here - Lowcountry Open Land Trust

— Journal of the —
Lowcountry Open Land Trust
SPR ING 2012
The road ahead…
A Vision for the
next
Springtime at Ashem Farm
25 years
T he Lowcountry Open L and T rust begins 2012 with renewed energ y and focus.
We are working shoulder-to-shoulder with our community to create a vision for a more sustainable
Lowcountry, which will strengthen our conservation goals for our region and for LOLT. We are
hard at work developing this vision into an action plan and invite you to visit our new website,
www.lolt.org, to learn more information about our strategic plan for conservation. Stay tuned!
A day of firsts for our organization, this year’s picnic welcomed four
generations of members through the newly opened gates at Ashem Farm. We featured local foods
from several of our protected properties and hosted a number of our community nonprofits and
sustainable businesses to make this a green and dynamic event. Enjoying the warm sunshine, oysters
and live music, many of you related memories of Ashem and expressed joy in sharing its beauty with
new generations.
2012 B o a r d o f T r u s t e e s
Batson L. Hewitt Jr.
President
Elise Brown
Samuel C. Carlton
J. Rutledge Young Jr.
Vice-President
Carol Ervin
David Maybank III
Treasurer
Thomas D. W. Hutto
W. Crayton Walters III
Secretary
Stephen F. Gates
Bradford S. Marshall
Ford P. Menefee
T. Hunter McEaddy
Michael G. McShane*
Richard W. Salmons Jr.
G. Trenholm Walker
*Elected February 2012
J. Conrad Zimmerman*
p h oto by M a rg a ret Bl ac k m er
p h o to by M a rg a re t B l a c k m e r
2 012 S ta f f
Elizabeth M. Hagood
Executive Director
Lisa W. Shealy
Conservation Planner
Lewis H. Hay
Director of Land Protection
Elizabeth D. Brown*
Director of Education and
Outreach
Anna C. Nygaard-Ghi
Director of Stewardship
Cathy Forrester
Director of Development
Nancy C. DeWitt
Finance & Administrative
Coordinator
2
cover ph oto by Th omas C . Mo ore r Jr.
Dana C. Moorer
Development Associate
Barbara G. Holmes, Esq.
Attorney
*new staff member
A message from
Our Mission
the President and Executive Director
As we continue our mission to protect
rural economy, and the need to
the forests, fields and wetlands of the South
increase our outreach were some
Carolina Lowcountry, we are taking a good, hard
of the dominant themes. We
look at where we’ve been and where we are
hope that you will be as inspired
going. In the last quarter century, the Lowcountry
as we are by reading some of the
Open Land Trust (LOLT) has protected 88,143
comments from the participants.
acres of land, working with landowners of 268
different properties. Is it enough? What are our
next priorities? What will the Lowcountry look
like in 2037, and how will its quality of life and
landscapes be protected?
To protect and foster
voluntary conservation of
the irreplaceable Lowcountry
forests, farmland, open spaces,
wildlife habitat and wetlands,
thus helping to conserve
forever our community’s
unique sense of place and
quality of life.
We are grateful that so many of our members participated
and appreciate your enthusiastic commitment to protecting
and preserving our natural landscapes. LOLT staff and board
are working with all stakeholders to use this information to
define a clear, community-driven strategy for conservation.
February marked the transformative first step
This process has already created enormous energy for all of
of LOLT’s conservation visioning process—an
us involved, and our goal is to enhance public awareness of
endeavor made possible by the late Emily Ravenel
conservation issues and to drive the conservation plan for
Farrow and her bequest of Ashem. Because
future generations.
conservation is only as strong as the community
that values it, we facilitated six community
meetings, bringing together the Lowcountry’s
elected officials, business and economic
development leaders, conservation partners,
our members, as well as the general public. We
asked what conservation meant to them, and the
response was enlightening.
Residents came out by the hundreds and shared
their thoughts on the future of land conservation
in the Lowcountry, from plans for new growth
and educating our community on the value of
conservation, to finding ways to involve and
partner with economic interests. Education, the
Elizabeth M. Hagood
Executive Director Batson L. Hewitt Jr.
President, Board of Trustees
3
a vision for a more sustainable lowcountry
F or a quarter century,
the Lowcountry Open Land Trust
has gone steadfastly about the business
of preserving our natural lands,
farms and habitats. We now have the
opportunity to draw the roadmap of
conservation for the next 25 years. As
we face a more popular, populous, and
rapidly developing Lowcountry, efforts
to conserve our natural places require
that the conservation community act
more quickly and more strategically to
safeguard our sense of place for future
generations. Tapping our community’s
intellectual capital through our 2012
visioning process will make our future
aspirations a reality.
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Thanks to the efforts of our local newspapers, our partners,
and the power of social media, word of our visioning process
brought people together from the Colleton County Museum to
the Charleston County Public Library. The six February meetings
included elected officials, the conservation community, business
leaders, developers, landowners and concerned citizens. They
raised issues of the land as an economic driver, its impact on job
creation, and its value to habitat, water and air quality, as well as
sense of place and quality of life.
Based heavily on these community priorities, our visioning
process is designed not to change our mission, but to expand our
strategy to achieve it, focusing on three overarching themes:
• Rural Economy – Conservation is an economic issue. You
told us that we should promote economic opportunities in our
rural communities and ensure the development of a plan for
growth that is in sync with conservation.
• Education – We should educate more people about our
mission and resources, especially by connecting with the next
generation.
• Outreach – More voices are needed in land conservation
to share the value of our natural landscape, and to keep our
finger on the pulse of trends (both positive and negative) that
affect our ability to achieve our mission.
p h o to by J o h n M o o re
Rural Economy
tional land uses. LOLT is uniquely situated to mesh financial
“How do we get business
leaders involved
tools and other resources, which can help our rural communities
rather than to be at
maintain their livelihood while safeguarding our natural lands.
loggerheads? There
The clock is ticking. The Lowcountry area saw a 255%
increase in urbanized land during the last two decades. In the
are ways to engage the
business community,
Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area alone, the population
and the Lowcountry
jumped 21% between 2000 and 2010. And the population is
Open Land Trust can
projected to grow from 664,607 residents in 2010, to 806,000 in
make the extra effort
2030. Government funding is limited, and many programs for
to engage corporations,
conservation are on the budgetary chopping block.
directors and employees
The combined impact of agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation and tourism sectors accounts for one-third of the state’s
economy, over $54 billion and 463,000 jobs—that amounts to
one out of three jobs in the state! Measures must be taken now to
protect the natural resources at the core of this economic asset,
which sustains natural resource-based activities such as outdoor
in conservation
activities…The Lowcountry Open
Land Trust also needs to connect
with the rural economy. The food
industry and GrowFood are great
examples of the development of
underutilized rural agro-economies
recreation, agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Preserving our
of South Carolina and how we can
natural resources is an imperative, or their existing power as a
successfully work with them to provide
job creator will be lost. Nearly 5 million acres of farmland and
economic development of rural areas
roughly 13 million acres of forestland across South Carolina are
for a balance of conservation and
not just valuable green space, but economic drivers.
development jobs.”
K risti n e H a rt v igse n
We heard you say that there is a need to retain our tradi-
Arnie Nemirow, retired
Chairman, CEO and
President of Bowater, Inc.
and now Chairman of
The Nature Conservancy
of South Carolina,
attended the meeting of
business and economic
development leaders.
continued next page
5
The success story of the ACE Basin is a great example of
rural communities working hand-in-hand with economic inter-
“The process was good to
involve the rural munici-
ests, conservation partners, local government and private land-
palities. We are such a small
owners. This relationship is not only preserving our priceless and
town, we get forgotten in the
irreplaceable natural treasures, but has proven that conservation
big scheme of things. If you
benefits everyone. The ACE Basin demonstrates that what’s right
look at the preservation of
for nature is also right for people, providing jobs, protecting re-
land and you look at what we
sources like clean water and air quality, while maintaining a vital
have available now, we want
sense of place.
to have a great plan when it
Our visioning process brought these same sectors together
comes to utilizing it, to maxiJacquelyn S. Heyward, Mayor
of Hollywood, SC, attended the
meeting of elected officials, and
gave thoughtful commentary
on educational opportunities
in rural and African-American
communities.
with renewed vigor and purpose. “The visioning process is going
mizing it for the future…A
to serve the entire conservation community very well,” said
lot of people have misconceptions when you hear the
word conservation. Education is key in anything that
we do, and there needs to be
more of an effort to actually
educate the public.”
