Accelerating the pace and scale of conservation around the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

HARPERS FERRY, W.V. – The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) announced today $489,000 in grants to strengthen conservation connectivity and safeguard the Appalachian Trail landscape through the Wild East Acton Fund.

Grants were awarded to 17 conservation organizations to advance projects that will protect over 80,000 acres of land, supporting recreational access, scenic views, climate resilient lands, and cultural resources. Grants were also provided to advance conservation planning and community resilience efforts across the Appalachian Trail corridor.

“The Appalachian Trail is more than a footpath—it is the backbone of one of the most cherished and ecologically important landscapes in the country. Every acre we conserve today safeguards not only the beauty and character of the Trail, but also the clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreational access that communities depend on,” said Katie Allen, Director of Landscape Conservation at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “Through the Wild East Action Fund, we’re proud to support the local partners whose work strengthens community connections to nature, protects climate-resilient lands, and ensures this iconic wilderness corridor remains a thriving landscape for generations to come.”

The Wild East Action Fund is a competitive grant opportunity, administered by the ATC, that supports the mission of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership (ATLP) — to connect the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. landscape. The fund provides private, flexible financial support to organizations and collaborative projects that are advancing the protection and conservation of natural, cultural, historic, scenic, recreational, agricultural, and community assets found within the A.T. landscape.

Since 2018, the ATC has contributed over $2.5 million to more than 100 conservation planning and land protection projects across 14 states. In 2025, the Wild East Action Fund introduced a new community resiliency grant category to support the recovery and future conservation planning of communities hit hardest by Hurricane Helene in the Appalachian Trail landscape.

“The mission of Mainspring is to protect land and water in the heart of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, and our Wild East Action Fund awards help us do just that,” said Mainspring Conservation Trust’s Land Conservation Associate Graham Garret. “Not only are these land protection projects important for clean water and wildlife habitat, they are also essential to the protection of the Smoky Mountain section of the Appalachian Trail. With these awards, we are better equipped to protect both the Cheoah Mountains landscape and the integrity of the Appalachian Trail experience.”

The 2025 Wild East Action Fund grant cycle is made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation; Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC; the Appalachian Trail Resiliency Fund; the Dunleavy Foundation; funding made available through the sale of A.T. license plates, and the generous support of donors to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Thanks to a transformational gift from the Dunleavy Foundation, the ATC will begin accepting proposals for the 2026 Wild East Action Fund grants in the spring for land protection support, conservation planning, and community resiliency projects from Georgia to Maine.

2025 Wild East Action Fund Grant Awardees:

Land Protection

The Conservation Fund – Vermont
The Conservation Fund received funding to preserve over 80 acres in Vermont, along the Appalachian Trail corridor. This additional acreage will widen the Trail corridor lands, further protecting the scenic values of the A.T. landscape.

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests – New Hampshire
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests received funding to permanently protect over 100 acres of land in Shelburne, New Hampshire. This land will support both access to public recreation and maintenance of the A.T.

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust – Maine
The Rangely Lakes Heritage Trust received funding to support the Magalloway Collaborative to conserve a 78,000-acre parcel of land in northwestern Maine. This land provides critical wildlife habitat, exceptional recreational opportunities, and supports the local forestry industry.

Cornwall Conservation Trust Inc. – Connecticut
The Cornwall Conservation Trust received funding to help conserve two key properties, Cobble Forest (42 acres) and Furnace Brook Forest (90 acres) totaling 132 acres within the A.T.-Mohawk Trail loop in Cornwall, Connecticut. Protecting these two properties will help to buffer the A.T. and support a variety of wildlife and plants, including 4 state-listed species.

Hanover Conservancy – New Hampshire
The Hanover Conservancy received funding to support the costs of acquiring two critical tracts of forested land on Moose Mountain, adding a total of 126 acres to this climate-change resilient, high biodiversity region. Acquiring these two tracts will further the Conservancy’s drive towards increasing the protective buffer around the A.T. corridor in Hanover.

Trust for Public Land – New Hampshire
The Trust for Public Land received funding for acquiring the 74-acre Pressey Brook Headwaters property in Lyme, New Hampshire, including 0.4 miles of the A.T. Acquiring this property will allow the Trust for Public Land to enhance protection of the Trail segment as well as conserve wetlands and forest within the viewshed of the Trail.

