The Conservation Fund conducted a planning assessment for 14,000 acres of undeveloped land.  This land is owned and managed by the Ida Caseon Callaway Foundation.  The analysis of the property's natural and cultural resources, existing and potential uses and access was recorded in a comprehensive plan, used by Harris County to apply for the Governor's Greenspace Program based on its 33% growth rate and need to preserve green spaces.  The Ida Callaway Foundation applied for an received about $4 million in federal Forest Legacy funds from the Forest service for a working forest conservation easement held by the Georgia Forestry Commission.  Seventy-five percent of that was federal money and 25 percent was local match, with the Home Depot Foundation putting up $25,000 and the rest from a donation of interest in land from the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation. 

Technical forestry assistance for the restoration of the Montane Longleaf Pine is provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission.  Also supporting the project is The Nature Conservancy, the Georgia Department of Natural Resource, The Georgia Conservancy, The American Forestry and Paper Association and Columbus State University at Oxbow Meadows. 

2,507 acres of land was placed under a perpetual conservation easement, restricting any future development.  Additional projects in the area are being planned, and this project motivated the county's involvement in the Georgia Greenspace Program.  Other state programs are being considered for funding by the state legislature.

The property contains a notable mix of species common to the Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain all in one place!  Controlled public access is allowed for recreation and environmental education.    Annual field trips for more than 30,000 school children are funded through donations.  Naturalists help educate adults and children about sustaining our natural environment.

The forest is managed under sustainable management practices following Sustainable Forestry Initiative protocols.  This project consolidates and connects public forests (Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park) through the use of conservation easements on private forest lands, along with the protection and restoration of the Montane Longleaf Pine ecosystem.