“We agreed that the Lowcountry
Open Land Trust needs to
be reaching out to the rural
communities in order to find a
T H E C H A R L E S T O N M E R C U R Y AN D E L I Z A B E T H S H E R
“LOLT and conservation
easement movement can
accomplish significant
conservation that zoning
really can’t. If you were
to limit development
on a piece of property
in the manner that the
average easement does,
it would constitute an
unconstitutional taking of
someone’s property. Yet,
easements can accomplish
conservation of entire
Sen. George E. “Chip” Campsen III,
is Executive Vice President of Spiritline
Tours and creator of the state Conservation Bank. He attended both the LOLT
annual meeting and the meeting of
elected officials.
ecosystems and address or
solve some of the most contentious land use issues
in Charleston, all with willing property owners. You
can’t accomplish that by regulation.”
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healthy balance. Oftentimes, we’re
more focused on the immediate
Charleston area, but can’t look at
things in isolation. LOLT can be
proactive in working on smart
growth planning for the overall
region. Conservation can’t be
seen as an obstacle for smart
economic development; a healthy
William Cogswell, Owner,
design-build firm, WECCO of
Charleston, attended both the
public meeting and the gathering
of economic development
leaders.
conservation effort and program
in the long run provide more
sound opportunity for economic
development.”
Doug Sass is a Wadmalaw
vegetable farmer, working in
partnership with easement donor
and property owner, Lewis Hay
(Read the news story about their
farm venture at www.lolt.org.).
He attended the public meeting
at the Charleston County Public
Library.
Ashley Demosthenes, Associate Director of Land Protection for
and to the world. Education, at every level, is needed to elevate
The Nature Conservancy. She sees rampant misunderstanding
the understanding of the public value of land conservation.
about conservation. “Easements are not just there to protect
“One of the best ways to conserve land is to continue
a wealthy landowner’s ability to quail hunt, but also for air
farming, but we have to make it economically viable,” said
quality, potable water, scenic and aesthetic benefits. People
Sara Clow, of GrowFood Carolina. The average age of farmers
want to come here for natural amenities, and for the business
in America is 63, and knowledge of local farming practices
community, quality of life is huge.”
has skipped a whole generation. She added, “While the local
food movement is a popular trend, the big picture is actually a
Education
Visioning participants told us that undeniably, communities need a sense of place to understand who they are, where
generation of young people who want a sustainable lifestyle and
a connection to the land that has been lost.”
continued next page
they belong, and how they’re connected to the land, to nature,
“From the perspective of someone who sees development
Captain Peter Brown is
owner of Saltwater Charters. He
attended the public meeting at
the Charleston County Public
Library.
from the water every day, the natural balance is sensitive and
influenced by every single change in the landscape. There are
habitat issues that often are not addressed, and they directly affect everyone’s quality of life. I like the fact that the LOLT is not
against growth but is for responsible growth and making more
people aware of what that is…Plenty of people care about conservation, but they don’t know what their role might be with an
organization like LOLT. They may not necessarily need an easement or own a large tract of land, but that doesn’t mean they
care about this place any less than someone who does. These
are issues people can relate to whether they are from here or
came here from somewhere else, because they can appreciate
the quality of life here.”
“The local food movement is growing and will only continue to grow.
All of the different conservation organizations are getting on the
same page about farming, and each is taking a different role. One big
problem for new farmers is they have to either
own land or have available capital, or they
have to find a situation like mine, where they
“Conservation and business
are joined at the hip. It’s
hard for either to prosper
without the other. Our lands
and waters will benefit from
economic prosperity shared
by all, and our economy
Robert Prioleau is Partner and
Strategy Director for Blue Ion, a digital marketing agency. He attended
the public meeting, annual meeting,
and the gathering of business and
economic leaders.
can work out a partnership. A lot of people
benefits from a healthy, clean
don’t have the connections. Only a handful
environment and strong
of beginners end up farming in the end, and
quality of life. So there
land is a big reason. It’s not cheap around here.
should be no trade offs...we
And farming is capital intensive.”
should be collaborating and leading
the nation (world, if I can dream) on
both fronts.”
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Outreach
Elizabeth Hagood remarked, “This was a passionate
We heard from participants that more outreach is needed
conversation on the importance of conservation and quality of
in land conservation. Land trusts are uniquely qualified
life, and I think it has reinvigorated the role of conservation in
and positioned to communicate with developers and elected
economic, rural and urban development. Our goal is to turn
officials about sound land conservation programs and
this conversation into action that will affect the course and
policies, such as conservation banks and regional planning.
pace of conservation, the efficacy of our sustainable economy,
And yet, at our annual meeting, 2011 Easement Donor, Dr.
and our plan to conserve our way of life in the Lowcountry.”
This vision will help the Lowcountry Open Land Trust to
Joel Cox, called us, “conservation’s best kept secret.”
“Most people don’t understand what LOLT does,”
identify conservation priorities; it will be a tool for assessing
agreed Senator George Campsen. “They don’t understand
the economic benefits of conservation and its impact on jobs
that easements are conservation by negotiation, not
and business development. This plan will be a benchmark to
conservation by regulation. Some folks assume it’s
ensure the values of our community are met with conservation
disrespectful of property rights; people think it erodes the
as a crucial component to maintaining our economy and
property tax base. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
quality of life.
By the end of summer, LOLT will have turned
these meetings into a vision statement, which will be the
Note: Read more perspectives and further in-depth information
foundation for our strategic plan. Executive Director
on our visioning process on our website, www.lolt.org.
“From our standpoint, anything LOLT
can do to help enforce the urban
“It is now up to the conservation
Right now, there is nothing that
information learned during
enforces it other than the whim of city
“The Lowcountry Open Land
Trust did a fabulous job walking
me through the process, but I
only found out about it at my
neighbor’s house at a July 4th
party. It’s not mainstream. I
think that awareness is the most
important thing. LOLT should be
linking with corporate partners.
A lot of people hit my website
daily, and I’d like to have people
ask me about it and have a link
to the Lowcountry Open Land
Trust on my website.”
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growth boundary would be huge.
community to take the
Megan J. Desrosiers is
­Assistant Director of the Coastal
Conservation League and
attended the public meeting.
these workshops
or county council. There is so much
and develop a
potential to ­redevelop and to create
strategy that
infill within the existing urban context
includes land
rather than through expansion. If
conservation,
the Land Trust were targeted in its
infrastructure
approach, it would help planners and
planning,
planning ­efforts. The work they do for
economic
land­owners,
development and
coupled with
policy initiatives.
­regulatory
Our success
authority, is
will depend
a powerful
on ­our ability
­system for
C hristopher M org a n
R. Jason J. Hehr,
DMD, is an oral surgeon and a 2011 LOLT
Easement Donor. He
attended the annual
meeting.
to collaborate
at all levels and to educate our
community and elected officials
about the connections between
conservation and the preservation
of our quality of life.”
Christopher T. Morgan,
AICP, is the Director of the
Planning Division for the
City of Charleston.
preserving
rural lands.”
Opening T he G ate s
p icnic p h o to s by Th o m a s C. M o o re r J r.
The Annual Picnic at Ashem Farm
Nearly 350 people and four generations enjoyed
a glorious afternoon of sunshine, pony rides, music,
oysters and Blackjack Barbecue at the March
10th Annual Picnic at Ashem Farm. This former
working farm was opened for the first time as
public land, so that LOLT members could
enjoy this preserved treasure in the heart of
the City of Charleston.
Scores of people poured through the
gates onto the azalea-lined road, craning
their necks to see if it looked the same as
they remembered, and for many, to see it
for the first time. David Farrow, son of Mrs. Emily
Ravenel F
­ arrow, was deeply moved by the event.
“The azaleas were blooming along the avenue
for the first time since my mother died. I’d
seen them bloom for 58 years, so I was a little
misty. Then I saw the kids playing and all the
ponies, and it seemed like the old farm had
come alive again.”
