The Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) and Georgia Power are teaming up to create the Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund, a $300,000 community greenspace initiative that aims to help local landowners hoping to conserve their land in Fayette County and Coweta County, GA, the organizations jointly announced earlier this month.
The Southern Conservation Trust, founded in 1993, says it currently has over 60,000 acres of conserved land and public lands throughout the southeast, including five public nature areas in Fayette County and a Fayette Environmental Education Center.
The $300,000 in funds comes from a donation from Georgia Power.
The SCT said the donation and newly established assistance fund come at a time when development pressure has been increasing. Though the press release for the Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund did not name any specific types of development pressures, one of the hottest and most polarizing issues has been around data centers.
In Fayette County, a massive data center project from QTS Data Centers dubbed “Project Excalibur” is planned to have 16 buildings sit on 600 acres of land upon completion in 2032 has received a lot of mixed reviews from nearby residents.
In Coweta County, the Coweta County Board of Commissioners adopted a Data Center Ordinance during its December 16, 2025 meeting; the ordinance defines what constitutes a data center in Coweta County, as well as a mandatory community meeting before any public hearings, minimum modes of communicating those meetings, distances from residential properties, types of equipment allowed on-site, power generation standards, and more.
The Public Service Commission released a data center fact sheet, including estimated increased generation capacity by Georgia Power, in early March, detailing the latest updates on the topic.
In addition to data centers, population sprawl around large metros like Atlanta, which is now the sixth largest metro area in the nation, means more development encroachment into rural lands — anything from suburban neighborhoods, new roads, buildings, parking lots and everything in-between chips away at the character of rural communities, some residents have told local outlets like WABE 90.1.
The Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund will help landowners with conservation easements, which are voluntary, permanent agreements that landowners can enter to designate certain areas as rural forever, whilst retaining ownership of the property. Any future owners of the property would be bound by the easement, regardless if zoning laws changed.
“For years, Southern Conservation Trust has envisioned a program like Flint Rising — one that meets landowners where they are and helps remove the obstacles standing between them and permanent conservation,” said Chris Doane, president and CEO of Southern Conservation Trust, in a public statement. “Georgia Power’s leadership and investment made it possible to turn this vision into reality, and we are proud to partner with them to help protect our community’s natural legacy.”
The SCT cited “boundary surveys, title opinions, and insurance commitments, qualified conservation easement appraisals,” and more as regulatory and financial constraints typically faced by landowners who want to enter into a conservation easement.
The program is still in development stages, with program criteria, eligibility guidelines, and an application process to be announced at a later date this year.
