LOLT recently signed a conservation easement for a 22 acre tract on Wadmalaw Island, one of eight similar contiguous tracts that comprise Rosebank Estates.  Rosebank Estates is a large rural tract and historic cotton plantation situated between Retriever Road and Bohicket Creek, with approximately 3000 feet of water frontage.  This marks the protection of the fourth piece of Rosebank Estates with LOLT, 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.  These restrictions will help preserve the natural habitat and scenic views of the entire property, as well as allow continued traditional uses such as recreation and sustainable timber management. 

Rosebank Estates, however, is part of a much larger conservation effort.  The eight estate lots are only a small portion of the land which makes up the overall historic Rosebank Plantation, totaling approximately 1,400 acres.  LOLT holds easements on three other pieces within Rosebank Planatation, protecting an additional 70 acres to date. 

As a result of increasing development pressures and the widespread interest in conservation among private landowners on Wadmalaw Island, 33 conservation easements have been donated to LOLT since 1989, permanently protecting over 3,700 acres--approximately 20% of the upland area—and helping to preserve the Lowcountry’s natural and historic landscape.