Realty

Organization

The Division of Realty, in addition to the Senior Realty Officer and his immediate staff, has three acquisition and realty management teams aligned along the Regions Ecosystem Area boundaries and a Program and Support Team with Regionwide responsibilities.

Land Acquisition Teams

Land acquisition and realty management is the responsibity of the three acquisition teams.

Acquisition of lands for new refuges or the expansion of existing refuges can occur many ways.  Everyone's first thought is of fee title acquisition, but acquisition also takes the form of conservation easements, long and short term leases, donations, land for land exchanges, timber for land exchanges, and management or cooperative agreements.

Realty managment involves a number of activities including surveying, records managment, revenue sharing payments to counties, right-of-way permits, and fulfilling annual reporting requirements.

Teams are aligned as follows:

• Acquisition Team I - Lower Misssissippi valley, Arkansas, Louisiana, western Mississippi.

• Acquisition Team II - Gulf Coast, western Georgia, eastern Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

• Acquisition Team III - South Georgia, and Florida.

Planning and Support Team

The Planning and Support Team is responsible for  meeting and complying with all land acquisition planning requirements.  It is also responsible for cooridination and undertaking  of all Comprehensive Conservation Planning on existing refuges.  In addition, it provides cartographic, records management, and computer support to the rest of the Division.