Jimmy Hagood

In this article Lowcountry Open Land Trust member  Jimmy Hagood talks about producing Carolina Gold rice on Lavington Farms, one of the Land Trust’s protected properties. The article comes from the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation’s spring newsletter. You can check out the entire newsletter at www.carolinagoldricefoundation.org.

Carolina Gold rice rice can be purchased at most local grocery stores, the Food for the Southern Soul ‘Cue-osk at the City Market, or online at www.foodforthesouthernsoul.com.

The retreat was held at a most appropriate location for energizing the staff with renewed focus on our mission of  protecting land, the thickly forested and peaceful home of the Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw. The Center’s 152-acre property is protected by a conservation easement donated to LOLT in 2009, and houses a fully-staffed medical center for treating injured birds, the only response facility on the East Coast for treating oiled birds, and a collection of approximately 120 birds of prey used for education and scientific research.

During the lunch break, Center educational staff members Stephen Schabel and Audrey Poplin presented a flight demonstration for our staff at the outdoor flying field and amphitheater. We enjoyed watching the black vulture, the yellow-billed kite and the Ural owl display their flight and hunting skills. A highlight of our afternoon was witnessing the release of a red-tailed hawk back to the wild. The hawk had been brought to the medical center several weeks earlier due to an injury and was rehabilitated sufficiently to be released. She flew tentatively from the volunteer’s hands, and after a short rest on a pine tree limb, flew to the thickly forested edge of the flying field, then out of sight. Seeing up close and understanding the work the Center does underscores the importance of LOLT’s work in protecting land and minimizing human impacts on wildlife habitat.

Our staff left the retreat feeling enthusiastic and energized for the next steps in the strategic planning process.

LOLT Board Members Sam Carlton and Tom Hutto

Click Here To See A Video from the Auction!

On Saturday April 21st, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and Historic Charleston Foundation hosted the Emily Ravenel Farrow Auction.  Mrs. Farrow had bequeathed her personal property to both organizations to support the missions of both organizations.  The Land Trust and Historic Charleston Foundation are most grateful for her generosity and had hoped that the auction would provide an opportunity to reconnect the things and places Mrs. Farrow loved with her family, friends and the community.  The auction was successful on all fronts.  It began with a preview Friday, and the formal  bidding started at 10am Saturday lasting until till 1am!   We want to thank everyone who helped make the auction a success. Thousands of volunteer hours went into cleaning, organizing and moving items; as a result, we were able to honor Mrs. Farrow’s intent and treat her possessions with integrity.   A special thank you to Margaret Blackmer, the Land Trust Board and many other supporters.

Rare South Carolina books, most of which are signed and dated.

The Lowcountry Open Land Trust accepted its first conservation easement for 2012 from the Coastal Boys Council, the owner of Camp Ho Non Wah.  The Boy Scout Camp is a local treasure on Wadmalaw Island; 146 acres steeped in history, wildlife habitats and over a mile of water frontage.

For more than 80 years, the Camp Ho Non Wah property has provided thousands of scouts and generations of youth with unique outdoor experiences. In 1930, the Bailey Family welcomed the Boy Scouts to summer camp on their plantation, camping in tents arranged in front of the original Bailey home, cooking in patrols, and enjoying the use of a small swimming hole.

Bill Snow, President of the Coastal Boys Council says the easement, “will sustain the quality of life we are so blessed to enjoy in the Lowcountry.  Our way of life is in many ways anchored in the God given beauty of nature.  The placement of this easement will help ensure the stewardship of these blessings for generations yet unborn.”

Lowcountry Open Land Trust Director Elizabeth Hagood explains, “ Protecting places like Camp Ho Non Wah provides the critical experiences that anchor a child’s identity and develop their unique sense of place.”

Charleston County’s Rural Greenbelt funds helped fund the easement at a bargain price, protecting the land for the Boy Scouts and hundreds of other Charleston County citizens.    The conservation easement on Camp Ho Non Wah fits a pattern of protected lands on Wadmalaw where landowners have protected nearly 30% of the island by granting conservation easements.   Hugh Lane, Chairman of the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank Board, said of Camp Ho Non Wah, “It’s a critical piece of property that is extremely valuable as a waterfront development.  The Boy Scouts are to be commended for a conservation oriented solution that benefits everyone.”

Post and Courier Coverage of Ho Non Wah Easement

Read complete Post and Courier article here.

Also, remember to check out the Ashem picnic photos !

Dock at Ashem

Elizabeth also was able to spend time with Land Trust staff and people who work with land trusts.  She felt a great welcome from our South Carolina land trust friends.    Thank you to the land trust community for making Elizabeth feel so at home!

From L to R: Patty Kennedy-Beaufort Open Land Trust, Elizabeth Brown-Lowcountry Open Land Trust, Jennie Peze’ and Jennifer King with Pee Dee Land Trust

Lewis and Doug have a great partnership and they are two of our favorite people!

 Check out the entire article here: Coastal Conservation League Highlights Lewis Hay and Doug Sass

The 2012 Annual Member picnic was held on Saturday afternoon at Ashem, and was a tremendous success. More than 350 members attended, enjoying a glorious day of sunshine, oysters, local food and BBQ.

Members began arriving a little before noon to drive through the opened gates of Ashem for a truly memorable day. Young and “young at heart” enjoyed exploring the bridal trail, shucking oysters under the Oak Tree, and enjoying BBQ and local collards and rice in the pecan grove. Most members had never been to Ashem before, although many of our grandparents nostalgically recalled their experiences of learning to ride horses from Mrs. Emily Farrow decades ago! One of these Ashem equestriennes was Helen Warren who brought her ponies to the picnic and provided rides to the children. Doug Sass drove the hay wagon tractor, and PRC naturalist Keith McCullough led nature walks. In the background, Luke Cunningham sang and played the guitar throughout the day. As icing on the cake, we were blessed with abundant sunshine, a cool breeze and newly blooming azaleas.

The theme of this year’s picnic was “Local Food” and the connection to our conservation properties. We enjoyed delicious pecans grown on Plum Hill Plantation and Charleston Gold rice cultivated on Lavington Plantation — both from properties conserved by the Land Trust in the ACE Basin! Other local products showcased were collards and oysters — scrumptious! Special thanks to GrowFood Carolina for sourcing the collards and centerpieces and to Tidewater Catering for cooking everything to perfection!

After eating, the Charleston Green Fair provided instruction and education on how to handle waste. Food Waste Disposal, who works with Green Fair, reported back that we  had 60 pounds of compostable/food waste and 140 pounds of commingled recyclables.

Charleston County Parks and Recreation (PRC), Grow Food Carolina, Lowcountry Local First and Charleston Green Fair all had tables to educate our guests on the important work they do. Our generous volunteer, Thomas Moorer, provided the photography. They were all great partners for this event!

The fun continued and the pictures tell the story! Pretty good work for a day of fun in the sun!

Thank you to PRC for preparing Ashem for the event and hosting the Land Trust. And a big thank you to all of sponsors: Van-Smith Concrete, WebsterRogers, Maybank Law Firm, Tidewater Catering, Hughes Rental, Holcombe, Fair and Lane, Charleston Appraisal Service and The Bank of South Carolina. We could not have done it without you!

And most important, thank you to Mrs. Farrow for understanding the value of her land far beyond herself.  Nearly 350 people and 4 generations enjoyed a magical day that would not have been possible without her vision and love of her land.

To see Thomas’ pictures from the picnic, click HERE!

Thanks to all who came!

Elizabeth M. Hagood