Saving aSea ISlandTreaSure

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— Journal of the —Lowcountry Open Land Trust

W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

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Elizabeth M. HagoodExecutive Director

A message from“To have a place, to live and belong in a place, to

live from a place without destroying it, we must

imagine it. By imagination we see it illuminated

by its own unique character and by our love for it.”

— Wendell Berry, author and farmer

For many modern Americans, Wendell Berry’s words evoke

a distant recollection; a long ago, nearly irretrievable past.

Many find it difficult to imagine such a place, much less to love

such a place and confer upon it character and value. At every

push of a button, modern life suppresses such sentiment. At

every push of a button, the possibility of stepping down on

such a place becomes more remote.

As hundreds of sea islanders and Charlestonians gathered

around Angel Oak on Sunday, November 3rd, we were struck

by our community’s good fortune “to have a place, to live

and belong in a place,” as Wendell Berry so poignantly states.

The prayers and songs of Reverend Capers, Father Snyder

and Queen Quet floated up and out among the ponderous

branches of the mighty oak, reminding us of our connections

to generations past, present and future – connections rooted

in the hallowed ground beneath our feet.

Places like Angel Oak and the surrounding farmlands and

creeks are not unique to John’s Island. The Emancipation

Oak and fertile fields of Saint Helena Island comprise such a

place, as does Point of Pines on Edisto, Middleton Oak along

the banks of the Ashley, the giant cypress of Four Hole Swamp,

the historic rice fields of the Santee Delta and Winyah Bay, and

the longleaf pinelands of Sandy Island. The inventory of Low-

country landmarks—to which all of us can feel attached—is

blessedly vast.

Furthermore, our attachment to the land and water is not

just an abstract concept. It is real – as real to the Lowcountry

farmer plowing his field as it is to the family buying his pro-

duce from the local grocer; as real to the fisherman unloading

his catch at the dock as it is to friends celebrating the holidays

with an oyster roast, and as real to the forester planting his

seedlings as it is to the workers in the saw mill. Indeed, the

healthy lands and waters of our region sustain us in myriad ways,

seen and unseen. Without them, we would be a much different

people.

Today, we as a community face the formidable challenge set forth

in the second portion of Wendell Berry’s statement, “ . . . to live

from a place without destroying it.” Here in the Lowcountry we are

fortunate to still be grounded, and able to experience and know

firsthand our distinctive landscape. As Berry implies, however, this

is not enough.

In order to keep from destroying this beloved place, we must bring

to light its meaning in our lives – both physically and spiritually –

and recognize how our well-being is utterly dependent upon it.

Last year, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust embarked on just such a

thought-provoking exercise when it called upon the community to

explore and articulate its relationship to the Lowcountry’s abundant

natural resources and beauty; to envision a future where growth

and conservation are in harmony.

This year’s successful campaign to save Angel Oak – which you will

read about in this newsletter – is a perfect expression of the kind

of imagining that Berry exhorts us to engage in, where we begin to

see and understand a place “illuminated by its own unique charac-

ter and by our love for it.”

J. Rutledge Young Jr.President, Board of Trustees

Our mission is to honor the relationship between people and land by protecting irreplaceable Lowcountry lands.

t h e P r e s i d e n t a n d e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

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Saving a Sea Island Treasure

angel oak is one of the

largest living live oaks,

with a girth of 25 feet,

a height of 65 feet, and

a canoPy that stretches

more than 1,889 square

yards. its longest limb

measures almost 90 feet.

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This spring and summer, thousands of sea islanders and

Charlestonians, along with friends from around the world,

came together to safeguard a sacred tree. Black and white,

young and old, urban and rural, churched and unchurched,

citizens dropped coins in jars at local John’s Island businesses,

added a donation at the Piggly Wiggly check-out, and sent

checks ranging from three dollars to ten thousand.

With the added support of public land bank grants, gener-

ous foundation gifts, and significant corporate and nonprofit

contributions, the Angel Oak Campaign raised a grand total of

more than $4 million. The impressive sum is enough to cover

the $3.6 million asking price for the 17-acre tract known as

Phase II. It also provides additional money for planning and

design of the Angel Oak Preserve and associated educational

programming, as well as possible expansion of the preserve,

given the opportunity.