The theme of the picnic was
“Local Food” and the connection to
continued next page
9
our conservation properties. Picnickers enjoyed local
collard greens, provided by ­GrowFood Carolina, which
were both part of the meal and the centerpieces. We
were proud to serve some of the products harvested from
LOLT’s conserved properties, including delicious pecans
grown on Plum Hill Plantation, and Charleston Gold
Aromatic Rice cultivated on Lavington Plantation. Local
groups Lowcountry Local First and Carolina Green Fair
contributed to sustainable practices with recycling and
composting and featured some of the green enterprises
available to Lowcountry residents.
Phil Amacchia, Director of Operations at Charleston
County Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC),
remarked, “Ashem has a lot of great history and great
memories. Moving forward, preserving this land is
something the citizens of Charleston County can be proud
of and can make more great memories at future events at
Ashem.”
The 55-acre site of one of Charleston County’s future
parks, Ashem Farm is now open to the public on a limited
basis for pre-arranged group tours and special events.
Following comprehensive planning, PRC aims to develop
it into a park with full public access as an enhancement to
adjacent Charles Towne Landing.
Working Together to Preserve the Lowcountry
At their table, GrowFood Carolina proudly announced their
first farm-to-school delivery to Lambs Elementary School
in North Charleston. “One of reasons we’re here is because
of Doug Sass, who is farming some of Lewis Hay’s property.
It’s an incredible relationship, and one we would be open to
fostering with LOLT,” said General Manager Sara Clow. “By
providing infrastructure, sales and marketing, GrowFood
enables farmers to just focus on growing.”
Wayne Koeckeritz provided composting and recycling through
his new local company, Food Waste Disposal. For the first time
in LOLT history, a member event composted 60-lbs of food waste
and generated 140-lbs of recyclables. His business is part of
the Carolina Green Fair, which was highlighting regional green
products services and technologies at the picnic. Suzie Webster,
Executive Director of Carolina Green Fair, said, “The kids were into
it and bussing their parents’ and grandparents’ tables.”
10
Lowcountry Local
First was at Ashem
promoting the
organization’s
incubator farm and
apprentice program.
“It could nicely tie
in with what LOLT
is doing,” said
Executive Director
Jamee Haley. “We
would love to be
able to work with
LOLT when they have
property owners
looking to put land
under easement. We
can help connect
them with a farmer
that would be a
good match.”
Memories of A shem
H e l e n Wa r r e n
“We grew up at Wespanee Plantation next door. Old Towne Road was just a
two-lane road back then, and we used to ride our horses over to Old Towne,
which is now Charles Towne
Landing. Old Towne was an
egg farm. It was so exciting
to ride the ponies over there,
because the chickens made
so much noise, and the
horses would freak out. They
had huge trucks and just
towers of chickens.
“Then we’d all ride our
horses over to Ashem
and talk to Mr. Charlie.
He was a character! He
told us stories and let us
ride around out there. We used to take
breakfast, lunch, and dinner and pack it up in backpacks, and take sheets
and make our own tents with paraffin to waterproof them, which we learned
in Girl Scouts, and pack it all on our ponies. We’d ride all over and set up our
tents and ride some more and eat some more and play. We just lived outside.”
T e d St o n e y
“I always considered Emily
Farrow a cousin. I was
probably 9 or 10 years old
when I took horseback riding
lessons from her. Ashem was
way out in the country, and
the North Ashley River Bridge
hadn’t been built at that
time. I remember riding
along the bluff along the
marsh that overlooks where
Charles Towne Landing is
now and thinking how beautiful the property was, even
as a child. I remember the old house and how much I loved collecting the
peacock feathers. She had at least half a dozen peacocks.
“It’s just amazing how it’s still like it was 50 years ago when I was horseback
riding. It’s amazing and a testament to her vision and love of the
Lowcountry. She had a vision to love that land and preserve it, and we’re
ever so much better off because she did.”
picnic photos by Thomas C. Moorer, Jr.
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Lands Protected in 2011
In 2011, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust added
11 new properties, helping landowners protect
4,708 acres in perpetuity. To date, Lowcountry Open Land
Trust has signed 268 conservation easements
and protected 88,143 acres in South Carolina.
Edisto
Beach
S outh C arolina F ocus A reas
The South Carolina Focus Areas were created in the late 1980s through a state, federal and private partnership to protect
critical watersheds of the Lowcountry. All told, across South Carolina, more than one million acres have been protected
through voluntary conservation easements, gifts of land, fee simple purchase, and state and federal acquisition.
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the permanent protection of Platt Farm ensures that the property will be available for
agricultural use for future generations. The
easement prohibits subdivision, as well as
residential development on the property, and
will preserve the 15-acre cypress pond wetland—a small wildlife sanctuary surrounded
by the open pastures. The old family home
sits adjacent to the easement property where
the Platt family continues to gather and enjoy the views of the farm, which they now
know is safeguarded into the future.
Poco Sabo Plantation
ACE Basin
The ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee and
Edisto rivers) Focus Area encompasses 1.7
million acres of upland and wetland habitat
along the coast of South Carolina between
Charleston and Beaufort and is one of the
largest intact coastal ecosystems on the East
Coast. As of December 2011, the Lowcountry
Open Land Trust is proud to hold more than
36,000 acres of protected lands under easement in the ACE Basin.
Poco Sabo Plantation–1,651 acres
A historic rice plantation located on the
Ashepoo River in the heart of the ACE ­Basin,
the Poco Sabo Plantation easement includes
several miles of forested road frontage on
both sides of Bennetts Point Road and also
includes deep water frontage and historic
rice field impoundment frontage along the
scenic Ashepoo River. The conservation easement leaves 95% of the property in its relatively natural state by clustering man-made
structures. The plantation is surrounded by
other protected properties in the area including the expansive Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, owned by the State of South
Carolina, as well as other easements in the
neighborhood. The connectivity of these
properties to each other and to additional
privately conserved and publicly owned
lands in the ACE Basin creates continuous
protected corridors of more than 20 miles.
These corridors are of great significance and
importance to the biodiversity of the region
and to maintaining water quality within the
ACE Basin and downstream.
Platt Farm—98 acres
Platt Farm is on U.S. Highway 321 just
south of Denmark in Bamberg County.
The farm is Lowcountry Open Land Trust’s
second easement in Bamberg County and
sits just within the upper limits of the ACE
Basin Focus Area. Congaree Land Trust, a
conservation partner of LOLT, holds several
conservation easements nearby. Platt Farm
is a working farm and home to a large herd
of Black Angus cattle. Currently, members
from two generations of the Platt family
manage the daily farm operations. The family’s intent in placing a conservation easement on the farm was to honor their parents
by preserving the agricultural character of
the property and the traditional way of life
in which they were raised on the land. Thus,
In Memoriam – John V. Platt
We at the Land Trust would like to
acknowledge the Rev. John V. Platt’s
instrumental role in the granting of a
conservation easement on Platt Farm
last year. Sadly, Rev. Platt passed away
in Columbia on March 17, 2012.
Although we knew him only for a short
time, he impressed us with his kindness
and wisdom as well as his reverence
for his parents and their way of life on
Platt Farm. We are deeply moved by his
leadership, dedication and perseverance
in ensuring that Platt Farm was
protected for future generations. He
leaves on this earth a legacy with which
we are privileged to be entrusted, and we
are grateful for the opportunity to have
known him.
Platt Farm
13
and former agricultural fields divided by
hedgerows. Partially financed by Charleston
County Rural Greenbelt funds, this easement
protects the majority of the forested land as a
conservation area, keeping it in its relatively
natural state. The Farm has approximately
1,200 feet of water frontage and maritime
forest edge, providing important habitat
for migrating songbirds. Adjacent lands are
protected by LOLT and Ducks Unlimited,
totaling 188 acres, adding to the overall protection of natural lands. LOLT now protects
over 18,000 acres in ­Charleston County.
Santee Cooper Lakes
The Santee Cooper Lakes Focus Area encompasses Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie in
the coastal plain of South Carolina. LOLT
currently holds 3,216 total acres under conservation easement in this area.
Rooty Hill
Rooty Hill – 199 acres
Rooty Hill is a family timber farm of loblolly
pine, longleaf pine and hardwoods, located
east of Walterboro in Colleton County.
