SAVE OUR LAST WILD PLACES

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is a nationally accredited non-profit organization with a mission to safeguard our unique and irreplaceable landscape.

We conserve forests, wetlands, and vistas that are home to the greatest number of rare plants and animals in the Southern Appalachians, some of which occur nowhere else on the planet. The Highlands-Cashiers plateau sits at the headwaters of six different watersheds so conserving land here protects drinking water throughout the Southeast US. These are just a few of the reasons our mountains are special and why it is so important we protect them.

As we face challenges such as climate change and declining biodiversity, saving land has never been more critical. Demand for land throughout Highlands and Cashiers has skyrocketed and HCLT is racing against the clock to save our last wild places before they are lost forever. 

A small red eft climbing on green mossy foliage in a forest setting.

Together, we can save mountains.

As we face challenges such as climate change and declining biodiversity, saving land has never been more critical. Demand for land throughout Highlands and Cashiers has skyrocketed and HCLT is racing against the clock to save our last wild places before they are lost forever. 

Together, we can save the lands we love.

Learn more
  • Six people riding horses on a trail in a mountainous landscape with clear sky.

    Since 1909, our generous donors and partners have conserved over 4,300 acres of biologically diverse and ecologically value lands throughout southern Jackson and Macon Counties. As a nationally accredited land trust, our work promotes:

  • A painted landscape of a forested valley with rolling hills and trees in the foreground, under a sky with pink clouds.

    Healthy Lands: Conserving and caring for the magnificent natural landscapes, habitats and waterways of our region to ensure a sustainable future.

  • A group of people gathered outdoors on a forested trail during autumn with colorful fall leaves, mountain scenery, and a bright blue sky in the background.

    Healthy People: Providing opportunities for all who live in and visit Southern Macon and Jackson Counties to experience the healthful benefits associated with access to parks and open spaces, clean air and water, and a deep connection with nature.

  • A lush green field surrounded by trees with a mountain in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    Healthy Communities: Engaging in partnership where conservation and civic participation increase community vitality, economic prosperity and social equity.

  • Four smiling people standing next to a white Highlands Cashiers Land Trust pickup truck and a small trailer filled with greenery on a parking lot, with a green forested hill and cloudy sky in the background.

    We see a future where natural landscapes, open spaces and healthy communities are cared for by people who share a love of nature and a deep appreciation for the richness of their diverse cultures.

Your donation makes all this happen!  Thank you for investing in our mountains.

A group of people hiking through a green field with trees in the background, some using walking sticks and wearing backpacks.

Ready to take the next step?

Our wild places are at risk of being loved to death as demand for land on the Plateau skyrockets. YOU can help.

Join HCLT Today!

Join HCLT

“The top of Satulah is OURS to keep forever. No money grubbing skinflint without any soul can ever acquire this top and then put up a toll gate to charge admission to what he the same as stole from God. I mean just what I say. No man has a right or can acquire a right to charge a man a toll to visit the tops of God’s mountains.”

-Thomas G. Harbison, 1909

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Sign up to be the first to know about our hikes, community events, volunteer opportunities. We look forward to partnering with you to continue gaining ground as we strive to continue furthering meaningful conservation on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau.