NEWS
Jasper County Sun Times
The Open Space Institute has acquired additional property in Jasper County for land conservation.
The institute announced last week its acquisition of the 336-acre Slater Duck Ponds tract, a news release said.
"Permanent conservation of this parcel protects essential wildlife habitat in one of the most vulnerable areas of the state, while creating new opportunities for recreation in a region with severely limited public access to nature," the institute said.
This is the second recent land conservation purchase by the institute in northern Jasper County. In May, the institute said it closed on a $16 million purchase of the 3,800-acre Slater tract, which it said was “one of the largest conservation investments in state history.”
“The Open Space Institute is proud to save habitat, enhance public access, and preserve water quality for South Carolina’s rapidly-growing southern coastal region,” senior vice president and Southeast office director Nate Berry said. “We are pleased to work with the South Carolina Conservation Bank and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to protect more of the state’s most important natural areas.”
The institute said Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties make up one of the most biologically diverse places in the Southeast, as well as one of the fastest-growing.
"Most significantly, in a state with a half-century legacy of conservation successes, it is also one of the least protected," according to the institute.
Conservation of the Slater Duck Ponds property was made possible with funds from the S.C. Conservation Bank, a news release said. The institute said the property supplements the nearby Slater tract, which is home to one of the largest colonies of gopher tortoises in the eastern U.S.
The institute said it is transferring the Slater tract to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, which “will then develop the infrastructure necessary for the public to enjoy the property while preserving its biological integrity.”
The Slater Duck Ponds property includes more than 200 acres of wetlands that provide refuge for about 70 species classified as “Greatest Conservation Need” by the S.C. Heritage Trust program and the State Wildlife Action Plan, the institute said.
“The two OSI-protected properties are located near Savannah, Hilton Head, Ridgeland, and Hardeeville, among the fastest growing places in America,” the release said. “The protection of more than 4,000 acres, totaled, offers important opportunities for hunting, fishing, birding, hiking, and cycling in an area where the nearest similar public preserve is almost an hour away.”
Founded in 1974, the institute said it has helped protect more than 2.3 million acres along the eastern seaboard from Quebec to Florida. Slater Duck Ponds is its 47th project in six years in South Carolina and Georgia.
“Projects like Slater Duck Ponds and Slater Tract not only save spectacular wildlife and plant habitat in the rapidly growing coastal plain," said Raleigh West, executive director of the Conservation Bank. "They also help the state expand opportunities for outdoor recreation, the demand for which has surged since the pandemic began."