The “tree farm,” as landowner Mary Julia
Royall affectionately calls the property, has
been owned and managed for decades by
her family. Active in the management of
the property’s timber business, Mrs. Royall’s
efforts were recognized when Rooty Hill was
honored as the State Tree Farm of the year
in 1982. Bisected by Cooler Dairy Road and
bordered to the north by Chestnut Road,
the property provides significant public
road frontage and scenic forested views
to passersby and contributes to the rural
character of this region.
Bellfield Plantation – 34 acres
Bellfield Plantation is comprised of planted
longleaf pine, mixed pine hardwood, and
some small wetland and open areas. Its primary uses are for forest management and
recreational activities. The protection of
Bellfield Plantation extends the protective
corridor that Brosnan Forest—12,488 acres
protected by LOLT in 2008— provides to
its diverse populations of plants and animals,
and each property enhances the open space
value of the other. Brosnan Forest is listed
as an Important Bird Area (IBA), designated by the American Bird Conservancy and
National Audubon Society, which identifies
sites that provide critical habitat for birds.
Expanding and creating corridors between
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Murrell Plantation – 1,092 acres
IBAs supports their significance and is sup- Murrell Plantation is actively managed for
ported by the South Atlantic Migratory Bird timber, agriculture and hunting and is adInitiative Plan.
jacent to the Moultrie Hunt Unit Wildlife
Management Area north of Lake Moultrie,
The Farm – 34 acres
managed by the South Carolina DepartRural land located on Swinton Creek, a ment of Natural Resources (SCDNR). With
tributary of Toogoodoo Creek in southern portions of the property in both the Santee
Charleston County, about half of The Farm Cooper Lakes and Santee River Basin focus
is made up of open pastures where the land- areas, this easement is in a relatively new
owners’ children, horses, dogs and pet pig geographic area for private land conservation
roam and enjoy the open space. The remain- activity. LOLT plans to reach out to the surder is diverse—including a sandy salt flat, rounding community in an effort to educate
forested wetland, mixed forested upland, landowners about conservation easements
Bellfield Plantation
Murrell Plantation
and to build on this recent conservation success. Murrell Plantation is bordered by an
impressive 1.8 miles of the Lake Moultrie
Passage of the Palmetto Trail, a public hiking
and biking trail traversing South Carolina.
The protection of Murrell Plantation with
a conservation easement and the restrictions
to maintain a forested buffer along the trail
ensures that the public can continue to enjoy
the scenic view along this stretch of the trail
for many years to come.
CAWS
(Cooper, Ashley, Wando and Stono rivers)
The CAWS Basin Focus Area covers the
Tricounty region surrounding the Charleston
Metropolitan Area. LOLT currently holds
16,533 acres of the CAWS Focus Area under
conservation easement.
The Farm
Oak Point VII – 6 acres
Oak Point VIII – 19 acres
Oak Point VII and Oak Point VIII are two
more additions to the lands protected by
members of the Hay family on Wadmalaw
Island. Charleston County Rural Greenbelt
funds were used to partially fund this easement, and LOLT now holds conservation
easements on approximately 200 acres of the
Hay family’s Oak Point properties. Although
each is significant individually, this group
of protected lands has greater conservation
value than the sum of its parts. Oak Point
VII has approximately 500 feet of frontage
on a small tributary of Church Creek, and
Oak Point VIII has approximately 700 feet
of frontage on Church Creek; however, collectively the Oak Point properties protect ap-
proximately a 1/2 mile stretch of frontage on
Church Creek and nearly a mile along the
small tributary off of Church Creek.
This cumulative and continuous protection along the waterfront is much more important to conservation in terms of ­habitat,
scenic and water quality values than if the
same amount of non-contiguous parcels
were protected. Thus, conservation success
is achieved through cooperation of families
like the Hays and their neighbors in community conservation.
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust’s
first easement on Wadmalaw Island was
­completed in 1989. Twenty-two years later,
LOLT now protects 48 properties totaling
nearly 5,400 acres and comprising nearly
25% of the upland on the island.
Savannah River
The South Lowcountry Focus Area,
referred to as “SoLo,” includes the area
from Hardeeville to the south, Aiken to the
north, the Savannah River to the west and
the Salkehatchie and Broad rivers to the
east. To date, LOLT holds 34 conservation
easements, protecting more than 23,796
acres in the South Lowcountry.
Sprague – 168 acres
Davis Tract – 362 acres
Pleasant Hill East – 1,045 acres
In 2011, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust
partnered with members of the Peeples family to protect several tracts of land—both
Oak Point
15
land passed down through the family and
recently acquired land to add to the family
legacy. Comprised of open fields, pine forests,
wetlands and other diverse habitat types, the
properties are used for traditional activities,
such as agriculture, forestry, hunting and
other outdoor recreation. Among the vast variety of land cover throughout the properties,
Sprague and Pleasant Hill East both contain
large areas of native longleaf pine forest. All
of the tracts have significant road and highway frontage, which provides the public with
extensive scenic views. Permanent protection of the lands thus helps retain the rural
character of the area. These easements add
significant conservation value to the network
of protected lands. In particular, Sprague
links together existing protected properties,
and thus extends a wildlife corridor, which is
permanently protected for the travel of various species for breeding, foraging, and migration due to seasonal changes and/or climate
change over time.
Sprague
Early 2012
Camp Ho Non Wah – 146 acres
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust accepted
its first conservation easement for 2012
from the Coastal Boys Council on Camp
Ho Non Wah. The Boy Scout Camp is a
local treasure on Wadmalaw Island, steeped
Camp Ho Hon Wah
16
in history, wildlife habitat and over a mile
of water frontage. For more than 80 years,
the Ho Non Wah property has provided
thousands of scouts and generations of
youth with unique outdoor experiences. In
1930, the Bailey family welcomed the Boy
Scouts to summer camp on their plantation,
camping in tents arranged in front of the
original Bailey home, cooking in patrols,
and enjoying the use of a small swimming
hole.
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust’s
conservation easement protects the landscape, and future scouts are assured the
opportunity of kayaking, hiking and camping on the sea islands. The camp is also in
partnership with the Charleston County
School District for use as an outdoor classroom, where marsh transitions to maritime
forest to mixed pine and hardwood. The
Charleston County’s Rural Greenbelt fund
helped fund the easement at a bargain price,
protecting the land for the Boy Scouts and
Charleston County citizens. The conservation easement on Camp Ho Non Wah fits
a pattern of protected lands on Wadmalaw,
where landowners have protected nearly
25% of the island using conservation easements.
Hugh Lane, Chairman of the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank Board, said of
Camp Ho Non Wah, “It’s a critical piece of
property that is extremely valuable as a waterfront development. The Boy Scouts are to
be commended for a conservation-oriented
solution that benefits everyone.”
p ho to s by B a rb a ra G . H o lmes
2011 Financial Report
SOURCES
Membership/contributions
$234,705
Foundation Grants 347,000
Charitable Bequest 4,282,963
Events104,529
Investment Loss (42,200)
Application Fees
5,000
Transfer fees
3,873
Landowner Gifts
6,275
Miscellaneous4,471
Total$ 4,946,616
USES
Program
$549,119
Management/general123,979
Fundraising169,368
Total
$842,466
N e t A s s e t s as of December 31, 2011
$8,595,295
p h o to by B a r b a ra G. H o l m e s
The funds from the sale of Ashem Farm to Charleston County Parks and Recreation C
­ ommission
were received by the Lowcountry Open Land Trust in 2011. (See Charitable Bequest under Revenue,
above.) This generous bequest allowed LOLT to set its Stewardship and Legal Defense Fund at a boardapproved target of $3.5 million. This fund will provide LOLT with the means to monitor and steward all
easement properties in perpetuity. It will grow over time thanks to additional contributions by landowners and donors.
In addition, the Ashem funds allowed LOLT to fully fund an emergency operating reserve fund at the
recommended level of six months of operating expenses. The reserve will provide the means for LOLT
to continue operations in case of an extreme situation that might impact its fundraising in the future.
The Ashem funds are not being used to fund LOLT’s current operating expenses. The Land Trust Board
is committed to using our ongoing community visioning and strategic planning process to determine
the best use of the remaining Ashem funds. We are grateful to our members, donors and foundations,
whose generous contributions continue to make our annual conservation programs possible.
