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Our Mission

The Beaufort County Open Land Trust protects significant ecological and cultural places that define the natural landscape while contributing to the health and spirit of the extraordinary Lowcountry region.

Our Vision

To protect the natural diversity and beauty of Beaufort County and its surroundings by preserving significant land and scenic areas.
To promote appreciation and understanding of the environment through community education and special events.
To help land owners develop and implement conservation plans for their land and resources.
To provide a voice for conservation of our local natural resources and our community.

History of the Beaufort County Open Land Trust

The Beaufort County Open Land Trust is South Carolina’s first and oldest land trust working to preserve open spaces, natural habitats and rural communities throughout the Southern Lowcountry.

This region is blessed with a rich mosaic of beautiful landscapes, healthy forests, historical treasures and unique small towns. Our work sustains the spirit of our community, understanding that our sense of place is tightly connected to these precious natural resources.

We preserve many types of land: iconic vistas providing windows to the rivers and marsh; parks and greenspace that form the foundation of community; working farms that define our rural and cultural heritage; and large properties that play host to exceptional hunting or timbering operations. We recognize that land speaks to us in different ways, and we tailor our preservation efforts to honor the resources and the landowners vision.

We also recognize that preserving land is about water quality, wetlands, wildlife, and forests. And in protecting the resource, our job at the Beaufort County Open Land Trust goes one step further, to nurture the human’s need for sense of place, providing access to land, water and wilderness. Our universal charge is to make sure our environmental treasure remain available for future generations.

What We Do

Through conservation easements, fee-simple land purchases, and land stewardship practices, the Beaufort County Open Land Trust secures properties in perpetuity that affect viewscapes, water quality, habitats, wildlife, farming, forests and other critical land uses threatened by overdevelopment or environmental degradation.

Through partnerships and advocacy, the Beaufort County Open Land Trust preserves a sustainable place for current and future generations by creating and fostering connectivity between the land, water and people of the Lowcountry.