Lowcountry Land Trust, a nonprofit committed to preserving Lowcountry landscapes and waterways for current and future generations, is proud to announce the recent permanent protection of 66 acres on Johns Island. This project marks a crucial step toward restoring the community’s historic access to the water while preserving the area's natural beauty and ecological health.
The property will eventually become a county park managed for public use by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC). The project will provide water access and historical and cultural interpretation. It will also protect the surrounding forests and fields and preserve water quality.
In 2018, the Johns Island Community Conservation Initiative, funded by the Donnelley Foundation, identified a growing concern among island residents: decades of development had drastically reduced community access to waterways. Responding directly to this need, Lowcountry Land Trust secured this waterfront property and worked with CCPRC to transfer ownership while protecting the property forever with a conservation easement. The project was made possible through generous grants, a land donation, and other funding support from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, Charleston County Greenbelt Program, the Ceres Foundation, the Lowcountry Land Protection Capacity Fund, Gary McLaurin, and an anonymous supporter.
“We’re happy to welcome this property into the CCPRC family of parks and facilities,” said Phil Macchia, associate executive director of CCPRC. “This beautiful property offers the unique opportunity to enjoy water access, explore nature, and connect with Johns Island's history. We look forward to working closely with our community to help shape the future of this park and the amenities it will offer.”
“This acquisition reflects our commitment to listen and respond to community voices,” said Natalie Olson, Sea Islands program director at Lowcountry Land Trust. “We hope this project inspires the community to join us in protecting Johns Island’s rural heritage and natural resources. With this project, the Angel Oak Preserve, and the recent acquisitions of Main Road Park and Grayson Oaks, we are building a vibrant network of conserved lands that honor the island’s unique character and enhance residents’ connection to nature."
Funding from the Ceres Foundation was provided in honor of the late forester Sam Carlton, a Johns Island resident, former Lowcountry Land Trust Board member, and trusted advisor to many conservation easement donors and other landowners. Sam's humane spirit and dedication to the conservation and sound management of Lowcountry land will be memorialized at the future county park.
This conservation effort is part of a system of protected lands along an emerging paddling “blue trail” linking key existing and future paddling access sites such as the Sea Island Small Farmers Cooperative (a future county park), Holly Grove (a land expansion of Caw Caw Interpretive Center), and other locations along the Stono River and Rantowles Creek. Together, these properties form a network of preserved natural spaces that support recreation, water quality, and wildlife habitat.
“This effort represents exactly what the Conservation Bank was created to do by helping fund projects that protect a community’s ecological and historic features while expanding public access to the waterways by way of a new County Park,” said Raleigh West, director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank. “This is an investment in community resilience and the future of Johns Island.”
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