August 4, 2025, Louisville, KY— Alan Toney of Fulton County was inducted into the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Southeast Region Hall of Fame at their Luncheon held in Louisville, KY on August 4.
Pictured: Alan Toney with Steven Meeks
The Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame annually recognizes and honors individuals from the Southeast Region of the United States who have had a significant impact or influence on natural resources conservation practice or partnerships at the local, state, territory, regional or national levels.
Alan Toney has been a District Supervisor for the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District for 31 years. He currently serves as the District Chair. He was inducted into the GACD Hall of Fame in 2021 for his leadership efforts in conservation.
As a fourth generation Atlanta native, Alan had the pleasure of exploring Georgia’s woods and waterways from a young age. Growing up, he spent his time in the ponds and rivers near his home. An avid outdoorsman, and Georgia Master Naturalist, Alan is a student of the outdoors. He enjoys fly fishing, kayaking, seeing wildlife, and visiting Yellowstone National Park with his family.
He is a founding member of Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, and worked with Former President Jimmy Carter on the Friends of the River initiative to create the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. He served as Vice Chair of the Atlanta Development Planning Committee during the implementation of the Metropolitan River Protection Act, helping to protect Georgia’s waters in the midst of booming urban development.
Now retired from corporate finance, Alan continues his devotion to the outdoors. As a Chattahoochee Riverkeeper volunteer, he has logged 2,800 annual miles collecting water samples of the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries to monitor the health of Georgia’s waterways that impact humans and the ecosystem at large. Alan also serves as the Treasurer of Friends of Lost Corner Nature Preserve that implements native plants and pollinator habitat.
Alan and the other district supervisors work together to protect state waters in Atlanta’s heavily urban environment. Fellow district supervisor Cory Rayburn had this to say of him: “in his 30 years on the Fulton County SWCD, Alan has exemplified strong leadership and vision with a focus on keeping our local water resources healthy and clean. Alan has inspired me with his wisdom and sense of tact when balancing environmental protection with sustaining healthy growth in the County. His early work with grassroots environmental organizations laid the groundwork that is now embedded in the way we manage and protect our soil and water resources.”
Alan is a long time advocate for Georgia’s natural places and has championed conservation causes such as water quality, native plants and pollinator habitat restoration, invasive species removal, erosion and sedimentation control, and more. Congratulations, Alan.
Pictured: (L-R) Mark Masters, Katie Sponberger, Alan Toney, Brian Ponder, and Ellis Lamme
The mission of GACD is to advocate for the conservation of Georgia’s natural resources by providing organization, leadership and a unified strategic direction to the Conservation Districts of the state. For more information on GACD or to explore opportunities on how you can support our efforts, please visit us online at www.gacd.us or on Facebook @GACDConserve.