NPS Photo
Park Ranger marks boundary near Fern Lake
The first two phases (1,850 acres) were completed in the Spring of 2008, and involved the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) purchasing the land from Ataya Hardwoods, and then transferring the land to the National Park Service using money from the land and Water Conservation Fund.
Phase III (1,268 acres encompassing the headwaters) was finalized in January of 2009 through a similar, cooperative effort with Molpus Woodlands Group, and a fourth phase involving 905 acres from Molpus was completed in the spring of 2009.
map of fern lake land acquisition (11.17 mb)
This new acquisition of lands around Fern Lake increased the park acreage by approximately 20 percent!
The result is the permanent protection of the watershed and the viewshed for the public, and the addition of a new portion of the park for visitor to explore.