ANHC was recently awarded a $901,791 Recovery Land Acquisition (RLA) Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire land adjacent to the Saline River. The RLA grant program provides funding for species and habitat conservation actions on non-federal lands.

This grant will be used to purchase 1,073 acres along the Saline River, adjacent to Longview Saline Natural Area in Ashley County. Acquisition of this site will allow the ANHC to keep the land in a natural state, which will benefit protected species like red-cockaded woodpeckers, freshwater mussels, Henslow’s sparrows, geocarpon, as well as, more common species like deer, wild turkeys, and butterflies. Opportunities for outdoor recreation such as hunting, birding, hiking, and photography are also available at the natural area.

Longview Saline Natural Area, consists of a mosaic of rare habitats, including saline barrens, mound woodlands, pine-hardwood flatwoods, and bottomland hardwood forest.