St. Helena Island is sacred ground. It's a place where culture, history, and rural landscapes remain deeply intertwined and still very much alive. And for decades, the island has been protected by a simple zoning tool: the Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO).
At the Open Land Trust, we are in the business of forever and this spring, forever is now in reach for one of the Lowcountry’s most iconic landscapes. Chelsea is a 2,700-acre property with saltmarsh, maritime forest, and 7 miles of creek frontage along Hazzard Creek in Jasper County in the heart of the Port Royal Sound.
Just off the scenic stretch of Sheldon Church Road, where the past lingers in the ruins of an 18th-century church and ancient oaks stretch their limbs overhead, something new is taking root.
Each spring, as we sleep under the stars of the South Carolina coast, something extraordinary happens above us. Millions of birds are in motion—flying, pushing their bodies to the limit, following ancient paths in the sky.
This March, we completed a project in partnership with the Rhodes family and key partner organizations to permanently protect 900 acres of their family land in the heart of the Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin.
There’s something special about stepping outside to explore, especially when it’s in a place that feels untouched, where the air smells like saltwater and the land tells its own stories. In the Lowcountry, we’re fortunate to have places like this left to explore.
When was the last time you slowed down to truly observe the world around you? Just ask Beek Webb, a resident of Coosaw Island, whose curiosity led to an incredible discovery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Beek and his wife, Cathy, took daily walks on Coosaw Island where they noticed unusual formations in the marsh...
When the Browns first walked their dream farm, they were struck by its quiet resilience-a place where towering pines, thriving habitats, and recreational potential coexist with careful land management from those who came before.
The Lowcountry boasts some of the most picturesque farmland in the Southeast, particularly in places like St. Helena Island, where sprawling fields border deepwater creeks. These lands have often been passed down through generations of families and protecting them is crucial to preserving both local culture and agricultural practices.
Our community lies in the heart of the Port Royal Sound watershed, between more than 200,000 acres of protected property along the Savannah River and over 300,000 acres of protected property in the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto (ACE) Basin.
