Dear Friends,
I’d like to start with a big Thank You to everyone who joined us for this year’s Spring Picnic at Sheldon Farms! It was a wonderful event and an invigorating experience to have so many (over 300!) enthusiastic conservationists in attendance. Getting back to in-person events over this past year has been refreshing for our team, and we sense the feeling is shared by you, our committed supporters and partners.
In recent news, we were recently awarded funding from both the SC Conservation Bank and the Charleston County Greenbelt Program to protect three properties in Charleston County ranging in size from 19 acres to 700 acres. One of the three projects, known as the Oakville Tract on Johns Island, inspired an article in the Post & Courier, highlighting its numerous attributes, including:
- A safe buffer for the adjacent Charleston Executive Airport;
- Preservation of water quality associated with the Stono River; and
- Conservation of a property threatened with incompatible residential development that would have exacerbated flooding on the island if built out as originally planned.
The Oakville Tract is yet another example of the power of partnerships. We would not have been successful in the protection of this property without vital work done by the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, Coastal Conservation League, and Open Space Institute.
The other two projects provide funding to protect the largest unprotected property on Johns Island, and (in partnership with nonprofit partner Lacuna Corporation) a farmers cooperative on the Wallace River with a rich cultural history and high visibility from US Highway 17. We’ll share more in the coming months!
To celebrate Earth Day, we teamed up with employees from The Boeing Company for a debris cleanup at the Angel Oak Preserve, the 35 acres owned and managed by Lowcountry Land Trust surrounding the storied live oak. As stewards of the Preserve, it is our privilege to connect the community with a significant conservation property, and include them in its care. If you’d like to learn more about our ongoing efforts at the Angel Oak or get your business involved with stewardship, let us know!
In closing, it’s late spring and nearly time for our annual May Giving Challenge! We have $87,500 in challenge gifts and matching funds to help get us to our goal of $200,000 in one month. New donors will have their gifts matched 2:1, and new Longleaf Society Members (donors who give $2,500+ in one calendar year) will be matched with a bonus of $750. We’ll have a special online campaign from May 23 to May 27, and a happy hour at our office on May 26. More information coming soon!
Thank you for working with us to protect the places we love. We couldn’t do it without you.
Onward!
Ashley Demosthenes
President & CEO
Lowcountry Land Trust
Scenes from the Picnic
Scenes from Earth Day
Other News
- We have six open summer internships! Learn about our projects and how to apply here
- Norfolk Southern donated its third conservation easement to Lowcountry Land Trust, adding to its Brosnan Forest timber and wildlife preserve. Brosnan forest is the largest protected property in Lowcountry Land Trust’s portfolio. Read more here