17
2011 Donors
FOUNDATIONS
AND FUNDS
We appreciate
all those who
made our
work possible
through their
contributions in
2011.
We make every effort to ensure that
our donors are listed accurately.
However, occasionally mistakes
do occur. If you feel we have
made an error, please contact the
development office at 843-577-6510
so that we can correct our records.
18
Anonymous
Henry M. Blackmer Foundation
Butler Conservation Fund, Inc.
William M. Camp Foundation
Ceres Foundation, Inc.
Coastal Community Foundation of
South Carolina
• Saul Alexander Foundation
• Baldwin-Montague Endowment
• William M. Bird & Co., Inc.
Endowment
• Burney Fair Endowment
• F. James and Sheila H. Hodges Fund
• The Houghton Fund
• Elizabeth C. Rivers Lewine
Endowment
• Winthrop Family Allendale/Hampton
Fund
James M. Cox Jr. Foundation
The George E. Crouch Foundation of
Georgia
Nick and Jill Davidge Charitable Trust
Gary W. Dietrich Family Foundation
The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley
Foundation
The Festoon Foundation, Inc.
Foundation for the Carolinas
Hayne Hipp Foundation
Martha and Bronson Ingram Foundation
Advised Fund of the Community
Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Joanna Foundation
Peter R. and Cynthia K. Kellogg
Foundation
The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc.
Land Trust Alliance
Mills Bee Lane Memorial Foundation
Leadem Family Foundation, Inc.
The Lasca and Richard Lilly Fund
John R. McCune Charitable Trust
Merck Family Fund
The National Christian Foundation
Norfolk Southern Foundation
Post and Courier Foundation
Price R. and Flora A. Reid Foundation
The Richards Foundation, Inc.
John M. Rivers, Jr. Foundation
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
The Alexander and Laurinda Schenck
Fund of the Community Foundation
of Western North Carolina
Sledge Foundation
Thomas J. and Geraldine Tisch Charitable
Fund
The Tomlin Family Fund of Donors Trust
Turner Foundation
US Fish & Wildlife Service
John Winthrop Charity Trust
Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation
Yawkey Foundation
EVENT SPONSORS
Anonymous (1)
American Forest Management
The Bank of South Carolina
William M. Bird & Co.
Charleston Appraisal Service
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
The GEL Group
Holcombe, Fair & Lane Real Estate
Hughes Party Rental
Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
Lowcountry Eats
MWV
Salmons Dredging
SCE&G
Temple of Sport, LLC – Charley and
Martha Lynn Webb
Tidewater Foods and Catering, LLC
Van-Smith Concrete Co.
WebsterRogers LLP, Summerville
Wells Fargo Bank
GIFTS-IN-KIND
Hughes Party Rental
Lee Helmer Design
Lowcountry Eats
Lisa W. Shealy
Tidewater Foods and Catering, LLC
BUSINESS MEMBERS
American Forest Management
The Bank of South Carolina
Berkeley Electric Cooperative
William M. Bird & Co.
Blitch Plumbing, Inc.
Bryan Dairy Corporation
C & M Farms, LLC
Cape Romain Contractors, Inc.
Charleston Appraisal Service
Council of Garden Clubs of Greater
Charleston
Croghan’s Jewel Box
CSX Corporation
R.G. Darby Rental
Davis & Floyd, Inc.
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
Durlach Associates
Fleet Landing Restaurant
Frametastic
Freshley Media, Inc.
The GEL Group, Inc.
Hay Tire Co.
Holcombe, Fair & Lane Real Estate
Hughes Party Rental
James M. Simons & Co., Inc.
James Street Associates
Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
Kinghorn Insurance of Beaufort
Lee Helmer Design
Limehouse Produce
Lowcountry Conservation Alliance
Lowcountry Eats
Mackay Point Plantation
Maybank Law Firm, LLC
The Melrose Garden Club
Mitchell Brothers, Inc.
MWV
Newkirk Environmental, Inc.
P. Michael DuPree, LLC
Peters Paint & Wallcovering, Inc.
Regional Material Handling Inc.
Robert Frank Land Surveying
Royall Ace Hardware, Inc.
Salmons Dredging Corporation
SCE&G
Temple of Sport, LLC
Tidewater Foods and Catering, LLC
Van-Smith Concrete Co.
Webster Rogers LLP
Wells Fargo Bank
Wells Roofing and Sheetmetal, Inc.
William M. Means Company Insurance
Preserve Donor
$5,000+
Anonymous (1)
Henry M. Blackmer Foundation
Butler Conservation Fund, Inc.
Ceres Foundation, Inc.
Louise B. Clay
James M. Cox Jr. Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph D. Crosby Jr.
CSX Corporation
The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley
Foundation
The Festoon Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen F. Gates
Joanna Foundation
Mills Bee Lane Memorial Foundation
Mr. Paul L. King
Mrs. Jan MacDougal
Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. MacDougal
Mackay Point Plantation
Mr. and Mrs. Irenee DuPont May
Merck Family Fund
MWV
Mrs. Justine J. Nathan
Norfolk Southern Foundation
John M. Rivers, Jr. Foundation
Fred and Alice Stanback
Turner Foundation
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation
Yawkey Foundations
Landscape Donor
$2,500 - $4,999
Anonymous (1)
The Bank of South Carolina
Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Brumley
Gary W. Dietrich Family Foundation
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
Francie and John Downing
Mr. and Mrs. David G. Gabriel
Mr. and Mrs. Batson L. Hewitt Jr.
John and Marilyn Hill
Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Philip Kassebaum
Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Marshall
Dr. and Mrs. J. Stuart McDaniel
Dr. Celeste H. Patrick and Mr. Charles
Patrick
Post and Courier Foundation
Price R. and Flora A. Reid Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Rockefeller
Salmons Dredging Corporation
Susan and Trenholm Walker
Wells Fargo Bank
Winthrop Family Fund of the Coastal
Community Foundation
Plantation Donor
$1,000 - $2,499
Anonymous (1)
Saul Alexander Foundation of the
Coastal Community Foundation
Tony and Linda Bakker
Kara and Andy Berly
William M. Bird & Company Endowment
of the Coastal Community
Foundation
Ms. Martha C. Black
Drs. John G. P. and Barbara S. Boatwright
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Camp III
Charleston Appraisal Service
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin H. Cooper III
Anne and Gordon Darby
R.G. Darby Rental
Davis & Floyd, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard D. Edwards
Ms. Carol Ervin and Mr. Bailey Bolen
F. James and Sheila H. Hodges Fund of
the Coastal Community Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Fair Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Fairey
Bratton and Gale Fennell
Fleet Landing Restaurant
Dr. Andrew E. Geer III and Dr. Susan E.
Moore
The GEL Group, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Edward L. Hay
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Hay
Dr. and Mrs. R. Jason Hehr
Mr. and Mrs. William L. “Sam” Hiott Jr.
Holcombe, Fair & Lane Real Estate
Hughes Party Rental
Mrs. Martha Rivers Ingram
Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Kellogg
Dr. W. Knox Kinlaw Jr.
The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc.
Land Trust Alliance
Bob and Jackie Lane
Dr. Diane D. Lauritsen
Mr. and Mrs. Peter O. LawsonJohnston II
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Leadem
Lee Helmer Design
Mr. Gregory Little
Mr. T. Cartter Lupton II
Tom and Debbie Mather
W. Theo Mattison
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank III
Maybank Law Firm, LLC
Roy and Amanda Maybank
Mr. and Mrs. Barclay McFadden III
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. McShane
William M. Means Company Insurance
Dr. John C. Mettler
Mr. William M. Moore
Dr. Patrick O’Neil
Peters Paint & Wallcovering, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Josh Raglin
Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Rivers
Mr. and Mrs. Nick C. Roberts
Mrs. Mary Julia C. Royall
Ambassador and Mrs. Robert V. Royall
SCANA Corporation
Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Schenck
Dr. and Mrs. H. Del Schutte Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Sharry
Buck and Paula Stackhouse
Tidewater Foods and Catering, LLC
Van-Smith Concrete Co.
