Liz Cole has been name the new Executive Director of regional land trust, Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia (MCTGA). Cole joins the Trust with over 20 years of experience working with federal, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations and community groups to develop greenway, blueway, park and land protection projects. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, she moved to Atlanta during the planning of the 1996 Olympics when designers were eager to work on the Olympic venues.

Cole has worked on several local projects of interest. In the mid 90’s, she participated in the Chattahoochee River Land Protection Campaign, a partnership between The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy and Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The project included mapping the 16 counties along the Chattahoochee River, from Helen to Columbus with public involvement in the design of greenway systems and canoe/kayak access points along the river. As Cole describes, “it was working on this project when I realized that creating parks and recreational venues for communities was how I wanted to spend my time.”

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she has dual degrees in Fine Arts and Landscape Architecture. From an early age Cole wanted to be an architect but when she discovered she could combine architecture with her love of the outdoors, she was hooked.

Cole also worked with the City of Canton on the Etowah River Corridor creating passive parks and access to the Etowah River for recreation. The project connected green space from I-575 to Boling Park in Canton including a master plan identifying different phases of work, how much it would cost, and available funding. Heritage Park was one project completed through the plan. Cole describes how one can creatively work and respect the land when designing parks. The earth moved to create the amphitheater in Heritage Park left a huge mound of dirt. Cole explains, “The Cherokee Indians once lived in this area so I thought designing a series of mounds in the pattern from a Cherokee Indian pot used the excess soil and added an interesting element to the design.”

Cole enjoys projects called “greenprinting” where project master plans are created with the needs and desires of the community as the priority. Cole said, “It’s not prepackaged. We conduct public meetings hearing from communities about what they want and often that includes elements such as walking trails, hiking, green areas, playgrounds and recreational access to waterways. When the final plan is complete, it illustrates the community’s vision. And the best part of the work is watching the people enjoy it.”

When asked what she hopes to accomplish as the new director, she shared, “I am looking forward to working with the communities throughout the mountains, and helping them establish their greenprinting vision for both conservation and public access.”

The public is invited to stop by and meet Liz Cole at the Mountain Conservation Trust offices in downtown Jasper. She may also be reached by phone at 706-253-4077 or by e-mail at lcole@mctga.org.

MCTGA is a non-profit organization headquartered in Jasper dedicated to the permanent conservation of the natural resources and scenic beauty of the mountains and foothills of North Georgia through land protection, collaborative partnerships and education. They have over 1,400 acres under perpetual protection in multiple North Georgia counties. In addition to land protection, the trust promotes outdoor education through hikes and other nature based activities.