4 years ago

Conserved Properties of 2019

We are thankful for our landowners, conservation partners and supporters for helping us conserve more than 2,350 additional acres of priority conservation land in 2019! Since the first conservation easement in 1992, CLT has worked to permanently protect over 78,000 acres across 14 counties in central South Carolina. Learn more about our work!

NEW: Beidler Family Property, Lower Richland County

Over 747 acres of priority conservation land in Richland County are now conserved, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Congaree Land Trust (CLT), Midlands Area Joint Installation Consortium (MAJIC), The Conservation Fund and the Beidler family. The property, located just outside the McEntire Joint National Guard Base, will permanently protect significant green space in central South Carolina while providing a buffer around one of the Midlands' key military bases. Now under conservation easement, the Beidler’s property joins over 10,600 conserved acres in Richland County by CLT.

We've been privileged to get to work with Congaree Land Trust and the Conservation Fund to protect and preserve this beautiful part of Richland County through this easement, says landowner Frank Beidler IV. We look forward to being good, long-term stewards of the land with their continued supervision.

Read the full announcement here.

Wolfram Property, Kershaw County

Over 124 acres of historic farmland, located just outside the city of Camden, were conserved in October, 2019 thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Congaree Land Trust (CLT) and the Wolfram family. Now under conservation easement, the working farm permanently protects vital green space, air and water quality in Kershaw County.

We appreciate the partnership with Congaree Land Trust to make it possible for our family to preserve open spaces, says landowner Katherine Wolfram. With the encroachment of industrial and residential development out into Kershaw County, we felt an imperative to act quickly. Our three children are all supportive of our wishes to safeguard these 120+ acres against development. In doing so, we honor all of those who have lived and worked on the land before us in harmony with nature.

Read the full story here.

Red Oak Farms, Kershaw County

Over 630 acres along Red Oak Camp Creek, a tributary of the Lynches River in Kershaw County, were conserved in September, 2019 thanks to the collaborative efforts of the landowner, Congaree Land Trust (CLT) and the Lynches River Conservation Fund housed at Central Carolina Community Foundation (CCCF). Now under conservation easement, Red OakFarm permanently protects a large tract of land within the Lynches River watershed—an area that fuels our natural resource based economy and provides clean and plentiful water and a habitat for native plants and animals.

I conserved this beautiful family property because I did not want to see it subdivided, or see it adversely impact the water quality of Red Oak Creek and the Lynches River, says landowner Laura Balding. Through this collaborative conservation project, Red Oak Farm will remain a working farm or forest forever, aiding in the preservation of a healthy Lynches River watershed for the future.

Bramblewood, Camden, SC

Over 680 acres of undeveloped woodlands, fields and significant wetlands along the Wateree River, located just outside the city of Camden, were conserved in June 2019, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bramblewood LLC, Congaree Land Trust (CLT) and the S.C. Conservation Bank. Now under conservation easement, the property’s valuable open space, watershed, and wildlife habitat along the Wateree River are permanently protected from development in an increasingly urbanized area of the state.

Located in Kershaw County on the east bank of the Wateree River, Bramblewood joins the Cowasee Basin Focus Area, an important collaborative landscape conservation project to protect 315,000 acres along the Wateree, Congaree, and Santee Rivers, which contain some of the most significant natural, cultural and historical resources in South Carolina. The property is also situated in the Wateree River Conservation Corridor (WRCC), a forty mile stretch of undeveloped landscape along the Wateree River from Camden south to the confluence with the Congaree River.

“With growth and development booming in places like Camden, it makes land conservation more challenging, so we’re very thankful to landowners like the Bramblewood group for securing a conservation easement, which protect our vital resources from becoming urban sprawl,” says Stuart White, CLT Executive Director. “Bramblewood’s proximity to existing conserved properties in Kershaw County creates a noteworthy block of protected land at the landscape level.”

Two Rivers, Fairfield County

Nearly 140 acres of natural and scenic woodlands bordered by two major South Carolina rivers and surrounded by the U.S. Sumter National Forest were conserved in June 2019, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Ashley and Williams’ families, Congaree Land Trust (CLT) and the S.C. Conservation Bank.

The Two Rivers property, located within the Broad River Watershed, features a pine forest ecosystem dotted with hardwood riparian areas along two major South Carolina rivers, the Broad and Sandy Rivers. Now under conservation easement, the land, its surrounding water- and-view sheds, diverse plant and wildlife habitat will be protected in perpetuity. The property joins 8,000+ acres conserved by CLT in Fairfield County.

Owning land on a river is unique, but owning land with two rivers is really special, says property owner Harold Williams. We are excited about preserving the beauty and uniqueness of 2 Rivers forever, always striving to enhance the property.

Conserved Property in Richland County

Congaree Land Trust also acquired 37+ acres of agricultural and timber land in Richland County this year to perpetually preserve and protect its conservation values.