By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

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.