Berkeley Journal Volume 2

Sustaining Our Work: Beyond Cash

EQIP Opens Doors for Landowners

Listening To Lewisfield

vol. 2

berkeley journal

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WELCO ME

A series of murals lines the interior chamber hall of the Berkeley County administrative building.

The scenes depicted include Revolutionary War soldiers, 18th-century historic rice plantations, wildlife on the banks of a river, colonial-era chapels, and the like. I presume those images were chosen because the artist thought they reflected what makes our community unique and sets us apart from other areas – what anchors our sense of place. The last time I was there it struck me that almost every one of those images could represent places this land trust has saved.

In every community there are properties and pastimes, often linked together, that folks identify with then they think of home. Perhaps in the upstate it’s a hike to a mountain overlook or, along the coast, throwing a cast net in the marsh. As a Berkeley County native, though, it’s the upper reaches of the Cooper River that make it home for me. Throwing a popper on Quinby Creek, watching the winter sunrise over an ancient rice field, seeing the historic homes on its banks – that’s what my mind wanders to when someone asks me where I am from.

When those properties and pastimes are lost, it strikes a visceral cord with a lot of folks because it’s as if a piece of our collective identity and self goes with them. If we no longer can experience the unspoiled beauty and history depicted in those murals, if what makes us unique is replaced by the generic, what will it mean to be from Berkeley County – where and what will be our home?

At the heart of the mission of a community land trust like ours is making sure those places and pastimes survive. Saving Lewisfield, which you’ll read about in the following article, certainly is a step in that direction. Although we have a lot of work left to do, I hope our supporters and friends will take some comfort in knowing that our organization is working every day to save what makes our home so special.

For more information on the Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, please visit lordberkeley.org or call 843.899.5228

Raleigh Raleigh West Executive Director

Cover photo by Larry Price lordberkeley.org 2019

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SUSTAINING OUR WORK

Sustaining Our Work: Beyond Cash The work of our Trust has long been sustained by the generous cash contributions of donors.

Increasingly, our donors are looking for creative ways to support our work and meet their personal financial goals. One interesting alternative to cash is a donation of stock or real estate. Both types of assets improve the Trust’s balance sheet and may provide the donor with needed tax deductions.

Sarah Windham, LBCT board member and Partner with Dixon Hughes Goodman LLC commented, “Donating securities or land can often have a more beneficial tax impact than donating cash,” Windham continued, “Taxpayers receive a donation for the fair market value of the stock or land donated but do not pay capital gains tax on the difference between their cost basis and the market value. We often recommend that taxpayers donate stock or land with a low cost basis and high market value to maximize the tax savings.”

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Beverly Stoney Johnson and her brothers, Ted and Richard, chose to donate several lots in Moncks Corner that they inherited, to the Trust. With family roots dating to the 1600s, Ms. StoneyJohnson commented that conservation and giving back to their community is “in their blood.”

Her grandfather was born at Medway Plantation and later became an attorney and Charleston’s 53rd mayor. “We felt this gift would benefit an organization which values preserving land and Lowcountry heritage.” While the Trust has no immediate plans for the lots, this donation directly enhances our balance sheet and diversifies our investment portfolio, which helps sustain our mission to perpetually steward over our conservation assets.

For more information on how you can make gifts of stock, land, or other assets, please contact Adair at 843.899.5228.

SUPPORTIN G OUR LAN D OWN ER S

EQIP Opens Doors for Landowners “It’s great to have a job where everyone is happy to see me,” commented Lori Bataller, District Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). And everyone is happy for a good reason. Through its Environmental Quality Incentives program, commonly known as “EQIP”, NRCS grants more than $32.8 million to landowners and covers 121,528 acres in South Carolina each year.

EQIP is a voluntary program which brings landowners and natural resource professionals together to invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.

Landowners who don’t already have a conservation forester can use the services of the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

NRCS agents meet with landowners one on one on their property, consider their conservation needs and interests, suggest practices that may be a fit, and draft a conservation plan to outline next steps. “Many of the landowners I meet have inherited land and moved back to the area.” Bataller continued, “this program is a great idea for those who are unsure of their management options.” Landowners who don’t already have a conservation forester can use the services of the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Once a plan has been established, NRCS connects landowners to a network of private technical service providers who provide cost estimates and complete the work. “Over the years, we have seen many landowners apply for financial assistance to cover the costs of replanting loblolly pine after a harvest,” Bataller commented. “We’d like to see more requests geared towards the establishment of longleaf pine, controlling invasive species, and planting for pollinators.” Projects from across state are ranked competitively, those with a higher contribution to conservation generally rank higher.

