Georgia is set to add another Wildlife Management Area to its list of protected natural sites, pending the purchase of land at Oaky Woods in Middle Georgia.
Since the 1960’s, the state has leased 16,000 acres of the Oaky Woods wilderness to preserve it and allow Georgians to enjoy it for recreation.
The Department of Natural Resources board will vote next week on buying 95-hundred of those leased acres.
D-N-R public affairs director Lauren Curry says this purchase has been a priority for several years because of Oaky Woods’ natural treasures:
“The black bear population, the Ocmulgee River runs through so you have your wetlands there. There’s also a very unique ecological system there called a blackland prairie that supports several rare plant an animal species. So it’s very important from a natural resources point of view.”
The DNR will pay for the land with 28-million dollars of bond money set aside in this year’s budget.
Georgia maintains 98 Wildlife Management Areas in the state that total nearly a million acres.

Tags: Department of Natural Resources, middle Georgia, Oaky Woods