Fund Buys 2,458-Acre Carter Farm, Plans Public Access

The Conservation Fund has acquired about 2,458 acres of Carter family farmland and forest near Plains, Georgia, for a reported $8.5 million. The land, where Jimmy Carter grew up, worked alongside his father and later hunted, fished and spent time with Rosalynn, is expected to join the neighboring Lanahassee Creek Wildlife Management Area, expanding it to nearly 7,000 acres. The group plans to open the property for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation as soon as 2027, then transfer it to Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources in 2028. Its conservation features include mature and replanted longleaf pines and habitat for native wildlife, including gopher tortoises; Carter’s conservation ethic also shaped major efforts during his presidency, including the protection of more than 104 million acres in Alaska. The sale does not include Carter’s boyhood home, which is part of the National Park Service-managed Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.