Lowcountry Land Trust Protects ACE Basin Property
Ashepoo River Frontage to Remain Forever Scenic
At the ACE Basin 30th anniversary earlier this month, Lowcountry Land Trust President and CEO Ashley Demosthenes stood before 500 landowners and conservationists and shared, “Today we are celebrating and, tomorrow, we will get busy on the next 100,000 acres.” Less than one week later, with funding from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, Lowcountry Land Trust closed a conservation easement on the 731-acre Dawn of Hope Plantation in the ACE Basin.
With more than two and a half miles of frontage on the Ashepoo River, Dawn of Hope Plantation’s permanent protection will ensure that the viewshed from the river will remain uninterrupted, and the wetland forests bordering the river will contribute to clean water in St. Helena Sound. The remainder of the property will be managed for agriculture, forestry, and recreational uses.
“Every conservation easement we close is significant in protecting our working landscapes, our water quality and our quality of life,” commented Demosthenes. “Dawn of Hope is particularly significant because of its extensive frontage on the Ashepoo River. Anglers and paddlers will continue to enjoy the serenity of the ACE because of the generous contributions of landowners.”
The closing of the conservation easement on Dawn of Hope, brings the total protected Ashepoo River frontage to 14.4 miles and total acres in 2019 for Lowcountry Land Trust to 147,488 acres. Other properties protected in 2019 include the iconic Boone Hall Plantation, Big Snooks in the Savannah River watershed, and two additional properties in the ACE Basin.
Dawn of Hope will be monitored annually by Land Trust staff to ensure that the terms of the conservation easement remain in effect.
