February 22, 2007     

For immediate release                                   

2006 Protected properties announced

New board members also elected

Charleston, SC: Members of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust (LOLT) in attendance at the group’s annual membership meeting learned that in 2006, 15 properties totaling 1,536 acres were placed under protection, bringing LOLT’s total to 47,018 acres and 183 protected properties. Members unanimously elected new board members Jim Boyd, Elise Smith Brown, Hunter McEady, and Crayton Walters. Scott Barnes will take the reigns as president of the board of trustees in 2007.

     LOLT Executive Director Will Haynie told the assembled members, “Get ready – it took LOLT 20 years to pass the 40,000 acre mark, and already we have drafted easements totaling over 20,000 acres that are likely to come to fruition in 2007. If ever there was a year to support our work, this is it.”

Properties placed under protection with LOLT in 2006 are:

ACE Basin Focus Area

Hickory Bluff – 29 acres
Hickory Bluff sits along a bluff of the Edisto River with approximately 800 feet of uninterrupted river frontage, which leads into a cypress swamp preserve.  The relatively natural habitats on Hickory Bluff include mixed upland forest, isolated ponds and wetland depressions, as well as an ample network of open fields and pasture. The property has historically been utilized for agricultural activities, equine uses, residential purposes, and various other minimum impact outdoor recreational activities.  The landowners have a vision of protecting the conservation values of the property while at the same time allowing for traditional agricultural and residential uses of the property.

Indigo Oaks – 176 acres
Situated along the Four Holes Swamp and just outside the town of Ridgeville, Indigo Oaks provides ideal and relatively natural habitats for various birds, deer, turkey, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife species.  The name Indigo Oaks comes from years ago when indigo was grown on the property and sold to the neighboring communities.  The landowner, Mr. Edsell Taylor, has even re-introduced indigo on the property and hopes to re-establish a part of that indigo history on the property.  Composed of numerous forested wetlands (cypress and gum ponds), open fields for wildlife management, planted loblolly pines and open water, the property is characteristic of the surrounding rural community.  The Land Trust worked in partnership with the Audubon of South Carolina to secure this easement and we hope it leads to additional easements from neighbors in the Four Holes Swamp watershed.

Gun Bluff – 109 acres
With over three thousand acres of Land Trust protected properties between the Toogoodoo and Edisto Beach, Gun Bluff is one more protected property added to the assortment of protected lands on Edisto Island. 

 
CAWS Basin Focus Area  (Sea Islands Initiative)

Rosebank Estates Lot VIII – 22 acres
This 22 acre easement along the Bohicket Creek on Wadmalaw Island and is one of a series that is held by the Land Trust.  Rosebank Estates is a large rural tract and historic cotton plantation situated between Retriever Road and Bohicket Creek, with approximately 3,000 feet of creek frontage.  This marks the fourth piece of protected lands in Rosebank Estates, with 96 of the nearly 200 acres now permanently protected, and the remaining 4 lots to be eased in the future. This piecemeal conservation project is unique in that each lot is protected by nearly identical restrictions, including 1,400 feet of vegetated buffer along Retriever Road and 100 feet along Bohicket Creek. 

Brambleberry – 19 acres
With pastures and open fields for horses, the Brambleberry easement, covering close to 19 acres, will protect the agricultural nature of Wadmalaw Island for both the present and future generations to enjoy and cherish.  The property has approximately 900 feet of water frontage along the Leadenwah Creek and 400 feet along Maybank Highway.

**These two additional protected properties on Wadmalaw Island are a result of increased development pressures and increased interest in conservation among private landowners on the Island. Since 1989, 36 conservation easements have been donated to the Land Trust on Wadmalaw, permanently protecting over 3,700 acres--approximately 20% of the upland area of the Island and, thus helping to preserve the Lowcountry’s natural, cultural and historic landscape.**

Holmfridur – 12 acres
Holmfridur marks the sixth Land Trust easement on James Island and its location along the significant waterway of Parrot Point Creek makes this 12 acre tract worthy of protection.  The open fields and maritime forest fringe along the waterway is ideal habitat for song birds, wading birds, migratory birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. 

