Clinton Community Nature Center is undertaking a once-in-a-generation effort to protect one of the last remaining interior forests in Clinton. The USDA Forest Service has awarded CCNC $600,000 through the Community Forest Program to help acquire the 42-acre forested property adjoining the Nature Center—land that has been under contract with a developer for the past year and a half. Preserving this mature hardwood forest, its wetlands, wildlife habitat, and natural drainage areas will expand our trail system, protect the headwaters, reduce flooding in nearby neighborhoods, and safeguard essential habitat for birds, pollinators, and native wildlife. This acquisition would double our protected footprint, strengthen Clinton’s only public nature center, and preserve the ecological and cultural significance of the Historic Natchez Trace corridor.

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To secure this land, CCNC must raise the required matching funds, and we are calling on our community to help meet this critical moment. Every tax-deductible contribution—large or small—brings us closer to ensuring that this landscape is protected in perpetuity for learning, recreation, conservation, and the well-being of future generations. Thanks to an anonymous donor, we have already received $100,000 toward the match, and supporters making a $1,000 gift will be honored on our Native Butterfly Donor Wall. We invite you to donate, spread the word, and help build partnerships that will protect this forest, expand access to nature, and secure a legacy of green space for Clinton.