The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts and the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District are excited to award over $20,000 in first round funding to eight homeowners for the installation of green infrastructure practices through the Georgia Conservation Assistance Program.
Alan Toney, Chair of the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District says, “We are very pleased to announce the first recipients of the Georgia Conservation Assistance Program. This important partnership will help reduce stormwater flooding, improve water quality, protect homeowner’s property and improve the general livability of our neighborhoods.”
In urban areas, stormwater runoff is one of the major sources of pollution that impacts watersheds. Green infrastructure practices such as cisterns, dry wells and rain gardens installed in residential areas can reduce the rate of stormwater runoff & water pollution in urban areas all while maintaining a beautiful home exterior. Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit group that works to increase green space in Atlanta, will be partnering with GACD and the District to perform all green infrastructure installations for the Program.
Georgia Conservation Assistance Program is a partnership between the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts and Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District that funds the installation of green infrastructure practices on residential properties located in Fulton County. Funds for the Program are provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and administered by the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
For more information, please visit www.gacd.us/gcap .
Fulton County, GA January 21, 2021: Alan Toney has diligently served the Fulton County Conservation District since 1995; this is his 26th year of service. The Fulton County Conservation District works to protect the local soil and water resources. The District encompasses 15 local governments, 1 million citizens, the central economic engine for the Southeastern United States, as well as the headwaters of three major river systems that provide the primary source of fresh water to 10 million people, in three States.
After growing up in the Atlanta area, Alan had the pleasure of exploring Georgia’s waterways at places like Lake Lanier and in ponds and rivers near his home. An avid outdoorsman, Alan is a trained naturalist and enjoys spending his time studying the outdoors, fly fishing, and visiting places like Yellowstone National Park. After retiring from a career in corporate finance, Alan was able to continue his devotion to the outdoors. As an extremely active volunteer for the Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, Alan has collected over a thousand water samples that provide vital information on the health of the waterways in the area.
Alan has previously served as the Vice Chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Atlanta Development Planning Committee during the implementation of Metropolitan River Protection Act and served as a member of Friends of the River when he helped to create the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
Fellow District Supervisor and Riverkeeper for Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, Jason Ulseth says this about Alan, “I have known Alan for more than 15 years and he is one of the most dedicated District Supervisors I’ve ever worked with. He’s also a committed volunteer to help the environment and his local community.”
The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts Hall of Fame preserves the history of the conservation movement in Georgia by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to soil and water conservation. For more information about the District, please visit the District website at www.fultonswcd.com.
Join us on 4/20 for a District Sponsored Urban Agriculture Workshop - Sign up today!
Alan Toney was honored at GACD’s Virtual Meeting held on January 15th. 2021.
(Below, Alan collects samples for the Chattahoochee Riverkeepers.)
GACD and Fulton County Soil & Water Conservation District announce funding for Georgia Conservation Assistance Program
Dear Fellow Citizens, we are passing this note along from the National Park service. Please be aware that this work is going on and avoid the area. We realize that sewer improvements can be traumatic while under construction but this work should improve water quality in the Chattahoochee River. Even though project this is not in our jurisdiction we will be monitoring this work and alerting Fulton County, the National Park Service, the Cobb Soil and Water District and all the stake holders to help ensure that the plan is followed so damage is kept to a minimum.
Alan Toney Chair FCSWCD
The District Receives Grant Funding to Boost Urban Agriculture Initiatives in Atlanta
What's New?
Georgia Association of Conservation Districts announces Alan Toney, Chair of the Fulton County Conservation District, as the GACD Hall of Fame Inductee
January 20, 2024
Atlanta, GA – The Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District was awarded the Urban and Community Conservation Grant by the National Association of Conservation Districts to support their new project: Growing a Just and Equitable AgLanta. With this grant, the District will facilitate community-based urban agriculture and food security in underserved neighborhoods in the Atlanta area.
In 2017, the Fulton County Conservation District partnered with the City of Atlanta to launch the Georgia Power Food Farms arm of the AgLanta Grows-A-Lot program. For this next phase of the program, Core2Globe (C2G) joins the team. During COVID, C2G built trusted relationships with growers by distributing seedlings and recovered food to agricultural sites, to in turn distribute to the community. Together, the District, AgLanta, C2G and partners will utilize this funding to fill gaps experienced by the community in the food system, expand reach, and cultivate a more just food system in accordance with the District's overall goals of developing urban agriculture resources in underserved communities.
USDA low-income (defined as 50% of households' income does not exceed 80% of the median income for the area), low-access areas are neighborhoods where a large proportion of residents live more than a half-mile from the nearest grocery store. Developing partnerships and leveraging support are vital to the District's mission of expanding urban agriculture resources to alleviate these food security challenges.
The Fulton County Conservation District is a unit of state government that directs natural resource management programs in the county. The Conservation District works with urban farmers and growers, landowners, and with other units of government to educate and actively promote programs and practices that support the conservation and responsible use and development of soil, water, and related resources. More information can be found at www.fultonswcd.com.
In urban areas, stormwater runoff is one of the major sources of pollution that impacts watersheds. Green infrastructure practices such as cisterns, dry wells and rain gardens installed in residential areas can reduce the rate of stormwater runoff & water pollution in urban areas all while maintaining a beautiful home exterior.
Georgia Conservation Assistance Program (GCAP) is a partnership between the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts (GACD), Cobb County Conservation District and Fulton County Conservation District that will fund the installation of green infrastructure practices on residential properties located in Cobb and Fulton County.
GACD and the Conservation Districts are partnering with the University of Georgia to host a free virtual workshop that will provide information on green infrastructure practices and maintenance, and outline the GCAP program and application procedure. This virtual workshop will be held on September 10 at 10am and again at 6:30pm. Anyone who participates in the workshop will receive extra points on their GCAP application.
GCAP application period will be open September 10- 30, 2020. For more information and to register for the virtual workshop, please visit www.gacd.us/gcap .
Green Book Updates
The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission recently updated the Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia (Green Book). This manual provides Design Professionals the minimum standards and guidelines for creating Erosion, Sedimentation, and Pollution Control plans per state and federal requirements. Click here for more information.