CAWS Basin Focus Area  (Ashley River Initiative)

Miller Tract – 9 acres and the Dogwood Ridge – 10 acres
The Miller Tract (9 acres) and Dogwood Ridge (10 acres) are two contiguous properties located off Ashley River Road and along the scenic Ashley River.  These tracts lie within the Ashley River Historic District, which is a designated 13-mile long district along the Ashley River and Ashley River Road that has a unique natural beauty and rich cultural history.

CAWS Basin Focus Area (Cooper/Wando Initiative)

The Cooper River Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, encompassing over 30,000 acres of land and centered along the East Branch of the Cooper River; it contains a remarkably intact historic and cultural landscape including archaeological features dating back to the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.  In 2006 the Land Trust signed an additional 851 acres under permanent protection and the easements were all part of a collaborative initiative within the East Branch of Cooper River area to permanently protect the large plantation tracts from increasing development pressures.

 
Girl Scout Plantation – 153 acres
Formerly known as Richmond Plantation, the property is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains unique historic features including a manor house and outbuildings, a cemetery, and various archeological features associated with the eighteenth and nineteenth century rice culture. The property was originally developed by Colonel John Harleston in the second half of the eighteenth century, and the house was passed down through his family, and then was sold in 1896 to J. Sinclair White.  Mr. White sold the plantation to George A. Ellis, Jr. in the 1920’s and it became a hunting lodge.  After Mr. Ellis passed away in 1956, his children sold the property to West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (Westvaco), who in turn sold, in 1963, the 153 acre portion surrounding the manor house to Carolina Low Country Girl Scout Council.  The Manor House was constructed circa 1927 and features architectural elements unique to the area.  The graves within the existing Harleston-Rutledge cemetery date back to 1793; the original Richmond Plantation owner and his family are laid to rest in the cemetery. 

Reorganization within Girl Scouts of the USA nationwide spurred the Carolina Lowcountry Council to take quick action in conserving the camp, in case the reorganization leads to selling the property at some point.    The conservation of the Girl Scout Camp fills in the hole of the surrounding 10,697 acres of the state protected Bonneau Ferry tract, and protects additional water frontage along the East Branch of the Cooper River.  The main objective is to permanently protect the property from future development and to continue to use the camp and its natural resources for future generations of Girl Scouts. 

 
Longwood Plantation – 141additional acres – 377 acres total
AMENDED AND RESTATED
Robert Lockwood placed a portion of (236 acres) Longwood Plantation under protection in September 2001 and in October, 2006 he placed the remaining 141 acres under easement.  This brings the total protection at Longwood Plantation to 377 acres.
  

Silk Hope – 557 acres
Robert Royall is the owner of Silk Hope Plantation, which was first owned by Colonial Governor Nathaniel Johnson who received a grant of 1,940 acres in 1696 and added to those holdings to over 5,000 acres, including this protected portion of the Plantation.  Governor Johnson experimented with both silk production and rice culture in into the 1700’s and was responsible for the construction of various Anglican churches, most notably being the Pompion Hill Chapel on the East Branch of the Cooper River.  After his death the property passed to his son Robert Johnson, who also became Governor of the colony.  The plantation would later come under the ownership of the Manigault family for the most of the nineteenth century.  The grave site of Governor Johnson is still present on the Plantation, surrounded by a brick wall with one front opening, and the remains of a brick barn thought to be used during the Revolutionary War is also still visible.  Eighteenth century plats of the plantation show a “Silk Hope Landing” on Huger Creek and the current topographic map indicates rice banks in the marsh adjacent to the creek.  The name Silk Hope refers to the early concept of producing non-native mulberry trees and producing silk from caterpillars.

