The Nature Conservancy adds new 1,000-acre preserve at Flagg Mountain

Coosa County is home to The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s newest nature preserve in Alabama, which will officially be dedicated at a ceremony this weekend to celebrate Earth Day.

The new Fenvkvcēkv Creek Preserve is a 1,000-acre tract of land at Flagg Mountain in Coosa County. Its name honors the Muscogee People, the original caretakers of the land, and is the original Muscogee name for the bordering Finikochicka Creek.

“Establishing an entirely new preserve in our state is as special as the people and the heritage its acreage and name honors. We couldn’t imagine a better day than Earth Day to dedicate this area and to illustrate our commitment to its preservation for generations to come.”

~ TNC Alabama State Director Mitch Reid

The dedication is slated for Friday, April 19 from 10AM-12PM. Keep reading to find out more about the preserve and Flagg Mountain.

TNC has three other major preserves in the state of Alabama including:

• Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve – Northeast Alabama
• Kathy Stiles Freeland Glades Preserve – Bibb County
• Splinter Hill Nature Preserve – Baldwin County

What is the Fenvkvcēkv Creek Preserve?

The first thing you should probably know about the preserve is how to pronounce it. And don’t worry, TNC gave us a guide. Fenvkvcēkv is pronounced finuh-guh-jee-guh.

But there’s more to it. Conservation efforts around Flagg Mountain are nothing new but the new preserve is expected to significantly contribute to those efforts.

“This area, specifically, has long been a priority for protection, and through the efforts of The Nature Conservancy, the Conservation Fund and other partners, the conservation footprint around Flagg Mountain continues to grow, we are privileged to have the opportunity to protect these lands and waters in perpetuity. We are especially grateful to The Conservation Fund for donating 315-acres that is being included in the preserve.”

~ TNC Alabama State Director Mitch Reid

Reid added the preserve will be essential in connecting areas from the Gulf of Mexico to the Appalachian Mountains.

The Fenvkvcēkv Creek Preserve now expands that existing network of protected lands, adjacent to some owned by Forever Wild, The Conservation Fund and the Alabama Forestry Commission. TNC said it plans to use the preserve as an important demonstration site to guide management and restoration of these neighboring, protected lands. 

Preserving Flagg Mountain

Over the last decade, TNC has expanded conservation work on Flagg Mountain, including reintroducing prescribed fire to the landscape in 2019.

The area is home to the the montane longleaf pine — which is only found in the southernmost region of the Appalachians and piedmont of both northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia. Flagg Mountain is also the southernmost peak and start of the 2,000-mile-long Appalachian Mountain range.

In 2022, the Flagg Mountain Tower at Weogufka State Forest officially reopened after being closed for two decades. Just last year, a new governing board was established to protect and restore the Pinhoti Trail which includes Flagg Mountain.

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