Warren Land Trust – Connecticut
The Warren Land Trust received funding to protect 135 acres of important diverse and sensitive natural resources that will increase climate resiliency in the A.T. landscape.

Northeast Wilderness Trust – New Hampshire
The grant funds will be used to help establish the Spruce Ridge Wilderness Preserve in Grafton County, New Hampshire — a 2,079-acre property that contains a 2.1-mile section of the A.T. and is home to over 30 acres of critical wetland habitat. The Wilderness Preserve will provide regional habitat connections, new public access opportunities, and increased protection of the Trail.

Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy – Connecticut
The Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy received funding to conserve over 100 acres of forestland to create the Surdan Mountain Preserve, a public preserve in Sharon, Connecticut, that adjoins the A.T. by an existing town trail.

NDPonics – Virginia
The grant funds will be used to acquire and protect critical old-growth forest, advancing the mission to connect nearly 800-acres of protected Indigenous land and create a continuous conservation corridor spanning more than 11,500 acres across Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. In reconnecting these landscapes, this project will enhance regional biodiversity, preserve cultural resources, and contribute to the long-term resilience of the A.T. landscape.

Mainspring Conservation Trust – North Carolina
The Mainspring Conservation Trust received funding for two land protection projects that will protect over 450 acres including important rich cove forest surrounding the South Fork of Tuskegee Creek and mixed hardwood forest found near the A.T. treadway. These projects will benefit the ecologically important Little Tennessee River, protect access to the A.T., preserve critical habitat, and increase public access and recreation in the region.

Conservation Planning

Shenandoah National Park Trust – Virginia
The Shenandoah National Park Trust received an award to help prioritize future land conservation efforts around the Shenandoah National Park. This data and mapping exercise will provide base information needed to target funding for future projects. This project will support the work of the Shenandoah Regional Conservation Group in building a landscape-scale land conservation plan with the national park, which the A.T. traverses, at its center.

MountainTrue – North Carolina & Tennessee
MountainTrue received funding to support the Catalyzing Stewardship and Recovery through Natural Resources Inventory Project, a collaborative effort with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) to collect biological inventories across SAHC’s land impacted by Hurricane Helene. This information will help to prioritize land protection and stewardship activities across Helene-affected areas.

New River Conservancy – West Virginia, Virginia, & North Carolina
The New River Conservancy received funding to support the protection of the New River Water Trail, by developing acquisition plans for a minimum of 10 high priority land protection projects and outreach plans to involve the public in supporting the water trail’s protection.

Community Resilience

Rebuild Hot Springs Area – North Carolina
The Rebuild Hot Springs Area, in collaboration with the Hot Springs Tourism Association, received funding to replace outdated or damaged community infrastructure. The project will upgrade an outdated public water foundation to include a water bottle-filling and pet hydration station and replace garbage receptacles lost or damaged during Hurricane Helene.

Center for Native Health – North Carolina
The Center for Native Health received funding to support a series of community-based, climate resilience conversations to build capacity within Cherokee families to steward their homelands using time-tested practices and adaptive strategies. These conversations will lead to improved community readiness for climate events, strengthened relationships between Tribal and non-Tribal conservation partners, and informed Cherokee youth prepared to lead in climate resilience and stewardship.

Nolichucky Outdoor Recreation Association – North Carolina & Tennessee
The grant funds will be used to support Nolichucky Outdoor Recreation Association‘s River Restoration & Community Resilience Initiative that equips cleanup and restoration crews with the necessary tools, supplies, and infrastructure to remove hazardous flood debris, support environmental recovery, and sustain the river-based economy in the Nolichucky Gorge area, a critical corridor of the A.T. Landscape.

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About the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Founded in 1925, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy works passionately to manage and protect the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. As the only non-profit devoted exclusively to the entirety of the Trail and its landscape, we endeavor to keep its vast natural and scenic beauty healthy, resilient, and connected, so that everyone can experience its transformative power for generations to come. Together with our supporters, partners, and thousands of volunteers, we keep the Trail alive.

Media Contact:
Ann Simonelli, asimonelli@appalachiantrail.org

Featured photo of Spruce Ridge Wilderness Preserve by Jerry Monkman.