“The community has come together and accomplished an

amazing achievement in a very short time,” says Land Trust

Director Elizabeth Hagood. “I believe it stems from the power

of the Angel Oak to inspire and unify us.”

a grand legacy for a Grand TreecamPaign timeline

■ march 30: Land Trust secures initial 90 day option period to pur-chase Phase II tract with ability to extend for an additional 90 days

■ June 30: Close of first 90 day option period – beginning of second 90 day option period (aka extension)

■ July 8: Land Trust submits application to Charleston Greenbelt Bank Board

■ July 11: Charleston Country Greenbelt Bank Board Meeting ap-proves $2.4 million grant

■ July 11: Presentation to Charleston County Council- Finance Committee which approves the grant

■ July 16: Charleston County Council Meeting and final vote ap-proves the grant

■ July 17: land trust launches community fundraising campaign■ July 31: Land Trust submits application to South Carolina Conser-

vation Bank■ september 30: Close of second 90 day option period■ october 1: Beginning of “special” extension period to allow

South Carolina Conservation Bank Board to participate in the fundraising campaign

■ november 1: Angel Oak Campaign reaches 10,000 donors■ november 6: South Carolina Conservation Bank approves

$890,000 grant■ november 16: Close of special extension period■ december 19: Scheduled closing of Angel Oak Preserve

Instead of chaInsaws and backhoes, rooftops and park-ing lots, the future for Angel Oak will be serene and green. Thanks to some 10,000 individual donors from all corners of the United States and the world, more than twenty local businesses, several large gifts from Charleston institutions and nonprofits, and significant grants from the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank and South Carolina Conservation Bank, a natural preserve will for-ever surround John’s Island’s Angel Oak. The threat of hundreds of apartments and thousands more cars is no more.

With critical support from the “angels” mentioned above (and on the previous page), the Lowcoun-try Open Land Trust successfully raised more than $4 million, over and above the $3.6 million needed to complete the purchase of 17 acres adjacent to Angel Oak, known as Phase II. The additional monies provide funds for planning, design and associated educational pro-gramming for the preserve, and also open up opportunities for expan-sion.

Situated near the busy in-tersection of Maybank Highway, Bohicket and Main roads, the mag-nificent oak has faced an uncertain future over the last 50 years. The campaign to permanently safeguard the storied tree demonstrates a community’s capacity to enhance its environment rather than diminish it. The new preserve – to be owned by the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and co-managed by the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission – will provide a vital buffer for the small city park that currently encompasses the landmark tree, helping to nurture and support its expansive root system and canopy, and preserve the rural context that the tree so powerfully represents.

Citizens Rally to Protect Angel Oak

Angel Oak Preserve will also include a new forest park for outdoor classrooms, serving nearby Haut Gap and other island schools. The preserve will further enrich this well-known cross-roads by providing a new community gathering place to celebrate and interpret sea island culture. In addition, the preserve will pro-

tect valuable freshwater wetlands that connect to Bohicket Creek, whose waters still yield plentiful fish and shellfish for the community.

rooted in historyIt took just four months for the Low-country Open Land Trust and its conservation and community partners to raise the money to establish Angel Oak Preserve. How that acreage came to be for sale is a story that begins much earlier, reaching back several years, and rooted in the centuries-old story of the mighty tree and its sur-rounding farmlands and forest.

Claimed by English brothers Jacob and Abraham Waight in the early 1700s, the land on which Angel Oak stands was part of a John’s Island

plantation known as The Point. One hundred years later, it was renamed Angel Plantation when Abraham Waight’s great-great granddaughter, Martha Waight – wife of Justus Angel – inherited the property in 1810.

Angel Oak would remain in the Angel family until 1959, when the tree and its surrounding acreage were sold to Mutual Land and Development Corpora-tion. That same year, Mutual Land and Development and the Agricultural Society of South Carolina entered into an agreement whereby the Agricultural Society would lease the Angel Oak lot for one dollar per year, entrusted with the stewardship and care of the ancient tree.

In 1964, Angel Oak was acquired by real estate developer St. Elmo “Speedy” Felkel, who allowed the Magnolia Garden Club to

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maintain the grounds around the oak. In 1966, the garden club registered Angel Oak in the Live Oak Society, a national preserva-tion group that has registered more than 7,200 grand live oaks from all over the South.

weathering the stormIn 1988, Mayor Joe Riley announced in an in-augural address his desire to establish a city park showcasing Angel Oak. Speedy Felkel still owned the property and had erected a solid wooden fence, tall enough that passersby could not view the tree unless they paid a $1 admission fee. The mayor threatened condemnation by eminent domain. Many sea islanders were wary of the city and supported Felkel’s defense of his private property rights. Controversy ensued with local and national media fanning the flames.

Eventually, Felkel fell into arrears with prop-erty taxes on Angel Oak and in 1991, the IRS auctioned off the tree and two acres. The City of Charleston submitted a high bid of $127,900 and formally opened Angel Oak Park on September 23rd of the same year. Today, the small park with the grand tree receives some 36,000 visitors an-nually from around the world.

