The Lowcountry Open Land Trust accepted its first conservation easement for 2012 from the Coastal Boys Council, the owner of Camp Ho Non Wah. The Boy Scout Camp is a local treasure on Wadmalaw Island; 146 acres steeped in history, wildlife habitats and over a mile of water frontage.
For more than 80 years, the Camp Ho Non Wah property has provided thousands of scouts and generations of youth with unique outdoor experiences. In 1930, the Bailey Family welcomed the Boy Scouts to summer camp on their plantation, camping in tents arranged in front of the original Bailey home, cooking in patrols, and enjoying the use of a small swimming hole.
Bill Snow, President of the Coastal Boys Council says the easement, “will sustain the quality of life we are so blessed to enjoy in the Lowcountry. Our way of life is in many ways anchored in the God given beauty of nature. The placement of this easement will help ensure the stewardship of these blessings for generations yet unborn.”
Lowcountry Open Land Trust Director Elizabeth Hagood explains, “ Protecting places like Camp Ho Non Wah provides the critical experiences that anchor a child’s identity and develop their unique sense of place.”
Charleston County’s Rural Greenbelt funds helped fund the easement at a bargain price, protecting the land for the Boy Scouts and hundreds of other Charleston County citizens. The conservation easement on Camp Ho Non Wah fits a pattern of protected lands on Wadmalaw where landowners have protected nearly 30% of the island by granting conservation easements. Hugh Lane, Chairman of the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank Board, said of Camp Ho Non Wah, “It’s a critical piece of property that is extremely valuable as a waterfront development. The Boy Scouts are to be commended for a conservation oriented solution that benefits everyone.”
Post and Courier Coverage of Ho Non Wah Easement
