A Landowner's Conservation Journey

For many years, Mike Kemph watched commercial and residential development claim land in Georgia, and saw how remaining forests and farmland were scarred by intense logging and agriculture. Determined to do his part to protect land and the wildlife that live there, he bought three parcels of land during the 1980s. On two of his properties—an old cotton farm and farm fields that had been subject to persistent drought—the land was dried out and hardly any trees or vegetation remained. Through state and federal conservation programs, Mr. Kemph planted and helped native trees to grow back. As a result, the soil turned moist and nourishing again.