As time went by, however, it became apparent that more acreage was needed to buffer the tree from expanding development in the area. In 2002, a referendum to fund a Charleston County Greenbelt Bank was put to the vot-ers and Mayor Riley cited Angel Oak as a prime example of how Greenbelt monies could be used to expand and enhance public parklands.

Meanwhile, the nonprofit Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Center, which also sits at the intersection of Maybank High-

way, Bohicket and Main roads, had come into ownership of the lands adjacent to Angel Oak. In 2005, faced with bankruptcy, the center sold their 42 acres to Angel Oak Village, LLC for $3.5 mil-lion. Angel Oak Village submitted plans for an extremely dense resi-dential and commercial development, featuring a big box retail store and several hundred residential units. The proposal approximated

the density of downtown Charleston, fifteen times more crowded than what zoning allowed in the densest areas of John’s Island.

a new day dawnsWhen her friend introduced her to Angel Oak in May of 2008, Samantha Siegel had only recently arrived in the Lowcountry, living on John’s Island and working as a waitress. “I’m a nature girl and a birdwatcher and my friend knew I would love Angel Oak,” she recalls. “From that day on, I became obsessed with this beautiful tree and started visiting nearly every day on my way to work. Then I began search-ing the libraries and archives for everything I could find about its history.”

She and her friend Lorna found sanctuary and peace under Angel Oak and believed it was owed the same kind of respect one would pay to an elder in the community. When she heard

that the land around the tree had been approved for development, she was compelled to act. She began a petition drive against the project, which garnered more than 12,000 signatures. Then she and her friend Lorna Hattler co-founded a nonprofit called Save the Angel Oak, calling on city leaders and environmental groups to take a stand. “I had never been an activist before, but I’ve al-ways been independent minded. Angel Oak gave me a purpose.”

In 2009, Samantha teamed up with the Coastal Conservation

(l-r) Richard “Shorty” Legare, Lorna Hattler, Pastor Bob Capers, Queen Quet, Elizabeth Hagood, Elizabeth Brown and Samantha Siegel

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League and called on a forest ecologist and a wetlands expert to examine the development proposal in relation to the site. The scientists submitted their findings to the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps determined that the wet-lands proposed for filling were jurisdictional, reversing an earlier decision and mandating that the agency require the developer to apply for a permit to fill the wetlands. In 2011, the Office of Coastal Resource Management approved the permit. In response, Save the Angel Oak and the Conservation League en-listed the S.C. Environmental Law Project to file an appeal.

During the course of the appeal, the developer declared bankruptcy and the lender, the Coastal Federal Credit Union of North Carolina, took control of the land. Meanwhile, the City of Charleston was awarded greenbelt funds to buy a six-acre conservation zone proposed by the developer, leaving the remain-ing 36 acres up for grabs. The development had been divided into two parcels, Phase I and Phase II, and it was at this point that the Conservation League en-tered into discussions with the Credit Union about a possible purchase of Phase II for green space.

The ConservationLeague and the Credit Union agreed on a settlement in 2013 and the Lowcountry Open Land Trust stepped in to play a crucial role. The settlement stipulated that the bank would grant an option to the Land Trust to purchase the second phase of the development at appraised value. In exchange for the option, the Conservation League would drop its permit appeal.

On signing the option, the Land Trust went to work on an application to the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank Board to secure partial funding for acquisition of the 17-acre Phase II tract. The proposal was unanimously ap-proved on July 16th, with the Greenbelt Bank allocating $2.4 million toward the purchase. Immediately, the Land Trust launched a community-wide cam-paign to raise the remaining funds. The response was phenomenal and within four months, enough money was donated to cover the purchase of Phase II and design of Angel Oak Preserve. The future of the venerable oak was secure.

businessesA Sound Mind

Aerial Tree WorksAngel Oak Animal Hospital

Angel Oak Eye Center Argentinian Wines, LLC

Bedford Falls LLCBFH ConsultingBlackbaud Inc.

C.T. Lowndes & CompanyCoastal Federal Credit Union

DBA Goodrich and Assoc.Evans Rivers and Co., LLC

Harvest Health & Rehab of John’s IslandHines Wealth Management, LLC

Indigo BooksIts a Stitch

JB’s SmokeshackJohns Island CVSKiawah Partners

Maria’s Mexican GrillNorvell Real Estate Group, LLC

Paula Hampton Insurance AgencyPebco, LLC

Piggly Wiggly StoresRed’s Ice HouseRosebank Farms

Salmons Dredging CorporationSunrise Bistro

The Beach CompanyThe Boeing Company

The Fat HenWild Olive

community PartnersBelle Isle Garden Club

Charleston County Greenbelt Bank Charlestowne Neighborhood Association

Coastal Conservation LeagueHistoric Charleston Foundation

Isle of Palms Garden ClubJames Island Charter High School

John’s Island ConservancyJohn’s Island Council

John’s Island Rural Transportation AllianceKiawah Island Community Association

Kiawah Island Naturalists GroupLowcountry Open Land Trust

Magnolia Garden ClubMelrose Garden Club

Nix 526Rotary Club of St. John’s Parish

Save the Angel OakS.C. Conservation Bank

S.C. Conservation Credit ExchangeS.C. Ports Authority

Seabrook Island Garden ClubSeabrook Natural History GroupSierra Club – Robert Lunz GroupSouth Windermere Garden Club

