Important greenbelt addition

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The recent purchase of more than 800 acres of forest land near McClellanville is further evidence of the importance of the county's Greenbelt Fund, and the public's wisdom in providing it with a steady source of revenue. The tract will provide the public a variety of recreation uses, and will serve conservation purposes not confined to its boundaries.

Its proximity to the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, the Francis Marion National Forest and the Santee Coastal Reserve bolsters its value as wildlife habitat. And extensive frontage along U.S. Highway 17 will restrain commercial development on that part of the corridor.

Putting the property in the public realm can be credited to a willing collaboration of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, the Nature Conservancy, Charleston County's Greenbelt Bank Board and private individuals who donated needed dollars to complete the deal.

The Nature Conservancy originally acquired the property from a paper company and sold it to the PRC at less than its purchase price — a bargain, according to PRC executive director Tom O'Rourke.

Private contributors came up with $500,000 to enable the Nature Conservancy's below-cost sale. PRC used $3.09 million from its greenbelt fund and the county's Greenbelt Bank Board provided another $1 million.

The tract actually adjoins the national forest, and is close to historic Tibwin Plantation. Mr. O'Rourke hopes that an accommodation can be reached with the U.S. Forest Service over access to the plantation and a nearby waterway for canoes and kayaks. A network of nature trails are planned through the park.

The property is the first rural park for PRC east of the Cooper, and an easement on the land will prevent it from ever being subdivided. It preserves habitat and the rural landscape, and will be a benefit to Lowcountry residents for future generations.

And its purchase wouldn't have happened without the half-cent local option sales tax endorsed by Charleston County voters. Both the Greenbelt Bank and the PRC used proceeds from the conservation portion of the sales tax fund, which already has provided for major acquisitions of park land west of the Ashley and near Meggett.

In each instance, the rural parks will serve as a barrier to development, and a scenic, peaceful place for residents to enjoy being outdoors.