Five parcels of land between Rimini and Summerton totaling just over 1,200 acres were placed into conservation easements, records show, for which $1.2 million was paid by a Columbia land trust to two landowners.
Four parcels owned by James A. Lee's Featherhorn Farms LLC totaling 490.98 acres were placed into permanent easement, records show, for which the Congaree Land Trust paid $490,980.
Records show John E. McDavid was paid $709,020 for 714.65 acres.
All of the land is located near the nexus of Governor Richardson and St. Philip UME roads.
The two properties are an important part of the eastern Lake Marion "waterfowl corridor", a series of closely connected private tracts managed for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife, noted the CLT in a press release.
As part of the easement agreement for Featherhorn Farms, the owner has agreed to provide the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) the opportunity to host two waterfowl youth hunts on an annual basis on the property, the release said.
Loblolly pines, mixed hardwoods and wildlife food plots are abundant within the forestland, the CLT noted, and both properties are rich in wildlife.
"Both properties have a rich history as they are located in the area where much activity took place during the Revolutionary War," the release stated.
"The combined total acreage of these two properties is very desirable, as it adds significant acreage of contiguous protected land to the South Carolina Midlands. These easements serve to protect connected adjacent woodlands, providing wildlife corridors that provide critical habitat for several species of South Carolina wildlife," said CLT Executive Director Stuart White in the release.
The Congaree Land Trust is in its third decade of conserving South Carolina’s scenic lands to help preserve the visual landscape, keep the water and air cleaner, and make it possible for future generations to enjoy the same recreational and agricultural opportunities that we enjoy today, the release states.
Founded in 1992, CLT works to establish conservation easements for landowners in a twelve county area of central South Carolina that includes Bamberg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, Williamsburg counties.
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For more information on conservation easements and membership in the Congaree Land Trust, please visit www.congareelt.org.