Wadmalaw Island Revolving FundWando Woods Garden Club

Wheatland Title Guaranty Co.

foundationsCollege of Charleston Foundation

Elizabeth C. Bonner FoundationGE Foundation (MG for Maurice Isaac)

Mills Bee Lane FoundationPiggly Wiggly Community Pride Fund of CCF

Speedwell FoundationTides Foundation

municiPalitiesCity of Charleston

Town of James IslandTown of Rockville

Town of Seabrook Island

(l-r) PRC Director Tom O’Rourke, Land Trust Director Elizabeth Hagood, Charleston County Council Chairman Elliott Summey, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and Land Trust President Rutledge Young

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Community Unites Around Angel Oak

“This is a story about protecting

important land. But it’s also how

we work together as a community

to create and preserve what matters

for future generations. Preserving

the Angel Oak protects the way of

life that defines the Lowcountry…

“We have the incredible opportunity

to preserve one of God’s most

majestic creations for future

generations to enjoy. The Angel

Oak is a source of spiritual

nourishment and connects us to our

cultural heritage and one another.”

Stories that Connect Us“Segregation was at its height, but the Angel Oak was not segregated. In the springtime to have some kind of recreation for the children, we could take a lunch and go to the Angel Oak tree. I did this from 1916 until 1929. We could go in and have our picnics and spend the day…That tree is sacred because of the stories black people have heard from their early days.” ❱ Septima Clark

“I used to have a terrible temper and my grandmother used to tell me if you don’t lose that temper, you going to be like the pine tree when the wind and rain come and it just snaps and breaks off. But if you can lose that temper, you can be like the Angel Oak. When the wind and rain come, it just moves and sways; and when the storm passes, it becomes majestic again.” ❱ Bill Saunders

“My grandmother used to live right across from the Angel Oak, so we would climb the tree and play around it. We also would pray under the tree. It’s real powerful to know that it’s still here.” ❱ Richard “Shorty” Legare

❱ Pastor Bob Capers of Salem and Bethel Presbyterian Churches and Father Greg Snyder of St. John’s Parish at the November 3rd Fellowship Dinner held at Angel Oak.

Angel Oak at the Farmers Market

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Support From Around the Lowcountry, Nation and World“The Angel Oak is the iconic symbol of John’s Island, and indeed emblematic of the whole county and Lowcountry. ” ❱ Colin Klusky, John’s Island Conservancy

“When you walk around the Angel Oak, you realize how small you are in this world. The tree wraps its branches around you and you immediately sense its breadth and depth as beyond your reach. The Lowcountry Open Land Trust is creating more than a park; it is creating a preserve. The campaign to save Angel Oak shows us how a community can shape its landscape.” ❱ Queen Quet of the Gullah Geechie Nation:

❱ From Philadelphia: “I was in my Yahoo account this morning and saw this beautiful oak tree. I felt compelled to make a dona-tion to help save it. Something this amazing cannot be destroyed! I am glad there are still people in the world today who care.”❱ From Australia:

“Love the Carolinas and though I have never seen or sat under this tree, I would like to make a donation to help save it. How can I do so?”

Community Unites Around Angel Oak

“Fairies live here. I just know it.”

The Next Generation

“Dee Schenk Rhodes created a sketch of the Angel Oak for the November 3rd Fellowship Dinner and six different local schools –

Angel Oak, Charles-ton Collegiate, Frierson, Haut Gap, Mt. Zion, and St. John’s – painted on Rhodes’ sketch to make it their own creative interpreta-tion of the majestic

tree. We were thrilled to take part in this special campaign.” ❱ Charleston Artist Collective

“My parents live on John’s Island and I grew up there, so Angel Oak means a lot to our fam-ily. Every month or two, our children set up a lemonade stand for char-ity and when they heard about the campaign to save Angel Oak they made a poster with pictures and articles about the tree and held three consecutive stands that raised more than $500. Our son, Walter, would tell the story of Angel Oak to pass-ing tourists and one person donated a $100-dollar-bill! ” ❱ Bo Blessing, John’s Island native

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2013 easement roundup

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2013 has been a banner year for the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, with 3,473 acres protected so far and ten more conserva-tion easements expected to close before December 31st, lifting the Land Trust over the 100,000-acre mark by year’s end. We assisted landowners with easements on key river corridors including the Savannah, the Ashepoo, East Branch of the Cooper, and the San-tee, and in priority geographic areas including Four Holes Swamp, the East Branch of the Cooper River and the sea islands. Nine new easements protect working private forestlands and buffer a national forest and a state hunting reserve, in addition to preserv-ing historic sites and landscapes, and scenic road and river views. Moreover, we take great pride in the fact that five of this year’s easements were given by repeat donors.