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Vardell III
Mr. and Mrs. W. Crayton Walters III
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Webb III
WebsterRogers LLP
Mr. Bruce Wiltsie
Mr. and Mrs. John Winthrop
Mr. and Mrs. J. Rutledge Young Jr.
Barbara and Conrad Zimmerman
Woodland Donor
$500 - $999
Anonymous (1)
Mr. and Mrs. John J. Avlon
Virginia and Dana Beach
Berkeley Electric Cooperative
Tom and Lynn Blagden
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin L. Burke
Charlotte Caldwell and Jeffrey Schutz
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel C. Carlton
Dr. and Mrs. William C. Carter III
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Coppedge III
Mrs. J. Hugh Davis Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Elliott Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. D. Maybank Hagood
Mrs. Charlotte McCrady Hastie
Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Legare Hay III
The Houghton Fund of the Coastal
Community Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Huey Jr.
Ms. Mary Pope M. Hutson
Mr. Thomas D. W. Hutto
Dr. Robert Irvin
Anne F. Jennings
Dr. George H. Khoury
Mr. and Mrs. Montague T. Laffitte
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis J. Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory R. Lenox
Elizabeth C. Rivers Lewine Endowment
of the Coastal Community
Foundation
Liz Lipscomb
Patricia B. Manigault
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank Jr.
Harriett P. McDougal
Mr. and Mrs. Antony M. Merck
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Comer Morrison
NVIDIA
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Ohlandt
Mr. and Mrs. W. McLeod Rhodes
Kim and Katie Richardson
Ms. Margaret P. Schachte and Mr. Hal S.
Currey
Mr. G. Dana Sinkler
Mr. and Mrs. Huger Sinkler II
Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Smythe Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Storen Jr.
Ms. Patricia P. Sullivan
Albert Tilt III
Dr. Ann and Mr. James Truesdale
Patience D. Walker
Wetland Donor
$250 - $499
Anonymous (1)
Johanna Allston and Edward Swinnerton
James B. Bagwell III
Miles and Neyse Barkley
Mr. L. Russell Bennett
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Black
John Blitch III
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bowe
Mr. and Mrs. David Brown
Mr. and Mrs. T. Heyward Carter Jr.
Mason and Jane Chrisman
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart A. Christie
Anne and Will Cleveland
Janice and Charlie Coe
Dr. and Mrs. John A. Colwell
Nancy and Steve Cregg
Croghan’s Jewel Box
Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas A. Davidge
John and Mina Dupree
P. Michael DuPree
Durlach Associates
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Ellison II
Mr. James Ewing
Dr. and Mrs. F. Strait Fairey Jr.
Frametastic
Freshley Media, Inc.
Ms. Donna M. Friedman
Mr. and Mrs. J. Palmer Gaillard III
Mr. and Mrs. W. Foster Gaillard
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin A. Hagood Jr.
Ms. Angela Halfacre
Ms. Jenny Hane and Mr. Julian Wiles
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Hanlin
Cynthia Harton
Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Hay Jr.
Peter and Shelley Hempstead
Mr. Richard F. Hendry
James Street Associates
Mr. Harry L. Johnson Jr.
Patty Jones
Beverly G. Lane
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Lane
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh C. Lane Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas B. Lee
Mr. Robert E. Lee
Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Chisolm Leonard
Lasca and Richard Lilly
Lowcountry Eats
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Marshall
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Mayland
Charles and Margaret McCarty
Mr. and Mrs. T. Hunter McEaddy
Mr. and Mrs. J. Alex McMillan III
Charles E. Menefee
Mitchell Family
Mr. and Mrs. Mills Lane Morrison
Mrs. Thomas E. Myers
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Nash
Newkirk Environmental, Inc.
Miss Anna N. W. O’Quinn
E. Horry Parker
Mr. and Mrs. Graeme F. Philp
Vice Adm. Douglas C. Plate
Bob and Mary Beth Ragin
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P.R. Rivers
Royall Ace Hardware, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Sarnoff
Ms. Elizabeth Settle
James M. Simons, ACF
Mrs. Park Smith Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Smith Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Snow
Mr. and Mrs. William Ray Sutton
Mr. and Mrs. Larry W. Tarleton
Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Tomlin
Dr. and Mrs. W. Wallace Vaught
Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher Waller Jr.
Kurt Wassen
Joseph L. Wells
Dr. and Mrs. G. Frederick Worsham Jr.
Vista Donor
$100 - $249
Dr. and Mrs. James C. Allen
The Right Reverend and Mrs. C.
Fitzsimmons Allison
Mrs. Dorothy M. Anderson
Mr. Dan Avant
Dr. and Mrs. J. Gilbert Baldwin Jr.
Mr. Robert M. Baldwin
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Barnwell
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Bates
Ms. Katrina H. Becker
Holcombe Bell
Louise Bennett and Sidi Limehouse
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Berretta
Mrs. Polly N. Blackmer
Ms. Margaret P. Blackmer
Ann and Bo Blessing
Mr. Michael Bonner
Dr. and Mrs. Walter M. Bonner Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Bowers
Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Braddock Jr.
Ms. J. Elizabeth Bradham
Bryan Dairy Corporation
Dr. and Mrs. William Y. Buchanan Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. G. Stephen Buck
Ms. Susan Butker
C & M Farms, LLC
John T. and Elizabeth K. Cahill
Bob and Cris Cain
Ms. Cornelia Carrier
Elton and Kathy Carrier
Mr. and Mrs. E. Mikell Carroll
Mr. and Mrs. Wayland H. Cato Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Clark
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Connelly
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph M. Connelly
Council of Garden Clubs of Greater
Charleston
Mr. Todd L. Crosby
Mary Helen and Lynn Dantzler
John G. Davis
William and Mary Davis
Ms. Patricia H. Dennis and Mr. Kent
MacDougal
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Desrosiers
Ms. Beverly Diamond and Mr. Edwin
Hettinger
Ms. Ann Dibble
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. H. Dodge
Mrs. Wayne Douglas
Mr. and Mrs. John Dukes
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Eiserhardt Jr.
Dr. David and Julie Ellison
Dr. and Mrs. Haskell S. Ellison
Dr. John E. Emmel and Ms. Deborah Ann
Gessert
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Essig
Joanne and Christopher Eustis
19
2011 Donors
vista Donor continued
Phyllis Walker Ewing
Mrs. Amy L. Ferguson
Mr. and Mrs. Walter L. Foulke
Robert Frank Land Surveying
Mrs. Eric Friberg
Alison and Arthur Geer
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth S. Gustafson Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin A. Hagood Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Hagood II
Ms. Jennifer Hartig
Langdon A. Hartsock
Ms. Eaddy W. Hayes
Mr. and Mrs. Knox L. Haynsworth Jr.
Mrs. David P. Hewitt
Mr. and Mrs. W. Hayne Hipp
Al and Nancy Hitchcock
Mr. and Mrs. R. Scott Hood
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew P. Hoover
Mr. Boone K. Hopkins
Mr. and Mrs. Ozey K. Horton Jr.
Dan Huger
David and Debbie Huguenin
Dr. and Mrs. D. Michael Hull
Mr. and Mrs. R. Walter Hundley
Jim and Rhonda Hunter
Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Hutson
Mr. and Mrs. Cass Ingram
Dana H. Iselin
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Jacobs
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond L. Jacobs Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar S. Jaycocks Jr.
Harriott Means Johnson
Mr. H. Mikell Jones
Mr. Harold W. Jones
Mr. Patrick R. Kelley and Ms. M. Kathleen
Wiley
Kinghorn Insurance of Beaufort
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kinney
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Kirkland Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Knight
Mr. and Mrs. Todd B. Kuhl
Drs. Ann and John Kulze
Mr. Jonathan Lamb
Mrs. Clarence Legerton
Celestine Lehmann-Haupt
Mr. Thomas LeMacks
Mr. and Mrs. Fulton D. Lewis Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Richards C. Lewis
Limehouse Produce
Boyd and Liz Loadholt
Mr. and Mrs. Wade Logan III
Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Lupfer
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen W. Malley
Dr. and Mrs. Alexander W. Marshall
Sis and Hal Marshall
Linda and Fred Martschink
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Matthew
Mr. and Mrs. M. Anthony McAlister Jr.
Jane McCollum
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph G. McInerney III
Mr. Wallace E. McIntyre
Beth McLean
Mrs. John Merrill
Ben A. Moore Jr.
