In 2013-2014, after many years of community effort, Lowcountry Land Trust protected 35 acres of forest surrounding the City of Charleston’s Angel Oak Park. In purchasing this land, we aimed to conserve and enhance the Angel Oak’s ecosystem, maintain the rural context of the land on which this iconic tree sits, and to create a consolidated use of the park and preserve across protected property boundaries. At the time of purchase, LLT made clear its intent to bring together a demographically diverse array of stakeholders and community members to share in the design.

Now, as we approach the ten-year anniversary of this success, Lowcountry Land Trust, along with a taskforce of community leaders and stakeholders, and nationally-known landscape architect Nelson Byrd Woltz is poised to implement a master plan for this 44-acre property. The Angel Oak Preserve will feature boardwalk trails, educational programming, and signage to celebrate the history and significance of the land and tree.

Lowcountry Land Trust is excited to announce the groundbreaking of the Lowcountry Center for Conservation, marking a significant milestone in the organization’s history. The Land Trust’s new headquarters, adjacent to the new Old Towne Creek Country Park and the marsh of the Ashley River, will serve as the focal point for its education and outreach initiatives while providing an accessible meeting space for local conservation partners to collaborate.

The inspiration behind this momentous project stems from the vision of Mrs. Emily Ravenel Farrow, a dedicated equestrian, historian, and conservationist who cherished her 55-acre suburban oasis known as Ashem Farm. Mrs. Farrow’s foresight led her to place Ashem Farm into conservation easements with Historic Charleston Foundation, ensuring the protection of the West Ashley property’s historic structures and preventing subdivision, voluntarily diminishing its market value. She entrusted Lowcountry Land Trust with her vision of Ashem Farm becoming the organization’s permanent home, showcasing its natural beauty and serving as an ambassador site for conservation.

Inspired by Mrs. Farrow’s vision and with her wholehearted approval, Lowcountry Land Trust proposed the long-term ownership and stewardship of Ashem Farm by Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC). In September 2011, the Land Trust successfully finalized the sale of the property to CCRPC, retaining the right to later acquire four acres of Ashem Farm for its own use, which it did in 2017. The remaining 51 acres will serve as the future Old Towne Creek County Park.

A decade later, Charleston has changed even more than what Mrs. Farrow imagined, and Lowcountry Land Trust’s long-awaited new home is designed to meet the needs of the future. The Lowcountry Center for Conservation will be the hub from which the Land Trust launches its education and outreach programs and convenes conservation and community partners. It is a place to gather, with Mrs. Farrow’s legacy a testament to the profound impact one’s commitment to conservation can have on an entire community.

Currently being managed by Johnson Family Farms for the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals, Thornhill Farm is 93.96 acres and is located east of Highway 17 North in McClellanville. The farm contains a seven-acre pond and approximately 22 acres of wooded area. The remaining 65 acres are agricultural fields. Thornhill Farm was a bargain sale purchase in 2014 by the ECLT Foundation (an East Cooper Land Trust-related entity, now Lowcountry Land Trust) using funds from the Charleston County Greenbelt Program and the South Carolina Conservation Bank. Lowcountry Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the entire farm.

LLT hopes to restore Thornhill Farm’s active operations so that it serves as an ambassador site for agricultural conservation, and a model of a land trust connecting community members to local agriculture and with each other.

More information coming soon.