South Carolina nature lovers are celebrating a major win after the Conservation Fund announced its purchase of 8,000 acres of timberland in Georgetown County. It’s a big deal, conservationists say, in a state that’s losing a million acres of working forests every year due to development.
“The Carvers Bay Forest is one of the nation’s most productive working forests,” Jason Johnson, state director of the fund, said in a July 23 release. “When the land went up for sale, we stepped in to ensure that it will continue to support wildlife habitat, clean water, recreation, and economic opportunities for local communities — now, and for generations to come.”
Emily Jo Williams of the American Bird Conservancy, which is currently working with endangered kites in the forest, lauded the purchase.
“We are thrilled that The Conservation Fund has stepped up to protect this important working forest landscape that’s critical to successful nesting by the kites and a host of other migratory birds,” Williams said.
The Conservation Fund says it’s working closely with the state of South Carolina to eventually open the forest to the public as a new state park — adding that “those efforts are just beginning.”
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