VISIONING PROCESS
Lowcountry Tomorrow...
A Vision for Conservation
The story of conserving South Carolina's treasured Lowcountry landscapes is one of partnership and collaboration. The story is still unfolding.
The History
There is a network of approximately 1 million acres of irreplaceable natural, cultural, and historic lands that have been protected in the Lowcountry. Places such as the ACE Basin, Four Holes Swamp, the Ashley River Historic District, and the Cooper River will remain as they are for generations to come. It is hard to underestimate the value that all South Carolinians hold for these revered lands.
This impressive catalog of protected properties is due to the collective efforts of conservation organizations, government agencies, elected officials and private individuals. The dedicated agencies and individuals worked together to leverage private donations and local, state and federal funding and incentives to maximize protected lands.
Maps showing the change in protected lands from 1985 to 2010 (shown in green). Note also the growth of urbanized areas in the Lowcountry (shown in red).
The Opportunity
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust is proud to be a partner in this effort of safeguarding our natural resources. Protecting traditional land uses such as agriculture, timber, livestock and recreation maximizes our natural resources and benefits our economy without adding infrastructure. In short, properties critical to our economy, environment and community's well-being are worth protecting.
To Promote Our Economy
- 4.8 million acres of farmland and roughly 13 million acres of forestland across South Carolina are economic drivers.
- Studies show the combined impact of the agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation and tourism sectors accounts for one-third of the state's economy, over $54 billion and 463,000 jobs, or one out of three jobs in the state.
- Fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing alone have an estimated combined annual economic impact of about $3.7 billion and 58,000 jobs.
Sources: Miley and Gallo,The Economic Impact of Agriculture & Forest Industry in South Carolina (2008) and Green Means Green. USC Moore School of Business Report, The Economic Impact of Agribusiness and the Return on the Certified South Carolina Grown Campaign (April 2010).
To Protect Our Quality of Life
- Water quality
- Air quality
- Wildlife habitats
- Outdoor Recreational Areas
- Public accessibility of protected landscapes via waterways, roadways and vistas
- Balanced population growth with preserved open space
- Historic and Cultural landscape preservation
The Future
Still, there is work to be done. So, the question persists. What do we, the Lowcountry's residents, want our community to look like in 2025? How do we conserve our quality of life and the Lowcountry landscape? And how do we want to get there?
With these questions in mind, in February, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust will begin a thoughtful and collaborative process to elevate the value of conservation for our community. Openly and deliberately, we will extend this conversation well beyond our traditional partners and ask all stakeholders to participate.
Specifically, the Lowcountry Open Land trust is sponsoring a series of meetings with targeted groups including Lowcountry elected officials, business and economic development leaders, conservation partners, and the public. At these meetings, participants will share thoughts on the conservation community's successes and missed opportunities, and ultimately help identify the issues and strategies, past and future, most important to protecting their quality of life.
Marc Smiley, from the Portland-based company Decisions Decisions, will conduct and facilitate this process. Marc has an impressive background with land conservation organizations on strategic issues. He will conduct the interviews and facilitate our planning discussions. Marc has worked as a staff person and board member for several land trusts. He is a full-time consultant serving nonprofit organizations in our region and throughout the U.S.
In the weeks to follow, Land Trust Staff and the Board of Directors will work with all stakeholders to use this information to define a community-driven vision for conservation. Participants in the visioning process will be kept up-to-date through our website. Our goal is to share and celebrate the final planning document illustrating the community's collective vision for conservation by Summer 2012.
Throughout this process and beyond, the Land Trust is committed to keep you informed and engaged in the issues and opportunities surrounding conservation in our communities.
For generations, the Lowcountry landscape has helped define how we live, work and play. It has always brought us together. Now its time we come together to define the future of our landscape.
We look forward to your participation.