❱ Down in the Savannah River Preserve of the South Lowcountry Focus Area, Carole and A.J. Johns of Hampton County signed two easements on 1,650 acres of farm and forest lands. Both easements were bargain sales and were supported with funding from the S.C. Conservation Bank. These easements afford spe-cial protection to the many grand cypress and live oaks on the properties, and create a 300-foot buffer along the historic Old Orangeburg Road, providing scenic view corridors for passersby. By strictly limiting impervious surface and ensuring that their land will remain viable for agriculture and forestry, the Johns are providing valuable public benefits, including water quality protec-tion and support of the local economy.

While contributing significant conservation value on their own, these properties are also surrounded by large undeveloped

tracts that link them to 50,000 contiguous acres of privately pro-tected and publicly owned lands.Over the last decade, the Sinkler family has worked to conserve their family lands at Rosebank Plantation on Wadmalaw Island. Their most recent contribution has been on 150 acres of marsh-front and waterfront property along Bohicket Creek called Rose-bank Estates. While it remains a large rural tract situated within a relatively undeveloped portion of Wadmalaw, the increasing demand for waterfront homesites has brought development pres-sures to bear on an area traditionally dominated by natural and cultivated land.

This year, the family donated easements on the remaining four lots, which range from 22 to 28 acres, thus completing pro-tection of all eight lots of Rosebank Estates. The easement restric-tions on impervious surface and subdivision, along with buffers along the road and waterfront, provide immeasurable public ben-efits including a preserved wildlife corridor and habitat connectiv-ity, water quality protection and Lowcountry scenic views. The eight conservation easements that the Sinklers have donated over the last ten years represent a significant enhancement to the rural character and integrity of Wadmalaw Island.

❱ When Frank Burke signed a conservation easement on 482 acres of Ravenwood Plantation this year, he was building on an inven-tory of lands – 2,142 acres to be exact – that he had already pro-tected with easements in 2001, 2008 and 2009. He and his wife, Nina, are exemplary stewards of the land that they have worked tirelessly over the years to assemble and protect with easements. At

Land Trust Expects to Reach 100,000 Acres of Conserved Land by Year’s End

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the neighborhood scale, the Burkes’ commitment to conservation is complementary to the efforts of nearby landowners. The Land Trust holds easements on 467 acres adjacent to Ravenwood Planta-tion upstream on Chessey Creek, as well as another 1,246 acres in close proximity along Horseshoe Creek. These creeks lead to the Ashepoo River and ultimately to Saint Helena Sound, recognized as one of the most pristine estuaries on the Eastern Seaboard.

This latest portion of Ravenwood Plantation is composed primarily of planted loblolly pine stands with some small areas of mixed upland forest and forested wetland. In addition, there is approximately one mile of public road frontage along Maybank Lane, which is very close to Prices Bridge Boat Landing. The scenic view along the roadway to the landing is now permanently protected and will contribute to the natural and rural setting of the ACE Basin forever.

❱ Introduced to the Land Trust by Frank Burke, Susan and Allen Bell donated an easement on their 712-acre Deux Cheneaux Plantation, a hunting retreat in the ACE Basin. The property contains a 50-acre historic rice field preserve, which enjoys special protection in the easement, as do the beautiful live oak, cypress and magnolia trees on the property. Significant buffers protect Deux Cheneaux’s border with Ritter Road and Green Pond High-way. Like the Burkes, the Bells are dedicated stewards of their land and are significantly augmenting the scenic view corridors of the Ashepoo river environs of the ACE Basin.

❱ Next door to the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, at the

headwaters of the Chehaw River, lies hallowed ground for Low-country sportsmen. William Elliott’s Temple of Sport remains much the same as when the rice planter, politician and author wrote about his plantation in the 1846 hunting classic Carolina Sports by Land and Water. Martha Lynn and Charles Webb continue to carry on Elliott’s stewardship of the “Temple” in their most recent donation of a conservation easement on 51 acres of the sacred hunting grounds. This year’s easement builds on previ-ous easements they gave in 2000 and 2007, on 408 acres and 70 acres respectively. The property contains an abundance of wildlife and a number of diverse habitats, including bottomland hard-wood swamp, mixed pine and hardwood forest, inland rice field impoundments, and a large “green pond,” from which the nearby community of Green Pond may have taken its name.

