Land Stewardship

LAND STEWARDSHIP

Protected coastal landscapes preserve vital habitats, mitigate flooding, strengthen our food supply, and so much more. Lowcountry Land Trust’s protected land holdings have grown each year since 1986, and we currently protect over 150,000 acres of land in coastal South Carolina. While many Lowcountry Land Trust staff participate in our stewardship program, our stewardship team has the primary responsibility to monitor and support compliance with Lowcountry Land Trust’s 500+ conservation easements and owned lands. Lowcountry Land Trust protects more acreage than any other local land trust in the state.

MEET THE STEWARDSHIP TEAM

Our stewardship team maintains and enhances conservation values on all Lowcountry Land Trust-protected lands by stewarding conservation easement compliance and soundly managing fee simple holdings.

Stewardship Program Manager

Kathy Kowalchick

Kathy oversees the monitoring of all LLT conservation easements and management of LLT’s owned lands. She brings two decades of experience to LLT working in conservation, education, and environmental fields. Her past job roles have included working with nonprofits and local and state governments, with her most recent position being with DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management as a compliance project manager. Kathy holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies, both from the College of Charleston.

General Counsel

Sydney Cook

Sydney is an attorney with extensive leadership experience advising nonprofit organizations on conservation policy, advocacy, and strategic matters. In her role, she ensures the permanence of Lowcountry Land Trust’s protected lands, effectively working to resolve conservation easement compliance issues when applicable. Sydney holds a Bachelor of History from Colby College, a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Utah.

Stewardship Associate

Hunter Allen

Driven by a love for South Carolina and its natural resources, Hunter remained in his home state to study finance at Wofford College. Prior to joining the LLT team, Hunter worked in general brokerage real estate sales. Hunter is an avid outdoorsman, especially waterfowling and shallow-water fly fishing. In fact, he spent six years prior to real estate sales as a professional inshore fishing guide. With Lowcountry Land Trust, Hunter continues to find value in connecting with landowners, stewarding and protecting the lands he has loved since his childhood.

Stewardship Associate

Krista Schmidt

Krista Schmidt joined Lowcountry Land Trust in 2023 and is the Stewardship Associate supporting the organization’s land stewardship team. Krista holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis, majoring in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology and minoring in Landscape Restoration. Upon graduating, she moved to the Lowcountry, where she fell in love with the natural beauty of the marshes and forests. Before joining Lowcountry Land Trust, Krista worked in various conservation roles, including environmental education; pelagic fisheries research and regulatory compliance; and invasive species surveys for the Clemson/USDA Asian long-horned beetle project.