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More than 1,400 acres of vacant, mostly forested land are being protected near a well-known wildlife refuge to prevent sprawl that is advancing along the South Carolina coast from Charleston toward Georgetown.
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The Lowcountry Land Trust said it has secured agreements from a landowner not to allow large-scale development in a two-mile stretch along U.S. 17 just above McClellanville, a picturesque fishing village of live oak trees, old homes and shrimp docks. A news release said nearly a mile of frontage along the South Santee River also is part of the deal.
The area being protected, a visible gateway for travelers headed down U.S. 17 to Charleston, is near the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest, which are near pockets of private land that could be built on. Building near these protected areas could bring unwanted pollution and traffic congestion, while ruining the view of natural scenery, conservationists fear.
“This is to keep the area from being covered in concrete,’’ outgoing state Conservation Bank director Raleigh West said in a Tuesday, June 30 interview with The State.
The news release said the protection agreement was secured in the form of conservation easements, deals in which landowners are typically paid not to develop property.
Put together by the Lowcountry Land Trust, the deal relied on about $2 million in funds from the state Conservation Bank and the Charleston County Greenbelt program, according to the land trust. White Oak Forestry, a company whose services include timber appraisal and prescribed fire consulting, is the property owner providing the land protection easements.
The property, which consists of two tracts, includes managed longleaf pine forests and wetlands. While the agreement allows timber harvesting, which could thin out some forested areas, West said the key point is to limit development. In this case, only two homes will be allowed on the land, according to the Lowcountry Land Trust’s news release.
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Sprawl north of Mt. Pleasant is an increasing concern as Charleston, the state’s largest city, booms. Some areas, such as the northern Charleston County coast, once were not seen as places to develop, but that has changed.
Already, large subdivisions with hundreds of homes are planned for the Awendaw area south of McClellanville and near an entrance road to the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
The development plans have spurred legal action over the potential impact the development could have on water quality in an area known for clear-running creeks. Environmentalists hope their land protection efforts above McClellanville will keep that from happening there and along U.S. 17, the main coastal highway between Charleston and the Georgetown-Myrtle Beach area.
“As growth continues throughout the Charleston region, Lowcountry Land Trust and White Oak Forestry’s collaboration helps ensure one of the area’s most iconic and sought-after landscapes remains free from subdivision and large-scale development,’’ according to a land trust news release.
The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is a roughly 66,000-acre area filled with unspoiled coastal islands and mainland forests. Among its most well known features are Bulls Island, known for its scenic boneyard beach and wildlife. Some 300 species of birds inhabit the refuge, as do sea turtles, deer, alligators and other animals.
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