Bond Issue Overview

Oaky Woods is now owned by private developers who plan to put 30,000 or more residential and commercial properties on the land over the next 30 years. If we can gather enough public and political support for a bond issue to raise local monies for the purchase of Oaky Woods, we will then be able to apply for State, Federal and private conservation funds to help us acquire some or all of the tract.

In Paulding County, just west of Atlanta, citizens recently approved a local bond referendum that raised $15 million for the purchase of 7200-acre Paulding Forest WMA while only increasing the tax liability on a $200,000 home less that $2.00 per month. The State of Georgia then contributed $15 million dollars through the Georgia Land Conservation Program, which was then combined with Federal grants, donations from conservation organizations, private foundations, and other sources for a total acquisition of approximately $46 million.

Can we do the same thing here in Houston County for Oaky Woods?

YES!

A local bond issue represents our single best opportunity to save Oaky Woods. Two key requirements:

1) The new owners of Oaky Woods would have to be willing to sell the property for its fair appraised value.

2) Our Houston County Commissioners would have to support a local bond issue and schedule a referendum for citizens to vote on the issue.

Now is the time for you to help us save Oaky Woods. Contact your elected officials, write letters to the editors of your local papers, speak to your friends and neighbors and let your voice be heard!

Please remember to keep your comments positive - in order to succeed, we will need the support of a diverse group of stakeholders, many with differing views on this issue. Let's work TOGETHER to preserve Oaky Woods for future generations!

Paulding Voters Say Yes to Bond Referendum to Buy WMA Tract

courtesy Georgia Outdoor News

(Editor's Note: Paulding County residents recently passed a bond issue to help preserve the Paulding Wildlife Management Area, which is very similiar to Oaky Woods. If they can do it, so can we! Please contact the Houston County Commission to express your support of this idea.)

Paulding County residents took a major step toward protecting part of a popular hunting area in their county by voting in favor of a $15 million bond referendum that was on Paulding’s November 7 ballot.

In election terms, it was a landslide, as 70 percent of Paulding voters said yes to a small property-tax increase that will be used to fund the purchase of about one-third of a 7,200-acre tract of Paulding Forest WMA.

The remainder of the tract will be purchased by the state using a combination of federal grants and money from the Nature Conservancy and private donors. The cost for purchasing the entire 7,200-acre tract will be approximately $46 million. Appraisals are almost completed, then they will have to be reviewed against federal standards before the parties begin the process of finalizing the purchases.

Steve Friedman, chief of real estate with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said they are still waiting on another major component of the funding.

“We are waiting to hear if we are going to receive a Forest Legacy Grant. That is tied up in the budgets of Washington D.C., which have not been passed yet. This project was in the president’s budget proposal that went to the House and Senate for $2.25 million. Hopefully it will stay there,” Steve said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already issued a $1 million grant to go toward the Paulding County WMA land purchase through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program, which provides funds to states and territories to acquire habitat for endangered and threatened species with approved recovery plans.

“That Recovery Grant was nationally competitive, which speaks to the national significance of this project,” Steve said.

In addition, others are working to secure additional funding for the land purchase.

“The Nature Conservancy has committed to try to raise some real money for this project,” Steve said.

“We’re going to still need some help, but (the Paulding bond referendum) was a major, major accomplishment,” he said.

(Editor's Note- After this article was published, all necessary funding was secured and the Paulding property was purchased as expected.)