Land Conservation – Lowcountry – Strategy and Guidelines

GUIDELINES – LOWCOUNTRY LAND CONSERVATION

We offer grants for general operations and projects; technical assistance; and program-related investments that lead to landscape-scale land preservation and stewardship. We support efforts throughout the region, with an emphasis on five focus areas: ACE Basin, Charleston Greenbelt, North Lowcountry, Sewee to Santee, and South Lowcountry. Together, these areas span the entire coast. We also encourage and participate in strategic land conservation partnerships.

Strategy

To Protect and Restore

There is a rich tradition of public and private land conservation throughout the Lowcountry. To date, more than a million and a quarter acres have been preserved along the South Carolina coast (see map at left). Growth projections for the region, however, underscore the need to build upon these conservation gains. We support organizations working to further increase the size and health of the Lowcountry’s protected areas on a landscape-scale. Occasionally, when opportunities arise to preserve lands of exceptional strategic significance, we offer Program Related Investments as bridge funding.

To Grow Stronger

Protecting more natural areas and traditional working lands is a big job. Stewarding it long-term is an even bigger job. That’s why we offer general operating grants to sustain land conservation organizations, as well as capacity-building grants to help them meet expanded land conservation opportunities. We also encourage partnerships and collaborations to enhance our region’s conservation goals.

To Advocate Change

Some land conservation happens with easements or fee simple transactions. Some with teams of volunteer stewards. Some occurs at the policy level. For this reason, we support strategic efforts to align regional planning and implementation with established land conservation goals.