Today the Plantation is managed primarily for timber resources and enhanced wildlife habitat.  The Plantation features a wide variety of planted and natural stands of timber, open water, wildlife management areas and agricultural fields.  The easement restrictions and limitations will protect the historical, cultural, scenic and natural resource values of the property for the current generation and those to follow. 

 
Hanlin Tract – 32 acres and Awendaw Creek Cottages – 13 acres
The Land Trust worked in a collaborative effort with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to protect 45 acres along Awendaw Creek.  Combined these two properties stretch approximately 3,000 feet along the creek, with marsh and highland communities that provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife species.  The properties also lie within the proclamation boundaries of the Francis Marion National Forest and are in close proximity to other protected lands in the Awendaw and McClellanville areas.  The properties will be used as recreational retreats for the owners to enjoy the scenic beauty of the creek and surrounding timberlands.  Easement restrictions and limitations establish a creek buffer for protection of the natural splendor of the creek, limit the number of structures and allows for limited forested and agricultural uses of the properties.

Hell Hole – 93 acres
The name, Hell Hole, does not do this 93 acre forested tract in the Francis Marion National Forest justice.  The run of its namesake, Hell Hole Swamp and Hell Hole Bay are what gives this protected properties is name and natural characteristics.  Located at the Farewell Corner crossroads, Hell Hole is owned by the Former Senator Arthur Ravenel, Jr. and his wife.  The property boasts numerous forested wetlands, mixed pine/hardwood, open water, open fields (pastures), and cypress swamps.  One main objective for the management is to respect the natural occurring communities and ecosystems found throughout and to only engage in forest management activities when necessary to improve wildlife habitat or to salvage timber after a natural phenomena.  Hell Hole will never be clearcut or have any commercial logging operations.  Other easement restrictions allow for continued agricultural, recreational and residential uses.  The restrictions placed on the management, namely the forest management, allow the protected property to be consistent with the US Forest Service management goals of the neighboring Hellhole Bay Wilderness Area within the Francis Marion National Forest. 

Santee Basin Focus Area

Hopsewee Plantation - 37 additional acres – 58 total –
AMENDED AND RESTATED
Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Beattie, Hopsewee Plantation sits on the gateway to Georgetown County and the Santee River Delta.  The Beattie’s placed 21 acres under easement in 2005 and an additional 37 acres in 2006.  Hopsewee Plantation was owned by Thomas Lynch, Sr., who was elected to the First and Second Continental Congress, and was the birthplace of his son, Thomas Lynch, Jr., who was elected to the Second Continental Congress and signed of the Declaration of Independence.  The Lynch family were the only father and son elected to serve in the Continental Congress.  Hopsewee Plantation was also one of the first properties to be listed as a National Historic Landmark and the Hopsewee Plantation house is listed upon the National Register of Historic Places.  The original plantation house and two slave cabins are still present on the property and are managed for tourism and historical purposes.  The timber resources range from natural pines, to mixed hardwood, to open live oak groves.  The scenic views of the North Santee River and Highway 17 buffer will be forever protected by buffer restrictions; and the historical and cultural resources of the Plantation. 

Crocker Tract – 82 acres
This 82 acre tract sits at a crossroad between McClellanville and the Francis Marion National Forest. The Crocker Tract also lies in the same neighborhood as other Land Trust protected properties, as well as a number of Ducks Unlimited and Nature Conservancy easements.   It is managed primarily for wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational activities. The property is dominated by wildlife management areas, mixed pine stands, including pockets of longleaf pine, with hardwood drains running throughout the property. 

Lands Outside Established Focus Areas

Neeses – 42 acres
Located just outside Orangeburg, near the town of Neeses, this 42 area parcel possesses significant timber and wildlife values that are essential to the preservation of the area. The Neeses tract is located along Highway 4 and it boasts stands of planted loblolly pine, longleaf pine and natural bottomland hardwoods. The surrounding community is primarily rural and agricultural and the protection of this property will further enhance and encourage the traditional uses of both the protected property and its immediate vicinity.