The Lowcountry Open Land Trust

Announces the Largest Easement in our 23-Year History

We’re proud to have partnered with Norfolk Southern Corp to protect 12,488 acres of Brosnan Forest, a pristine Lowcountry property in Dorchester County.

For full text of the press release, click here.

For pictures of Brosnan Forest, click here.

Express Your Thanks to Norfolk Southern:

We owe Norfolk Southern Corp. a debt of gratitude for their conservation leadership. Rather than developing Brosnan Forest, they chose to protect the property forever, thereby insuring that the Four Holes Swamp area remains one of the most unspoiled in the state. If you’d like to voice your appreciation to Norfolk Southern for their foresight, please send a “thank you” email to: joshua.raglin@nscorp.com - In the "subject" line, please put "Thank You from a Member of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust."

News Coverage:

The Post and Courier,  "Letters to the Editor"

The Post and Courier, August 16, 2008 "Editorial: Protecting a Forest Treasure"

The Post and Courier, August 11, 2008, "Brosnan's pines provide rare forest home"

The Post and Courier, August 5, 2008, "Gift Will Preserve 12,488 Acres"

The State, August 5, 2008, "Gift protects 12,488 acres"

The Virginia Pilot, August 5, 2008, "Norfolk Southern protects thousands of acres of land"

Four Holes Swamp Partnership:

Along with Audubon South Carolina and other conservation groups, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust embarked on a cooperative education and outreach program for landowners in the Four Holes Swamp Watershed, starting in 2004. The partnership is working to create a buffer of protected private land around the Audubon Center and Sanctuary at Francis Beidler Forest, a globally-recognized bird sanctuary and old-growth swamp forest. Saving this area is now of critical importance due to residential development sprawl coming from the south of the Francis Beidler Forest and the establishment of a World Trade Center to the north in Orangeburg County. The Land Trust currently has 5 protected properties around the area. With the great news about the conservation of Brosnan Forest, we’re seeing increased interest among area landowners about also saving their property. 

How Can I Help?

If you are a landowner and would like to learn more about the benefits of land protection, you can click here.

If you are not a landowner, you can still help the work of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust by becoming a member. We’re a non-profit organization that provides our services free to landowners who donate conservation easements. As such, we’re dependent on the support of our individual and business members and foundations to be able to continue our work of helping landowners save the Lowcountry landscape.