Connecting the ACE Basin to the Savannah River through the heart of the Port Royal Sound
We recognize that connecting people to the land, to each other, and to the places they love is the foundation for conserving our sense of place. One of the most strategic ways to do that is to build a corridor of continuous, protected land from the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto (ACE) Basin to the Savannah River with interested landowners, community groups, and municipalities.
We share this region with wildlife who depend on these landscapes just as much as we do. This connected, protected landscape will create a habitat corridor for wildlife to roam and thrive while helping communities define where and how they grow, preventing urban sprawl and haphazard development.
Within this corridor are both lands designated for public use like trails, parks, and nature-based experiences, and private land owned and managed by local families. Public and private land stitched together; it’s a vision that means we need to be nimble, responsive, and able to take action when the opportunity arises. That happens because of our expanding community support.
Like the Red-cockaded Woodpecker depends on the longleaf pine, and
the wiregrass and spring wildflowers depend on fire or grazing, the work of our human conservation community is also interconnected.
Connecting the puzzle pieces: new public lands
Like puzzle pieces coming together to reveal an image, public and private land protection success abounds in the Port Royal Sound. The Open Land Trust plays a crucial role as a local voice and community leader, and together with your support, we can lock in place the remaining pieces.
One major land protection success was the September 2024 opening of the new Coosawhatchie Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Jasper and Hampton Counties. Spanning over 10,750 acres, the property was assembled over the past four years through the leadership – as well as negotiations and grant writing – by our partners at the Open Space Institute and The Nature Conservancy and then transferred to SCDNR for public use and enjoyment. This new WMA enhances public access to nature. Over time, additional trails are planned. Hunting and water access are also permitted.
Connecting the puzzle pieces: Local landowners doing their part
The Open Land Trust played a critical role in expanding the footprint of protected land by working with neighboring landowners. The Coosawhatchie WMA shares a border with the 2023 Open Land Trust easement on 2,064 acres known as Buckfield. This is private land, also protected forever. This project complements the investment made by state agencies and conservation partners: privately protected land next to public land, sharing the same water source, both protected forever. (You can read more about how OLT worked with the Oates family to achieve their conservation vision on page 17)
As the local community land trust, we also built the case for local conservation with Jasper County leaders, and hosted a site visit for Jasper County Council members at the Coosawhatchie property. During our visit, Council member Curtis Brantley shared that he fished in those streams and beamed with pride knowing his grandchildren will be able to do the same. Councilwoman Barbara Clark held a gopher tortoise, and staff members asked what comes next.
So what’s next?
For future successes like these, the Open Land Trust championed Jasper County’s first funding source for land protection:
in November 2024 Jasper County voters approved a sales tax which will raise $94 million for land conservation! Your Open Land Trust team will continue to support the development of this program – prioritizing projects that best protect our irreplaceable natural resources, leveraging taxpayer dollars so the most land can be protected at the best price, and bringing partners to the table.
Properties like Gregorie Neck, Buckfield, and those that follow will cement a legacy of land conservation in concert with the needs of the community. In the coming years, we will build on our big dreams together to protect the health of the Port Royal Sound, forever.