SOUTH CAROLINA: Conservation Groups Rally To Protect Historic Rice Plantation
MONCKS CORNER — Lowcountry conservation groups have protected 600 more acres of mature bottomland hardwood forests and historic inland rice fields along the Cooper River.
They plan to make a preserve out of the area with public access options for outdoor recreation, nature studies and research.
Open Space Institute purchased 600 acres of the space at Lewisfield Plantation in 2018 for $3.64 million from the heirs of the late state Sen. Rembert Dennis.
The Lowcountry Land Trust holds the conservation easement for the property so that it is permanently protected. The Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust now owns the site and will operate it moving forward.
Ashley Demosthenes, president and CEO of the Lowcountry Land Trust, said the property is important for both Moncks Corner and Berkeley County.
Lewisfield Plantation sits off U.S. Highway 52 near Moncks Corner, an area that is experiencing consistent growth. The conservation easement will save it from ever being developed.
“It’s wonderful to see that it’s finally protected,” Demosthenes said.
Safeguarding the space has been a long-standing priority for the Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, Director Chris Vaughn said. In a media release June 15, he said the effort would not have been possible without support from the owners, the partnering conservation groups and the S.C. Department of Transportation.
Open Space Institute first purchased the property to mitigate unavoidable impacts from the DOT’s Berlin G. Myers Parkway extension project in Dorchester County.
To fix the traffic in that part of Summerville, crews had to impact nearby wetlands. Federal law requires building projects to avoid harming wetlands. If that’s not possible, developers must pay to create more wetlands in the same watershed where the old ones were destroyed.
“And so rather than purchase mitigation credits from a bank, DOT elected to help the conservation community acquire and protect this property,” Vaughn said.
The Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust is developing a plan for managed access to the space because they don’t have a full park staff to work the area. He said people will be able to do nature walks, history tours and hikes on select days of the week. At certain times, staff may be able to make the space available for full access. None of that is set in stone.
The preserve is one of the last undeveloped pieces of plantation acreage on the upper Cooper River. It is home to forests and wetlands that provide breeding and roosting grounds for birds including the threatened wood stork and northern long-eared bat.
The environmental landscape of the plantation is impressive but the history of the land is just as valuable. It was the site of the Battle of Lewisfield during the Revolutionary War. Previous reports indicate British warships docked there, and Patriot Gen. Wade Hampton fought a skirmish on the land.
–postamdcourier.com
