Gift Protects 12,488 Acres: Norfolk Southern Donates Easement to Lowcountry Open Land Trust

Posted on: Tuesday, 5 August 2008, 03:00 CDT By Joey Holleman, The State, Columbia, S.C. Aug. 5--Norfolk Southern railroad has agreed to protect a huge tract in Dorchester County studded with longleaf pine, populated by 79 groups of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers and integral to the health of the ACE Basin. As residential development creeps up the I-26 corridor north of Summerville, the 12,488 protected acres in Brosnan Forest won't be a part of that trend. Norfolk Southern announced Monday it had donated a conservation easement on the property to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. "Given the sheer size of this easement, this is a big win for South Carolina and our efforts to preserve and protect the quality of life here in our state," said Gov. Mark Sanford. Conservation easements set limits on the future use of property.... [read full story]