Celebrating Landowner Mentor Herbert Hodges, 2025 Conservationist of the Year

Walk through Herbert Hodges’s longleaf pine forest and you’ll find more than trees. You’ll find a living classroom where neighbors, students, and fellow landowners gather to learn how to care for the land, restore ecosystems, and pass down a legacy of stewardship. For Mr. Hodges, conservation is not just about management practices. It’s about people, heritage, and community.

That’s why the Southeast Forestry Team at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is proud to celebrate Mr. Hodges, who was recently honored as the 2025 Conservationist of the Year by the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts (GACD). The award recognizes landowners and farmers who embody the very best of conservation leadership, and the life work of Mr. Hodges is a testament to that.

As a retired military veteran, educator, and ordained minister, Mr. Hodges has long brought faith and stewardship together, reminding those he mentors that caring for the land is an act of both responsibility and hope. Historically a row crop farm, his family decided to transition to longleaf pines after learning about all the ecosystem benefits that can be provided.

With support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, he established longleaf pine on his farm and worked with NWF and NRCS Georgia to transform it into a true “model farm.” Over 400 acres of longleaf pine now provide ideal habitat for local wildlife including deer, gopher tortoises, and fox squirrels. His property now serves as a demonstration site for climate-resilient management practices that reduce wildfire risk, capture carbon, and create healthier wildlife habitat.

“After 12 years of restoration, the wildlife has returned,” Herbert said. “I see many more turkeys, fox squirrels, and gopher tortoises. After restoration, they picked up their suitcases and moved in. I don’t know where they came from. They weren’t there when we were planting.”

But Mr. Hodges’s greatest impact reaches beyond his own farm success. He has opened his gates to host workshops and share knowledge with countless other landowners, particularly landowners who have historically faced barriers to accessing conservation resources. Events at his farm have educated many landowners about cost share assistance, grants, and the forestry professionals in their region. His mentorship has inspired confidence and empowered families to retain their land, pursue conservation goals, and see their forests as both a natural and cultural inheritance. 

His leadership also helped shape the groundbreaking “Longleaf and the Landowner” Academy, a first-of-its-kind training that weaves technical forestry guidance together with the history and lived experiences of minority landowners. This program, developed in partnership with NWF, Pine Country RC&D, Georgia Forestry Commission, Ohoopee River Soil and Water Conservation District, The Longleaf Alliance, the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, is already changing the way conservation is taught and shared across the Southeast.

At NWF, we know firsthand the power of Mr. Hodges’s voice. His ability to blend technical expertise with lived experience makes him not just a mentor, but a bridge. His dedication helps conservation partners and landowners alike work together toward shared goals. Through his passion, he shows that conservation success is not measured only in acres restored, but in the people who are empowered to lead.

We extend our warmest congratulations to Mr. Hodges on this well-deserved honor. His story reminds us that the future of conservation in the Southeast depends on leaders who care as deeply for people as they do for the land. And with mentors like Mr. Hodges lighting the way, we know the future is bright.

Congratulations, Mr. Hodges—GACD 2025 Conservationist of the Year!