My Nonprofit Reviews

Hitchcock Woods is Aiken’s unique and historic “urban forest” located next to its downtown. It is privately owned and the Hitchcock Woods Foundation has the daunting task of preserving and managing its 2100 acres and miles of trails. The challenges have increased as the town of Aiken developed around the woods and now completely surrounds its borders. I have spent most of my last 30 plus years living on the woods and seeing The Foundations ongoing work.

The HWF has not only preserved the Wood’s historic equine heritage through annual events like The Historic Aiken Horse Show in the Woods and The Blessing of the Hounds but has also nurtured additional community involvement through an annual Fall Festival in the Woods that brings school children and families to the see and appreciate the Wood’s unique history and environmental importance.

The HWF continues to innovate in the area of forest management by implementing a controlled burning program to restore its Longleaf forest and successfully reintroducing the Red Cockaded Woodpecker to that environment.

But perhaps most importantly during this year’s Covid crisis, the HWF has continued to allow our community access during the pandemic. Although most of the annual events have been cancelled, “The Woods” and it’s trails have been open to people and their animals and provided a sanctuary when there was no other space available. We remain grateful.