Deed Transfers Campbell Center Land To University of Georgia

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia recorded deed documents in the Superior Court of Oconee County late last month officially transferring 1,055 acres that had been part of the J. Phil Campbell Sr. Natural Resource Conservation Center from the United States Department of Agriculture to the University of Georgia.

As a condition of acceptance, the state agreed to “use the property for agricultural and natural resources research for a minimum of 25 years,” guaranteeing that the acreage will not be developed before 2038.

The state of Georgia paid $1 for the 1,055 acres, spread around the county but predominantly in the quickly developing northern section.

The recording on Sept. 20 of the quitclaim deed from the federal government giving up ownership of the land brings to an end the operation of the Campbell Center, which was created on Jan. 1, 1937, to conduct research and develop procedures to deal with soil erosion in this part of the state.

The USDA is retaining 91 acres for the Richard Russell Research Center at Athens. The land, to the west of Government Station Road and south of Hog Mountain Road, is used by the Russell Center for poultry research.

For details of this story, go to Oconee County Observations.