❱ Last, but not least, a bargain sale purchase of an easement by the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank has enabled the Land Trust to permanently protect 480 acres of prime timberland and one mile of frontage along scenic U.S. Highway 17 between McClel-lanville and the Santee River Delta. The property lies adjacent to both the Francis Marion National Forest and the Santee Coastal Reserve and contains substantial acreage of native longleaf pine habitat, one of the most endangered ecosytems in North America. The easement prohibits all subdivision and preserves the property’s value as a working forest. In addition, the easement allows for ag-ricultural production, recreational use and limited rural residential use, while preserving valuable public benefits.

as part of Its 2013-2015 strategIc plan and with support

from corporate grants including the BP Foundation and Toyota,

the Lowcountry Open Land Trust is committed to offering regu-

lar education and outreach workshops for landowners and their

advisors on a variety of conservation and stewardship topics, rang-

ing from the benefits of conservation easements to managing bot-

tomland hardwoods for priority bird species. 2013, in particular,

was timely for workshops that focused on enhanced tax incentives

available to private landowners for the contribution of conserva-

tion easements. These tax incentives will expire on December 31.

What better way to spread the word about conservation and

stewardship than to be invited by your neighbors for a delicious

meal and engaging conversation? On April 25th, Land Trust ease-

ment donor Edsel Taylor of Ridgeville, S.C. invited neighboring

landowners to his Indigo Oaks property in the Four Holes Swamp

area to learn about conservation easements and tax incentives, as

well as conservation funding from the S.C. Conservation Bank

and Dorchester County Conservation Commission.

Edsel and fellow easement donor Joe Branton offered personal

stories of their land and why they chose to protect it with conser-

vation easements. Four Holes Swamp, the headwaters of the Ed-

isto River, is a priority conservation area for the Land Trust. The

jewel in its crown is the Francis Beidler Forest, a 16,000-acre wild-

life sanctuary owned and managed by the National Audubon So-

ciety. The Land Trust and the Audubon Society have partnered

on numerous projects to protect the irreplaceable natural resources

of Four Holes and Beidler Forest. Private easements, such as those

given by Edsel and Joe, greatly enhance the protection of this im-

portant watershed.

This summer, Land Trust easement donors Frank and Nina

Burke and Roy Richards co-hosted a gathering on June 5th for

landowners in the Ashepoo River corridor of the ACE Basin.

Participants gathered at the Burke’s property known as Raven-

wood Plantation. The Ashepoo is one of three principal rivers

in the ACE Basin watershed and an area of high conservation

significance and focus for the Land Trust. Nina Burke offered

groundwork

Sign Up for Next Outreach Workshop

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fascinating insights and stories about Colleton County planta-

tions. Tree farmers, land managers and property owners came

together to learn about the public benefit of open spaces and how

easements can be a tool for protection of traditional uses such as

forestry, farming and recreation.

On November 2nd, Mollie and Henry Fair hosted a land-

owner workshop at their Combahee River property known as Rose

Hill Plantation. This workshop, supported by a grant from Toyo-

ta’s Together Green program, focused on management of bottom-

land hardwood forest for priority bird species, such as the protho-

notary warbler. Staff from the Land Trust and from the National

Audubon Society in South Carolina and North Carolina gave

presentations regarding the benefits of managing forested wetlands

for these special winged creatures, which are indicator species for

healthy forest habitat. Landowners from all over the Lowcountry

attended. Plans are in the works for a spring 2014 workshop on

managing for priority bird species, so stay tuned!

Brandon Heitkamp of Audubon SC engages with a landowner.

P h o t o s b y s h a r o n r i c h a r d s o n

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Soul of the Lowcountry

Land Trust Alliance Board Visits Charleston

happenings

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P h o t o s b y t h o M a s c . M o o r E r , J r .

Angel Oak Fellowship

Dinner

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Barn DinnerOn October 30th, nearly 100 major donors joined hosts Gigi

and Mike McShane at Ravens Point to kick off the Lowcountry Open Land Trust’s inaugural Barn Dinner. This rustic annual event will rotate around the Lowcountry to highlight various barns and special properties protected by the Land Trust.

New and familiar faces, including both Land Trust and Angel Oak supporters, gathered on a beautiful fall evening under the moss draped oaks of Ravens Point, a permanently protected prop-erty on John’s Island. The sunset over the headwaters of Church Creek provided the perfect setting for a delicious outdoor buffet.

Giving BackMike McShane gave a brief history of Ravens Point and dis-

cussed the importance of supporting the Land Trust’s work, espe-cially on the rural sea islands.

To highlight the Angel Oak Preserve, special Old Fashioned cocktails were served, mixed with Angel Envy Bourbon. Food for the Southern Soul provided supper.

