Bountiful Brunch 2024
November 4, 2024
PDLT Oyster Roast Silent Auction (SOLD OUT)
January 29, 20252024 Land Conservation Wrap-Up
Pee Dee Land Trust was proud to partner with private landowners to permanently protect 9 new properties totaling 6,070 acres across 6 counties in the Pee Dee Watershed in 2024. With the addition of these new conservation easements, we have helped conserve 113 properties totaling 47,502 acres across 11 counties in SC.
Our work is FAR from done and we need your help to continue our work! Please take this opportunity to support our 2024 Year-End Campaign – your contribution will enable us to continue to capitalize on opportunities to conserve the special places that make the Pee Dee Watershed such a wonderful place to live, work and play!
#1-Welsh Tract – 24 acres on Thompson Creek in the Town of Chesterfield, Chesterfield County (John Welsh)
#2-Stillwell Homeplace- 198 acres, #3-Stillwell Tatum Farm- 437 acres and #4- Stillwell Cannery Farm- 796 acres, in Marlboro County (Roy Stillwell family); Partial bargain-sale conservation easement funded by the SC Conservation Bank and USDA-NRCS-ACEP
#5-Puddin Swamp- 383 acres, Williamsburg County (Kelly & Ernie Atkinson), Partial bargain-sale conservation easement funded by the SC Conservation Bank and USFWS NAWCA
#6-Witherspoon Island – 3,709 acres on the Great Pee Dee River and Lowthers Lake, Darlington County (Chase Howard & Paty and Charles Howard); Partial bargain-sale conservation easement funded by the SC Conservation Bank
#7-Ginia’s Farm – 99 acres on Big Dam Swamp, outside of Andrews, Georgetown County (Kenny McConnell & Kristin M. Andrews); Partial bargain-sale conservation easement funded by The Butler Foundation and SC Conservation Bank.
#8-McQueen Farm – 246 acres just SE of Clio in Marlboro County (CBM Farms LLC), Partial bargain-sale conservation easement funded by the SC Conservation Bank
#9-Galivants Ferry Farm II – 178 acres on Hwy 501 in Galivants Ferry, Horry County (Holliday Associates, LLC)
While most of our work is focused on partnering with private landowners to plan their land legacy through conservation easements, PDLT does work with public and private entities to support public land acquisition and special conservation projects.
- PDLT was proud to partner with Florence County on their recent acquisition of Burch’s Mill, a 375-acre property located outside of Pamplico on the Great Pee Dee River. Florence County is in the planning stages for this property to be managed as a low-impact historical county park.
- PDLT has worked for over 20 years to support a conservation outcome for Snow’s Island and surrounding lands. Thanks to the amazing work of the Open Space Institute, SC Office of Resiliency, Darla Moore Foundation, Knobloch Foundation, Florence County, Francis Marion University, SC DNR Heritage Program, and many others, the protection of the 5,000 Snow’s Island and 2,600-acre adjacent tract will be permanently protected! PDLT is providing match for a portion of the Federal funding that is in the process of being secured to make this project a reality. To learn more about this amazing SC conservation project, please visit this link- https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/snows-island
- PDLT is partnering with Open Space Institute and the SC Forestry Commission to support the single largest private land conservation project in SC’s history- 62,000-acres of forested land spread across three counties in the Pee Dee and Santee Watersheds. PDLT will be supporting this project by producing the baseline documentation reports for the four conservation easements – Block 1- Great Pee Dee River will include 21,086-acres in Marion County, Block 2- Black River East will include 12,777-acres in Georgetown County, Block 3- Black River West will include 22,157-acres in Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties, and Block 4- Santee will include 6,211-acres in Georgetown County. In order to make this project a reality, the conservation easements will be held by the SC Forestry Commission, per requirement of the bargain-sale conservation easement funding agreement with the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. To learn more about this exciting project, please visit OSI’s website with the official announcement (https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/largest-conservation-easement-project-in-south-carolina-history)
2024 has truly been an amazing year for conservation in the Pee Dee Watershed!