Mrs. Elfrida B. Moore
Mr. John M. Moore Jr. and Ms. Caroline
Verdery Beeland
Mr. and Mrs. Edmond N. Moriarty
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Myers
20
Robert and Teresa New
Mr. and Mrs. Keith Nothstein
Dr. and Mrs. John D. Ohlandt Jr.
Anne P. Olsen
Mrs. Elizabeth F. Orser
Mr. and Mrs. A. Palmer Owings Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell G. Parker
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred G. Pinckney
Mr. and Mrs. Michael B. Prevost
Bill and Sheila Prezzano
Frida Moore Raley
Mrs. Marguerite W. Rathbun
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ravenel Jr.
Dan and Kathy Ravenel
Mr. and Mrs. I. Mayo Read Jr.
Mr. C. Ford Reese Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Richards
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Ritchie
Mr. R. Thayer Rivers Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Claron A. Robertson
Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Robling
Brig. Gen. and Mrs. Francis D. Rogers Jr.
Sally B. Rumph
Dr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Rutland Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Richard R. Schulze
Dickie and Mary Schweers
Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Simmons Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Sedgwick L. Simons
Mr. T. Grange Simons V
Dr. James G. Simpson
Mr. and Mrs. D. Van Smith Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Park B. Smith Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. George W. Smythe Jr.
Mr.and Mrs. John S. Sosnowski
Mr. and Mrs. David Q. Soutter
Mr. Mark Steedley
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Stelling
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Stewart
Theodore and Pauline Stoney
William Sandy Stuhr
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur P. Swanson
Martha A. Teichner
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Nick Thompson III
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Tiller
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Timmons
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Tisch
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Tomlin
John F. Townsend
Mr. and Mrs. William Russell Tyler
Ellen and Bubba Unger
Dr. and Mrs. D. P. von Lehe Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. William L. Walker Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Warren
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Warren III
Mr. Richard Watkins
Elizabeth S. Williams
Mr. and Mrs. George W. Williams
Susan W. Williams
Mr. and Mrs. David L. Wilson
Alston Osgood Wolf
Buffer Donor
$50 - $99
Mr. T. H. Albenesius
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Anderson Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Benoit Avice du Buisson
Dr. and Mrs. Bruce D. Ball
Mr. Brian Banks
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Benton
Ms. Beverley Blew and Mr. Stan
Carrothers
Kevin A. Brown and Kelly Marie Brown
Mr. Elwyn Cahaly
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Carr
Ms. Margaret H. Carter
R. Gay Carter
Mr. Adrian J. Chanler and Ms. Sue
Thornton
Ms. Lynn C. Chiappone
Mr. and Mrs. Luther P. Cochrane
G. E. Cone III
Mr. and Mrs. William Hunter deButts Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Patrick H. Dennis
Ms. Mareta Thompson and Mr. Phil Dillon
Mr. and Mrs. Gaillard T. Dotterer
Ms. Edith DuBose
Mr. Donald Dyches Jr.
Ms. Polly Eells
Henrietta Evatt
Brenda Gall
Dr. Sidney A Gauthreaux and Ms. Carroll
Belser
Mr. and Mrs. E. D. George Jr.
Mr. Edward Gilbert
Mrs. Richard B. Grimball
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Hall
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Harken
Mrs. William L. Hart
Mr. Brian M. Hedden
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Helms III
Teresa and Howard Herbert
Mr. and Mrs. Max L. Hill Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin H. Hylander
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony P. Keinath
Mr. James O. Kempson
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Kight
Ed Killin
Mr. and Mrs. Kristopher B. King
Angelyn M. Ladue
Mr. and Mrs. Robert deT. Lawrence IV
Ms. Caroline W. Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Peter O. Lehman
Tamala and Tod Leighfield
Ms. Jane B. Locke
Mr. Matthew Lockhart
Mrs. Sally B. Maitland
Mr. and Mrs. William E. Martin Jr.
Russ Mason and Pat Hiott-Mason
Dr. and Mrs. Edmund B. McMahon
Mrs. George W. Merck
Mr. and Mrs. W. Howell Morrison
Mr. Robert Neville
Betty and John O’Brien
Mr. and Mrs. D. Henry Ohlandt
Karl F. Ohlandt
Sonya P. O’Malley
Mr. and Ms. David Petty
Mr. and Mrs. Mason T. Pope
Mr. David L. Porter
Mr. and Mrs. Stevan Rainero
Frances and Peter Read
Mr. and Mrs. Donald S. Reid
Frances Rhett
Mr. and Mrs. J. Cheshire Rhett
Warren Ripley
Mrs. Carroll W. Rivers
Rinne and Bob Sade
Ms. Terry R. Scott
Mr. Philip Semanchuk
Ms. Lisa W. Shealy
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Small
Starr and Phil Snead
Reverend and Mrs. Frederick Skinner
Sosnowski
Mr. and Mrs. Randell Stoney Jr.
Bruce Strauch
LTC Barry L. Strauss
Mr. and Mrs. E. Randall Swan Jr.
Mr. Douglas E. Talbert
Ms. Pamela Thesing
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Tison
Dr. George J. Tompkins III
Mr. James H. Trask
Mr. Alvin R. Veronee Jr.
Maurice and Eleanor Veronee
Mrs. Patricia Voorhees
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Weinheimer
Ms. Angela W. Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Wills IV
John C. Wilson Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Young III
Sapling
($25 - $49)
Jean Berner
Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Bischoff
Mr. and Mrs. Mark H. Bloch
Dr. and Mrs. Charles E. Corley III
Ms. Lee Farnum
Sara H. Forbes
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth B. Grace Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Griffith Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Guy R. Hollister
Ms. Kathleen N. Ireland
Mr. and Mrs. John Jackson III
Mr. and Mrs. Coy Johnston
Joan S. Ladd
Mr. Roger R. Lebel
Ms. Peggy Levinson
Mrs. Grace R. Lorimer
Lowcountry Conservation Alliance
Mr. and Mrs. John McLure
The Melrose Garden Club
Dr. William L. Pritchard
Ms. Jeanne B. Robinson
Leslie Sullivan
Mr. Thomas E. Thornhill
Mr. and Mrs. West P. Woodbridge Jr.
HONORS and
MEMORIALS
In memory of Thompson Parker
Barnwell
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Warren III
In memory of Johnny Bodine
Mr. Brian Banks
In honor of Frank Brown, Norfolk
Southern Corporation
James Street Associates
In memory of Ben Chapman
Mr. and Mrs. Wayland H. Cato Jr.
Ms. Kathleen N. Ireland
Mrs. Patricia B. Manigault
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael B. Prevost
Ms. Terry R. Scott
In honor of Ralph and Mary Grace
Crosby
Mr. Mark Steedley
In memory of John Henry Dick
Ms. Frida M. Raley
In honor of Henrietta Evatt
Mr. H. Mikell Jones
In honor of Elizabeth Hagood
Henry M. Blackmer Foundation
In honor of Maybank Hagood
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Cahill
In honor of Robert L. Hanlin
Mrs. Lynn Hanlin
In memory of Clement F.
Haynsworth III
Mr. and Mrs. Knox L. Haynsworth Jr.
In honor of Mary Pope Hutson
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Cahill
In memory of Katherine Cheshire
Knott
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank Jr.
Mrs. John L. Merrill Jr.
In honor of Mr. and Mrs. David
Maybank Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Bo Blessing
In honor of Louise Maybank
Henry M. Blackmer Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Hill
In memory of Jacqueline G. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Mills Lane Morrison
In memory of Marion Hutson Sass
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank Jr.
In honor of Charles Small
Ms. Elizabeth S. Lipscomb
In honor of Fisher Shealy
Ms. Susan Butker
In honor of Smith Killian Fine Art
Gallery
Mr. Gregory Little
In memory of Lawrence A. Walker
Mr. and Mrs. E. Dana Beach
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Benton
Ms. J. Elizabeth Bradham
Ms. Louise D. Bennett and Mr. Sidi
Limehouse
Mr. and Mrs. Maybank Hagood
Mr. and Mrs. Coy Johnston
Mr. and Mrs. David Maybank Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Ragin
Mr. C. Ford Reese Jr.