The evening highlighted the importance of private land con-servation and our donors’ commitment to the work of the Land Trust. The support of our donors is the foundation of everything we do. We thank you!

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(l-r ) Kathy Bauhs, Scott and Adelaide Wallinger, Robert Strange and David Bahus

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a Lasting impactDid you know that under current tax law, it may be advanta-

geous to consider leaving an IRA or part of a retirement plan to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust? Although it is an effective way to save for retirement, these accounts are heavily taxed. Unlike appreciated securities or real estate, IRAs and pension funds carry income tax that must be paid by the person inheriting the asset, thereby further reducing the inheritance of your loved ones.

As a nonprofit, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust pays nei-ther income nor estate taxes. Therefore, designating or transferring a portion of your IRA to the Land Trust maximizes the impact of your assets. To include the Lowcountry Open Land Trust as a beneficiary of your accounts, you need only complete a beneficiary designation form, available from your account manager.

You can make an immediate and permanent impact on the natural and irreplaceable landscapes of the Lowcountry by making a direct distribution from your IRA account this year. This can be a way to create a lasting impact for Lowcountry land protection while also reducing the taxable burden of these assets. You must be 70½ or older to take advantage of this opportunity and up to $100,000 can be donated in a calendar year.

This opportunity is set to expire on December 31st, 2013. Please contact Adrian Cain, Director of Development at 843-410-0669 or by email acain@lolt.org; or consult with your financial advisor.

art conservator Donates portrait restoration in memory of Jane Lareau, 1951 – 2013

Art Conservator Catherine Rogers, who maintains her studio at the Confederate Home in Charleston, has donated her restora-tion of a portrait of Emily Farrow in memory of Jane Lareau. The portrait, which the Lowcountry Open Land Trust received as part of Mrs. Farrow’s bequest in 2011, was painted by noted Charleston artist William Halsey.

“I wanted to do something to honor Jane, who was such a devoted conservation-ist and member of the Land Trust,” Catherine says. “Her legacy of dedication and passion for the environment continues to be a model for all of us. Jane was also a lover of beauty, both natural and manmade, so it is ap-propriate to honor her through the artwork of William Halsey and the memory of another great conservationist, Emily Farrow.”

A native of Sumter, South Carolina, Jane Lareau helped Dana Beach found the Coastal Conservation League in 1989. She worked on many successful conservation campaigns, includ-ing the designation of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge as Outstanding Resource Waters, the restoration of longleaf pine on the Francis Marion National Forest, and blocking the factory hog farm industry from entering South Carolina. She was also an avid birder and an enthusiastic mentor to many young Lowcountry conservationists. Her legacy lives on.

rememBering Henry “Heno” Hutson, 1927 – 2013Henry “Heno” Hutson was a loyal, long-time supporter of the

Lowcountry Open Land Trust and with his wife, Harriet, was a fixture at Land Trust events. As the father of former Land Trust executive director Mary Pope Hutson, he was extremely proud of the organization and its accomplishments. Born and bred in the Lowcountry, it was Charleston’s great good fortune that this native son chose to return in 1987 to become Headmaster of East Cooper School. Prior to that, Heno spent a long and distinguished career serving Sewanee Academy and later Christ School as teacher, coach, administrator and headmaster.

Heno taught and mentored countless young people and served on numerous educational boards, including as a trustee of the University of the South and as secretary to the board of the College of Charleston. He also worked long hours to bring the historic replica of the Best Friend locomotive back to Charleston. A serious student of history and deeply loyal to friends old and new, Heno navigated the world with wisdom and good humor, always ready to lend a word of support and encouragement. He will be missed.

Emily Farrow portrait by William Halsey

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(l-r) Barbara Neale, Bailey Bolen, Carol Ervin and Margaret Blackmer

our thanks to mike mcshaneWhenever there’s a big job to be done, you can count on Mike McShane to do it and do it well. As a former President of the

Land Trust and Chair of the Land Trust’s highly successful Angel Oak Campaign, Mike has served time and time again with the utmost commit-ment and engagement. Now he has been tapped to help in yet another capacity on behalf of conservation, as a member of the S.C. Conservation Bank Board.

When Mike was interviewed for this newsletter ten years ago as Land Trust President, he had just been appointed

Chairman of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources by Gov-ernor Mark Sanford. He was asked at the time how he viewed his many roles in the community – as a conservationist, a business-man, a committed church member, a husband and a father. He said, “I view each as a privilege, and as an opportunity to serve.”

