Welcome to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and our new website!

Welcome to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust website! We have just redesigned our website, and I hope you will enjoy this new site as much as we have in getting it to you.

As I sit at my desk writing to you, I reflect on how my work with the Lowcountry Open Land Trust has come full circle.   Currently, I am the Executive Director, the same seat I was over 20 years ago.  Since I was the first Executive Director, 1989-1994, a lot has happened.

When I first came to the Land Trust, we had protected one island with the residents of the Parkdale neighborhood and were about to take our first conservation easement on Wadmalaw Island.  Conservation easements were a new conservation tool that seemed ideally suited to the independent, stewardship land ethic of the lowcountry.  The state and local governments provided very little money for conservation, but the landowners of the lowcountry had managed their lands sustainably for generations. They would take the lead in conserving the lowcountry of South Carolina.

Fast-forward 25 years to today.  Although I am sitting at the same desk, the Land Trust has grown into a leading land trust in the nation.  The Land Trust has protected 88,040 acres of land on 268 different properties.  Conservation easements remain our primary tool for conservation.  The Land Trust works in partnership with private landowners, other conservation organizations and government agencies to leverage our conservation assets. We have a dedicated staff of 8, and the hard work and dedication of our board of trustees remains a hallmark of the Land Trust’s success.

I am eager to see what it will be like in the next 25 years.  We have a lot of exciting work ahead.

Elizabeth Hagood

Please check back often to our website for updates and upcoming events!