporting the acquisitions made by the
Forever Wild Land Trust. In this process, the state funds made available through Alabama’s Forever Wild Program match federal funds
appropriated through the various federal grant programs. The best example is that for every federal dollar we get, we match it with a
dollar from Forever Wild.
Forever Wild’s competitive grant proposals have successfully secured over $41.4 million in federal funds from seven programs. These
funds effectively increase the purchasing power of Forever Wild, and have resulted in the acquisition of an additional 36,414 acres that
would otherwise not have been bought. Most were secured through support from Alabama’s congressional delegates. Alabama was
positioned to win the funds because Forever Wild was in place.
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Billy Pope, Outdoor Alabama