Committee reviews and approves Conservation Bank grant proposals to protect hundreds of acres across the Lowcountry and inland counties

The Joint Bond Review Committee reviewed three Conservation Bank grant proposals to purchase conservation easements on properties that state staff said would protect wetlands, maritime forest, farmland and other important habitats across Jasper, Charleston and Orangeburg counties.

Staff presented a $1.5 million proposed grant to Open Land Trust for a conservation easement across roughly 2,682 acres of the Chelsea property in Jasper County, part of the broader Chelsea State Forest and Port Royal Sound watershed; staff cited forested wetlands, pine savannas, meadows and salt marshes and told the committee protection would reduce pressure on regional infrastructure and support long‑term water quality. The committee received the request and recorded approval as information.

A second proposal would award $2,000,000 to Lowcountry Land Trust for a 725‑acre easement on the Dill property on James Island along the Stono River; staff emphasized habitat preservation, storm surge mitigation and upland buffer protection. A third proposal of $1,900,000 to the South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust would secure an 831‑acre easement on Grambling Farm in Orangeburg County, protecting prime farmland soils and supporting ongoing agricultural and timber management on approximately 500 acres of irrigated cropland.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about ownership and family associations in the Grambling Farm example; no objections were recorded and the committee moved the items forward for approval and recommendation as presented.