Approximately 9,800 acres on and around the Coosa River will be protected permanently for recreational use by the citizens of Alabama. The property, which has several miles of frontage along the Coosa River, and the Hatchet and Weogufka Creeks, is centrally located in Coosa County between Birmingham and Montgomery, two of the state's largest population centers. The acquisition also will allow the state to protect and eventually extend a rare mountain longleaf pine ecosystem which is inhabited by endangered red cockaded woodpeckers. Under the agreement, the state plans to extend the existing mountain longleaf pine ecosystem by roughly an additional 3,000 acres. The property will continue to be part of the state's Coosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Coosa WMA has been in continuous operation since 1952 and represents the oldest WMA established in cooperation with the forestry community.