Press Release
contact: Elizabeth Brown
843-577-6510
843-532-5825 (cell)
ebrown@lowcountrylandtrust.org
Charleston County Council Approves $2.4 million to help fund the Angel Oak Preserve, 17 Acres adjacent to the Angel Oak.
Charleston, SC– The Lowcountry Open Land Trust has the opportunity to protect a unique community project with historical, cultural and ecological significance. Comprised of 17 acres, The Angel Oak Preserve will prevent 364 residential units and other mixed-use commercial development from occurring and permanently protect a vital piece of rural landscape.
Situated at a community crossroads in the heart of Johns Island, this publicly accessible park will provide an opportunity for visitors to gather, learn and celebrate the region’s cultural and natural history. Protecting the property will enhance and extend the existing parkland, with the potential to create a more functional multi-use park experience for visitors, allowing them to explore a forest park while just steps away from the property’s namesake attraction. The park will create an additional layer of connectivity– between the existing Angel Oak Park and Haut Gap School – providing students with an easily accessible experiential learning opportunity unparalleled in Charleston County.
Preserving the property surrounding the Angel Oak provides the opportunity to work together with the City of Charleston, Charleston County, Charleston County Parks and Recreation, the State and all citizens to protect this iconic landscape. Executive Director, Elizabeth Hagood says “We are excited about the prospect of an innovative partnership with the city’s existing 9 acre Angel Oak Park and with PRC who manages the recreational fields across the street at Haut Gap Middle School.”
The Land Trust is holding a public announcement at the Angel Oak on Wednesday morning at 10:00am. This announcement will launch the public fundraising campaign for the remaining $1.2 million needed to complete this project, as well as, provide further information about the project.
Inspiring generations of Lowcountry residents from the time of the Indians through the British settlement and after the Civil War, the Angel Oak has provided neutral ground, been a healer and community gathering spot for diverse constituencies. Protecting the natural resources and landscapes that define our way of life in the Lowcountry is a community-wide issue. The Lowcountry Open Land Trust recognizes this as an incredible opportunity to preserve this resource and to provide the broader community an enhanced experience with the Angel Oak and its contextual lands. Learn more about the project at http://www.angeloakpreserve.com/.
About the Lowcountry Open Land Trust:
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust is a local, 501(c)(3) land conservation organization whose mission is to honor the relationship between people and land by protecting irreplaceable Lowcountrylands. The Land Trust is driven by a shared understanding that if we fail to protect these treasured lands, we will not get them back – and something even more important in our culture, economy and environment will also be lost, forever. The Land Trust works in partnership with other conservation and community organizations to promote conservation of the Lowcountry of South Carolina.\To learn more about the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, visit: https://www.lowcountrylandtrust.org/.
###
Please check out these additional articles about the Angel Oak Preserve:
Live 5 news-E. Hagood interview: http://www.live5news.com/story/22857737/council-to-decide-money-for-possible-angel-oak-purchase
Myrtle Beach news: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/07/12/3581470/land-purchase-will-buffer-charlestons.html
And please continue to follow us on Facebook.
