Just off Ga. Highway 54, on the border of Fayette and Coweta counties, nature lovers will find a public preserve that’s a perfect spot for both recreation and quiet contemplation. Line Creek Nature Area offers easy and challenging hiking trails, granite outcroppings, a rushing stream, a fishing pond with a pier, picnic tables and a gazebo sometimes used for weddings.

Line Creek Nature Area is owned by the city of Peachtree City and managed by Southern Conservation Trust, a local nonprofit land trust. The park has been in the news recently, as a developer who owns the property adjacent to the nature area was proposing to swap a portion of their property abutting the pond for a portion of the nature area bordering busy Hwy 54. The city recently decided not to consider this request but is continuing to work with the developer to acquire the portion of property adjacent to the pond.

According to Trust Board member Jerry Peterson, “We are working with the city and developer to design better access to the park and add land beside the pond that will enlarge the nature preserve.”

Southern Conservation Trust works with local groups to maintain the park. Adult volunteers and Boy and Girl Scouts have worked on trails, picked up litter, beautified the parking area, cut back privet and replaced a footbridge. The Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia donated $750 for upkeep expenses.

“There are many native azaleas along Line Creek that will bloom soon, and some say nearby is the rock foundation of a Civil War-era bridge. Visitors have seen deer, heron and occasionally a fox,” says Abby Jordan, the Trust’s executive director.

Southern Conservation Trust is a nonprofit land trust based in Fayette County that protects over 1,000 acres of public and private nature preserves, including the Flat Creek Nature Area. Landowners work with the Trust to permanently protect their land and may receive federal and state tax benefits. Last year the Trust completed three conservation easements and accepted two land donations.

For directions to Line Creek Nature Area or more information on land conservation and tax benefits, visit www.sctlandtrust.org, call 770-486-7774, or email info@sctlandtrust.org.

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