Southern

Conservation Trust, Fayette County's nature

conservancy organization, this week is taking

possession of 13.5 acres of wetlands that will be

preserved in perpetuity as a bird sanctuary.

Bay

Branch Conservation Area is being developed

thanks to donation of the land and cash from the

Bay Branch Condominiums. The preserve will be at

the eastern edge of Fayetteville just north of

Ga. Highway 54.

An

old oxidation pond occupies about five acres of

the site, said SCT President Dennis Chase,

providing a wet area that attracts birds and

other wildlife to feed. "But there's not

much there in the way of habitat for them to nest

in," he added.

Local

Eagle Scout candidates are planning to erect bird

and bat nesting boxes in the wetland, he said.

Aquatic vegetation abounds, he added. At some

time in the future, volunteers also may plant

trees and other vegetation to enhance the park.

"This

particular preserve is not going to be open to

the public," Chase said. "There will be

no trails or public visitation."

SCT

will hold the site as a place where wildlife can

flourish undisturbed close to the heart of

Fayetteville, he said.

The

swampy land, with its aquatic vegetation, also

acts as a filtration area to help keep nearby

Nash Creek clean, Chase said, another reason to

keep human visitation to a minimum.

The

Bay Branch company also has donated about $2,000

to help maintain the area, and has committed to

additional donations in the future to help pay

taxes and keep up the property.

"We're

hoping this will lead to more projects of this

type," said Chase. Bay Branch is a form of

cluster development, he said. The planned

condominiums will take up only a little over

seven acres, with 13.5 acres left untouched for

the wildlife preserve.

"It's

an example of what cluster development can do for

us," he said.

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