20 acres saved.
120 to go.
Piedmont Land Conservancy Permanently Protects First 20 Acres of Guilford Woods
July 30, 2026
Fully funded $2.5 million parcel marks the first milestone in a campaign to protect 140 acres.
Twenty acres of the Historic Guilford Woods will never be developed.
On July 30, 2026, Piedmont Land Conservancy and Guilford College closed on the first parcel in a campaign to permanently protect 140 acres of mature hardwood forest, a beloved part of Guilford College’s campus and some of the least disturbed woodland left in a fast-growing corner of the city.
The protection comes through a conservation easement, a legal agreement that prohibits development regardless of future ownership.
At the corner of Jefferson Road and Bennington Drive, the newly protected 20 acres sit at the highest point of the Guilford Woods property, protecting the water quality of the stream corridor below. Its soils have never been tilled, invasive plant pressure is light, and native wildlife is abundant.
The Saving Guilford Woods campaign launched in September 2025 and has raised $7.6 million toward its $11 million goal, with the $2.5 million for this parcel fully funded before the closing. Protecting this parcel is a significant step, but Piedmont Land Conservancy remains focused on protecting the remaining 120 acres with a deadline of December 2027. The remaining 120 acres border 92 acres that PLC protected decades ago, now cherished by the community as Price Park.
When the campaign is complete and all 140 acres are protected, Guilford Woods will be officially accessible to the public with improved walking trails and an entryway. PLC and its partners will develop a thoughtful access plan that balances recreation, education, and stewardship while protecting sensitive ecological and historical features. The woods will continue to serve as an outdoor classroom for students of all ages, and as a thriving natural area for plant and animal life within an increasingly developed urban landscape.
Protection will also preserve the land’s multi-layered history: From the Indigenous homelands and trading grounds of the Keyauwee and Saura people, to the lesser-known Battle of New Garden fought the morning of the more famed Battle of Guilford Courthouse, to the documented history of the Underground Railroad.
This achievement would not have been possible without the leadership of Mary Magrinat, PLC’s Board President and Chair of the Saving Guilford Woods Campaign. The guidance and dedication of honorary campaign chairs Tom and Linda Sloan also helped rally the community to fund this first parcel.
To learn more about Saving Guilford Woods or to make a gift toward the remaining 120 acres, click below.
