None The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina Press Releases Search All Press Releases Michael B. Prevost Phone: (843) 887-4380 E-mail: mprevost@tnc.org

Conservancy Acquires Strategic Tract As Addition to Francis Marion National Forest

Property supports high quality longleaf pine communities and provides important habitat for a variety of vulnerable migratory birds.

Columbia, S.C.—27 October 2003—The Nature Conservancy has purchased a 150-acre tract in eastern Charleston County for inclusion in the Francis Marion National Forest. The property was purchased from Susanne Flynn and supports high quality longleaf pine communities.

"Historically, longleaf pine communities covered 90 million acres in the Southeast.  Throughout its natural range from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas, only 3 million acres of this remarkable ecosystem remain. Longleaf pine communities often are considered to be one of the most botanically diverse natural communities in North America," said Orlando Sutton, ranger for the Francis Marion National Forest. 

"Acquisition of this strategically important tract will not only facilitate prescribed burning required to maintain the Forest's longleaf pine ecosystem, but will provide critical foraging habitat for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, " Sutton said.

The National Forest's red-cockaded woodpecker population with 368 active clusters is a designated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery population. 

"The Sewee to Santee Region is a high priority landscape for the South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative (SAMBI), a multi-partner habitat conservation effort to secure the future of vulnerable bird populations. In addition to benefiting the red-cockaded woodpecker, acquisition of the Flynn tract provides important habitat for Bachman's sparrow, brown-headed nuthatch, Henslow's sparrow, and northern prairie warbler." said Craig Watson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and SAMBI coordinator.

The tract, bordered by National Forest lands on three sides, is located near the northern region of Old Georgetown Road. The Region encompasses the Francis Marion National Forest, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Capers Island State Heritage Preserve and the entire Santee River Delta, including Santee Coastal Reserve and the Yawkey Wildlife Center.  The National Forest provides a buffer and habitat corridor to the adjacent Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a designated Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve.

"Considering the conservation needs of the overall landscape, this property, together with other protected sites, support vital ecosystems within the Sewee to Santee Region, a high priority conservation area for the Conservancy," said Michael Prevost, director for the Conservancy's Sewee to Santee project.
 
Since 1997, The Nature Conservancy has acquired 16 tracts totaling 5,998 acres for inclusion in the National Forest.  Sale of the newly acquired 150-acre tract to the U.S. Forest Service is anticipated later this year or in early 2004.

"As part of our ongoing cooperative work to acquire key in-holdings within the boundary of the Francis Marion National Forest, we are pleased to work with the U.S. Forest Service on acquisition of this tract," said Prevost. "We also wish to recognize the tremendous efforts of Senator Ernest F. Hollings for securing federal appropriations allowing the Forest Service to purchase the tract from the Conservancy."

The Conservancy's purchase of the tract was aided by a $160,000 loan from The Community Foundation Serving South Carolina's new Lowcountry Conservation Loan Fund, the second loan from this important new source for habitat conservation funding. 

"The Loan Fund was established earlier this year, from generous grants from the Merck Family Fund and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, to provide critical, interim financing to conservation organizations for priority land acquisition" said Loan Fund Chairma Jody Tamsberg.