UGA explores Lake Blackshear development

 Development could enhance local community asset while also benefiting Warnell School students and promoting conservation

The University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources is exploring a new development at Lake Blackshear in Lee County that will promote conservation efforts and recreational opportunities while also benefiting UGA students. 

The project, proposed for up to 500 acres of a 2,500-acre property donated to UGA in 1989 by construction entrepreneur Charles Wheatley, aims to strike a balance between development and the natural environment. Wheatley’s only stipulation in donating the tract was that the Warnell School use the land—now one of the last undeveloped tracts of land on Lake Blackshear—“as it deems best.”

The Warnell School’s successful management of the property has already generated millions of dollars in support of the school’s academic mission. These actions would further enhance that mission, said Dale Greene, dean of the Warnell School.

“In the decades since we acquired the land, we have been managing it for timber production and for wildlife conservation, which is how the land has historically been used. We felt in this way, we were honoring Mr. Wheatley’s gift,” said Greene. “But over time, we’ve realized we also need to consider lakefront options to meet his request to use the gift to best support our programs. If the goal of the property is to best serve the school, we cannot ignore the financial potential of lakefront development, and it is an opportunity to show how to do it in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Nearly 80 percent of the property would continue to be sustainably managed working forests, where Warnell will grow and harvest timber while leasing land to a local hunting club—activities that have taken place there for generations. Prior to donating the property, Wheatley had used it for decades as a private hunting area and a place to entertain.

Warnell and the UGA Foundation—which now holds the property—have been working with consultants for more than a year to fully understand the development potential. While the final plan is not yet set in stone, the idea is to carve out a slice of land along the shore of Lake Blackshear that would be developed in an environmentally sound manner consistent with the stewardship Warnell has demonstrated there for more than three decades.

“The University of Georgia has the South’s oldest forestry and natural resources program,” said Greene. “Our goal would be to create a responsible development that benefits local residents, neighbors on and across the lake, and wildlife.”

Warnell has invested more than $1.2 million in reforestation and forest management, such as controlling invasive species, through its stewardship of the property over the years. Forest revenue and investment earnings from those efforts have yielded a net return of $6.8 million—funds that have supported dozens of Warnell School graduate students as well as the Wheatley Distinguished Professorship in Forest Health.

The school would keep the income-producing portion of the Wheatley property in use for sustainable timber production. This has always been part of the plan: In 2018, the property was accepted into the American Tree Farm System-certified forest management program because of Warnell’s sustainable forest management practices.

“We are extremely grateful for Mr. Wheatley’s generous bequest to the Warnell School, and we strive to manage the land in his honor,” said Greene. “We have taken time to assess the best management practices, weighing opportunities for supporting our missions while producing predictable income. We’ve always known that the portion of the property closest to the lake offered more financial returns than from managing for timber and leasing hunting rights. This is how we came to the decision to explore developing a portion of the property.”

In planning the development, said Greene, the school wanted to connect Wheatley’s uses of the property with a modern planned community. Wheatley was a successful construction business owner who built a modest home for his family on the property where he entertained friends and guests. Enjoying nature was the focal point of the experience. In turn, Warnell will be looking for developers with proven track records of providing environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing communities.

“Mr. Wheatley spent many years creating a personal retreat by the shore of Lake Blackshear, one where he relished nature and its inhabitants, but he was also clear that he wanted his gift to benefit the school in myriad ways, including the sale of the property, if deemed appropriate,” said Greene. “Now, we are excited to be able to connect his legacy to the future for this property. Assisting the next generation of forestry and natural resource students aligns exactly with Mr. Wheatley’s gift intentions. It really is the best of both worlds.”