Land Trust of North Alabama raises funds needed to buy 92 acres at Chapman Mountain

With a narrow deadline of just three months, the Land Trust of North Alabama was able to raise the funds needed to purchase property adjacent to the Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve.

This 92-acre addition will fill a major hole in the existing Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve, expanding preserved land in central Huntsville to provide much-needed wildlife habitat and create the opportunity for a significantly larger future trail network.

Hundreds of donors made the purchase possible

Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve, a 472-acre property located just to the east of Huntsville on Highway 72, has been part of the Land Trust of North Alabama’s preservation efforts since 2001, and thousands of visitors and years of effort later, the Land Trust needs the public’s help to keep Chapman Mountain preserved.

The Land Trust reports that 470 donors stepped up to raise the $370,000 needed to buy the land, which expands the Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve to 551 acres.

The property, surrounded on three sides by the existing Land Trust nature preserve, has been recently logged but will be allowed to naturalize over time to provide an uninterrupted wildlife corridor within a highly developed area.

Preserving Chapman Mountain

Chapman Mountain was in danger of being purchased and developed, but in 2001 the Land Trust began efforts to preserve the mountain. Through the support of Terry Properties, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, and Vulcan Materials Company, the Land Trust was able to open Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve in 2018.

Later that year, Alabama A&M University granted the Land Trust a trail license to access 188 acres adjoining the preserve, providing space for an expanded trail system. 

In 2019 following a successful community campaign for support, the Land Trust purchased an additional 86-acre portion of the mountain.

If you have questions about this land preservation effort, please contact us at questions@landtrustnal.org or 256-534-5263.

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