McCLELLANVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Owners of a 22-acre property in a South Carolina fishing village have agreed to let it be used as part of a strategy to maintain water quality around the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
The plot is in McClellanville. It’s known as Taylor’s Farm. The Post and Courier reports that it has been placed under a “conservation easement” handled by a nonprofit called the Lowcountry Land Trust.
The nonprofit is working to preserve land near Cape Romain and the nearby Francis Marion National Forest, said David Ray, acting CEO and chief conservation officer.
“The more development that occurs along the edges of the waterways that go into Cape Romain, the more opportunity there is for runoff and other forms of pollution to go into the wildlife refuge and decrease its (ecosystem) value,” he said.
The plot is mostly forest land. The trees help to suck up and store stormwater and can help block contaminants in water runoff from reaching streams and rivers.
“We are happy to have put our property in McClellanville into a conservation easement,” property owners Charles and Frances Geer said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Lowcountry Land Trust for enabling us to protect this natural area for the benefit of future generations.”
The Geers retain the rights to build in the future on a small fraction of the land. The easement agreement will enable them to claim a credit on their taxes.
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