Dr. James G. Simpson
Mr. and Mrs. William L. Walker Jr.
Mrs. Susan W. Williams
In honor of Ellen MacRae Waller
Mr. Thatcher Waller, Jr.
In memory of Margaret Williams
Ms. Jennifer Hartig
In honor of J. Rutledge Young Jr.
Mr. John M. Rivers Jr.
GALA
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making our 25th Anniversary Silver Moon Gala a
success, raising $80,000 toward the Lowcountry Open Land Trust’s land conservation programs.
Gala Host Committee:
Elise Brown, Co-Chair
Paula Kuyk, Co-Chair
Elizabeth Carlton
Jane Eudy
Allyson Ferguson
Alice Givens
Patty Jones
Eleanor Kuhl
Ann Long Merck
Bradford Marshall
Caroline McMillan
Eleanor Parker
Jenny Sanford
Allison Sprock
Polly Stoney
Blair Turner
Chase Wood
Barbara Zimmerman
Gala Volunteers:
Sarah Anderson
Hatsy Bayse
Kristin Clasen
Sally Everett
Thomas Moorer
Laura Otter
Sharon Penny
Frida Raley
Elaine Robbins
Kelli Shively
Tonnia Switzer
Gala Sponsors:
Anonymous
American Forest Management
The Bank of South Carolina
William M. Bird & Co.
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
The GEL Group
Johnson & Johnson
MWV
Salmons Dredging
SCE&G
Temple of Sport, LLC – Charley and
Martha Lynn Webb
Wells Fargo Bank
Auction Item Donors:
17 North Roadside Kitchen
Accu Photo Lab & Studio
Marty Whaley Adams
Ann Long Fine Art, LLC
Beaufort County Open Land Trust
Margaret P. Blackmer
Bohicket BBQ & Oyster Company
Brays Island Plantation
George Campsen IV
Carolina Eastern, Inc.
Carolina Heritage Outfitters
Caroline’s Market & Catering
Charleston Bay Gourmet Catering
Charleston Classic Sailing
Charleston SUP Safaris
Chechessee Creek Club
Coastal Expeditions
Richard E. Coen and Richard H. Coen
Corrigan Gallery LLC
Croghan’s Jewel Box
Louise C. des Francs
Elizabeth Carlton Studio
Carol B. Ervin and Bailey Bolen
William Eswine
First Citizens Bank
Fleet Landing Restaurant
Dorothea Benton Frank
Steve and Laura Gates
Gilmore Bar Service, LLC
Cameron Gunter
Half Moon Outfitters
Hanckel Marine/Sea Fox Boats
Lewis Hay
Batson and Diane Hewitt
Jill Hooper
Hubee D’s Tenders & Wings
Felicia Morrison Huger
Tom Hutto and Barbara Neale
Janet Porcher Gregg Ltd.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Lockwood
Lowcountry Eats
The Macintosh
Louise and David Maybank
Susan Norman McAlister
V. Grainger McKoy
Ben Moise
Elfrida Barron Moore
Nemours Wildlife Foundation
Oak Steak House
Oexning Silversmiths, Inc.
Royall Ace Hardware, Inc.
Paula Rubino
Cantey Smith and Champ Smith
Mr. and Mrs. D. Van Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Van Smith Jr.
Shannon Smith
Walter G. Smith
Theodore and Pauline Stoney
Stono River Riding Academy
Tammy Ray Wine at Home Consultant
Temple of Sport, LLC – Charley and
Martha Lynn Webb
Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.,
Monticello
John M. Thomas
Rhett Thurman
Tidewater Foods and Catering, LLC
Travis Dew Photography
Blair and Teddy Turner
Heidi Weddendorf
Conrad and Barbara Zimmerman
In-Kind Donors
AV Connections
EventWorks LLC
Ooh! Events
Patrick Properties
Snyder Event Rentals
Southern Protocol
Doug Warner
A special thank you to Allison
Williamson and the artists of the
Charleston Artist Collective for
generously donating 15% of the
proceeds from their October and
November art sales in honor of the
Land Trust’s 25th anniversary.
21
Emily Ravenel Farrow
Auction a Success
Thanks to Volunteers
On Saturday April 21st, the Lowcountry Open Land
Trust and Historic Charleston Foundation hosted
the Emily Ravenel Farrow Auction. Mrs. Farrow had
bequeathed her personal property to support both
organizations. The Land Trust and Historic Charleston
Foundation are most grateful for her generosity and had
hoped that the auction would provide an opportunity to
reconnect the things and places Mrs. Farrow loved with
her family, friends and the community. The auction was
successful on all fronts. It began with a preview Friday,
and the formal bidding started at 10 a.m. Saturday, lasting
until 1 a.m. We want to thank everyone who helped make
the auction a success. Thousands of volunteer hours went
into cleaning, organizing and moving items; as a result,
we were able to honor Mrs. Farrow’s intent and to treat
her possessions with integrity. A special thank you to
Margaret Blackmer, the Land Trust Board and many other
supporters.
I n M e mo r i a m
Longtime LOLT supporter and Board Member Ben Chapman passed away
in the summer of 2011 at the age of 70. Ben grew up with a love of the
outdoors and found his way to Charleston where he initially worked as a
forester and later developed an interest and career in horticulture.
Ben was a founding board member and second president of the
Lowcountry Open Land Trust. He gave generously of his time and
considerable talents in the cause of land conservation in South Carolina,
also serving as a board member of the South Carolina Chapter of The
Nature Conservancy, and was instrumental in the conservation of the
Santee Coastal Preserve, the Caw Caw Interpretive Center and many other
Lowcountry properties. In retirement, he used his skills as a gardener and
steward in tending to the grounds of St. James Santee Brick Church and
the Chapel of Ease in McClellanville.
Benjamin Chapin Chapman
22
The Lowcountry Open Land Trust is grateful for the guidance and
leadership Ben gave in the early days of the organization.
Ways to Give
Did you realize that there are many ways to make a gift to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust?
•Gift of cash – Your charitable donation to LOLT can be paid by check or credit card or online
at our website www.lolt.org. Don’t forget that your employer may have a matching gift program
that can enhance your donation!
•Gift of securities – Talk to your broker about how to make a gift of securities. In many cases
there are tax advantages when you make a gift of appreciated securities.
•Gift of property – Please call our Development office for information on how to make a gift of
personal property or real estate which can provide tax benefits for you.
•Planned or deferred gifts – Your estate planning attorney can help you determine what type of
gift fits best as part of your estate plans. Such gifts can help the Land Trust while also benefitting
you and your heirs.
Planned Giving
Making Your Own Legacy Gift
Most of us are not in a position to leave a gift of the scope of Mrs. Farrow’s Ashem Farm. But
almost all of us can in some way leave a lasting gift as part of our estate, and in many cases such
a gift can benefit not only the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, but you and your family as well.
As a Lowcountry Open Land Trust member, your generosity during your lifetime has enabled
LOLT to protect nearly 90,000 acres in the South Carolina Lowcountry and to become one of
the leading land trusts in the country. You may be a LOLT easement donor who has made the
commitment to entrust your land to our stewardship in perpetuity, or you may be a member who
contributes simply because you treasure the rural lands and waterways of South Carolina’s coast.
In any case, we hope that you will consider naming the Land Trust in a bequest or trust and
helping us ensure that the unique landscape and places in the Lowcountry will be there for others
to enjoy in the future. Your advisor can help you select an option that will allow you to provide
for your family and for your own long-term care while making a generous gift to LOLT’s future,
whether through an outright bequest, a life-income gift, or by naming the Land Trust as the
beneficiary of your retirement account or a life insurance plan.
For those of you who have already named the Lowcountry Open Land Trust in your will or
estate plans, we would love to hear from you! Help us add your personal story to the story of
Emily Ravenel Farrow and her extraordinary gift to the Land Trust and the Lowcountry.
Please remember the Lowcountry Open Land Trust in your will and trust.
Editor: Sarah Moïse Young
art director: Lee Helmer
23
80 Alexander Street, Charleston, SC 29403 Tel 843.577.6510 Fax 843.577.0501 www .lolt.org
LOWCOUNTRY OPEN
L AND TRUST
photo by J o h n M o ore
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Pa id
Charleston, SC
Permit No. 557