The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (SAFC) is developing conservation plans centered on public lands in the southern Appalachians. A crucial part of this process involves local groups and citizens in identifying conservation and heritage resources, setting conservation priorities, and placing local conservation prospects within a landscape perspective. SAFC has created new GIS resources to facilitate work with grassroots groups and communities. Conservation areas have been identified throughout the region, showing conservation opportunities and issues in and around these areas. Conservation area designs are being integrated using GIS into a proposal for a network of conservation areas throughout the region.