We are fortunate to have been the beneficiary of Mike’s boundless service. As he retires from the Land Trust board, we extend our heartfelt thanks and look forward to working with him in his new position on the board of the S.C. Conservation Bank.

best wishes to nancy dewittSince 1999, Nancy DeWitt was usually the first voice on the phone and the first face at the door enthusiastically greeting

members and visitors to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. Of course, she wore many hats over the years as Finance and Administrative Coordinator, overseeing the general functioning of the office and maintaining all financial records, in ad-dition to working closely with the Land Trust Treasurer and helping with nearly every Land Trust event.

Lucky for us, this Mary Washington graduate and licensed realtor contributed boundless energy and common sense

toward the everyday workings of the Land Trust, keeping the or-ganization on track and moving forward. Nancy is now on to an-other challenging and busy life, as she and husband Phil relocate to Orlando, Florida to be closer to children and grandchildren. We will miss you, Nancy!

welcome new staffShanon Stroer joins the Land Trust as the new Executive Ad-ministrator and Board Liaison, filling the shoes of retiring staff member Nancy DeWitt, while adding a component of stewardship and outreach to her new position. A native of the Upstate, Shanon comes to the Land Trust with more than 15 years of experience in archival and museum management, history education and outreach, special events planning, and youth philanthropy. Her lifelong pas-sion for both history and the natural environment led her to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, where she will serve as Liaison to the Board of Trustees; work with the Conservation and Education/Outreach staff to develop and maintain an archival database for conservation and stewardship documentation and out-reach; research and record the history of Land Trust easement properties, and perform office management duties.

Shanon most recently served as Program Coordinator for T.R.R. Cobb House Museum in Athens, GA, where she built a successful education and outreach program from scratch, serving more than 800 area schoolchildren and college students per year. Shanon graduated with a BA in Political Science from the Univer-sity of Georgia, an MA in History with an emphasis on Southern Environmental History from Clemson University, and an MA in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Relocating to Charleston has been a dream come true for Shanon and her husband, Andy, and their two cats, Brutus and Gomez.

News From Wentworth Street

Mike McShane

Shannon Stroer

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Thank you to Wendell Powers for carving this sign out of cypress from our Wadmacon Creek Property.

Helen Rogers became a member of the Land Trust staff last September as Stewardship Coordinator, supporting Stewardship Manager, Garrett Budds, in monitoring and overseeing the Land Trust’s 283 (and growing!) protected properties. As part of the conservation team, Helen’s role includes coordinating the ease-

ment monitoring process, serving as a contact for landowner inquiries, record keeping and data management, occasion-al fieldwork and all other supplemental landowner correspondence.

Helen brings a background in land planning, historic preservation and landscape architecture to her cur-rent position. Prior to joining the Land Trust, she worked as a land planner for a private planning firm engaging with

municipalities, neighborhood residents and design professionals in neighborhood revitalization and stabilization projects. Her work emphasized the importance of building sustainable communities through environmental, social and economic resources.

Helen graduated from The College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Arts in Historic Preservation and Community Plan-ning and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from Clemson University. She and her husband, David, enjoy playing in the Low-country waters.

welcome to the world, soul babies!

Angel Oak T-Shirts for SaleCall the Land Trust at 843-577-6510 to order Angel

Oak T-Shirts. It is a wonderful way to commemorate the venerable oak and at the same time contribute to

the ongoing campaign for Angel Oak Preserve.

$25 if you plan to pick up a T-shirt directly from the Land Trust offices in Charleston

$30 if you would like us to mail a T-shirt to you

Harry Demosthenes Eliza Brown with her mother

Darby Budds

thank you, land trust summer interns

l-r) Robert Strange, John Bulkeley and Katherine Kelly

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43 WENT WOR TH STREE T, CHARLESTON, SC 29401 tEl 843.577.6510 Fax 843.577.0501 w w w .LOLT.ORG

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

Pa i dCharleston, SCPermit No. 557

staff

Elizabeth M. hagood Executive Directorashley d. demosthenes Director of Conservationbarbara g. holmes Attorneylisa w. shealy Conservation Planner

garrett J. budds Stewardship Managerhelen rogers Stewardship Coordinator lewis hay Conservation Field Representativeadrian b. cain Director of Developmentdana c. Moorer Development Associate

Ellie M. tiller Development AssistantElizabeth d. brown Director of Education and Outreachkaren h. rowe Controllershanon stroer Executive Administrator & Board Liaisonrobert strange Field Specialist

board of trustees J. rutledge young Jr. President

bradford s. Marshall Vice President

david Maybank iii Treasurer

g. trenholm walker Secretary

robert M. baldwin samuel c. carlton carol b. Ervin stephen F. gates batson l. hewitt Jr. thomas d. w. hutto ann g. kulze burnet r. Maybank iii Michael g. Mcshane Ford P. Menefee richard w. salmons Jr. J. conrad zimmerman