The 1,615-acre Grimke property in Berkeley County was placed under conservation easement with Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust in 2007

Grimke Property protected since 2007

and continues to be actively managed to promote diverse wildlife habitats. Beth Sabine, LBCT member and forest manager of the property has worked closely with NRCS on a number of projects including implementing a rigorous prescribed burning program to restore longleaf pine and planting other areas for pollinators. “Managing or restoring native habitats can be an expensive proposition. We have to find programs to help fund the work,” commented Sabine. “NRCS has been a key resource to do this.”

Approximately 50-60% of the funding requests in South Carolina are approved for funding; and the funds generally cover 75-90% of the cost of the project. The program has a November 2 deadline for funding but Bataller encourages landowners to start early. The whole process can take up to a year and sometimes longer.

For landowners, like those who’ve protected their property with the Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, this is very good news.

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L I S T E N I N G

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L E W I S F I E L D With Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust’s acquisition of Lewisfield Plantation, generations to come will hear the stories that the historic land has to tell. by SUSAN FRAMPTON

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he air of the February morning is crisp and clear, and the long dirt road of Lewisfield Plantation is strewn with the cracked shells of black walnuts and brightly colored leaves. Out of nowhere, a young yellow dog streaks through the palmettos. With his nose to the ground, he dances through the broom straw with glee, taking in the scent of the wild things that have overnighted in the thick grass. He celebrates his unfettered freedom with a quick plunge into the freezing water of the nearby creek, then shows no remorse for the droplets of water he shakes from his coat onto his master before racing away once more with ears flapping and tail wagging. Wiping the water from his pant legs, Parker Hill shakes his head at Buddy, the 11 month-old Labrador that has accompanied him to this place that is so special to the Berkeley County resident.

Over the centuries, through war and peace, Lewisfield Plantation has carved out its own place in history, and it is a point of pride to those familiar with the Cooper River Corridor. The natural and man-made contours of the land give their own narrative of the many roles the plantation has played since its first recorded existence in 1750, when it was known as Little Landing; a part of the Fairlawn Barony. In 1767, it was renamed for Sedgewick Lewis, who purchased a 1,000-acre tract. Less than a decade later, Lewis gifted it to his daughter Sarah when she married Keating Simmons. In 1774, the two built the house that still stands on the river bluff.

In the stillness of the morning, it isn’t hard to imagine the sound of marching feet and horses hooves on the hard-packed dirt leading to the big house, where in 1781 Colonel Wade Hampton of the SC 1st Regiment of State Dragoons discovered a contingent of British troops loading plunder from nearby plantations onto vessels moored nearby. Taking the British by surprise, he and his men burned the boats to the waterline, taking 78 prisoners in the historic Battle of Lewisfield.

In the 1860s, the landing at Lewisfield was used by the Union gunboats, and vestiges of rice fields are reminders of the days when rice was the cash crop of the Carolinas. Rich in natural resources and home to a wealth of wildlife, the property changed hands several times before being purchased by Senator Rembert Dennis in 1955, to be used primarily for hunting.

“The land speaks to you,” says Hill of the acres of forests, fields, and swamplands that he knows like the back of his hand. A degree in forest management and a career spanning nearly 30 years in land and vegetation management have taught him to listen for the tales whispered by the forests and given him a deep commitment to conservation and preservation of the environment. He is a past president of the LBCT board and has served since 2001.

It was that sense of kinship with the land and the determination to preserve it that led to Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust’s concerted effort to ensure that this land would never be lost to development. Under the leadership of Executive Director Raleigh West, LBCT set out to protect Lewisfield Plantation from the urban sprawl that would strip away the character and culture of a community, and threaten the environmental health of an entire region.

In late December 2018, in partnership with LBCT and other conservation groups, the Open Space Institute (OSI) purchased 600 acres of Lewisfield Plantation from the heirs of the late Sen. Rembert Dennis. Ultimately, OSI intends to convey the property back to LBCT to use as a wildlife

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preserve after protecting it with a conservation easement to be held by Lowcountry Land Trust. Over the coming months, LBCT will develop a management plan for the property that will set forth guidelines for protecting its important resources while availing it as a community asset.

For West, a Berkeley County native, the placement of Lewisfield in a conservation easement that will protect it is perpetuity is both personally and professionally gratifying. “I grew up here, hunting, fishing, and exploring rural Berkeley County. I know what it is to feel that the land is a part of what makes you who you are. I want the opportunity for that same attachment to the history, the culture and the environment to be available to everyone.”

“The importance of this acquisition to the greater conservation community cannot be overstated,” says Charles Lane, past chairman of The South Carolina Conservation Bank Board. “Lewisfield Plantation is a vital part of the Cooper River Corridor, and an example of what is possible with the collaboration of public and private landowners, industry, conservation, and environmental groups, government agencies, and historical and cultural preservation organizations.”

It is clear that the successful protection of the land also struck an emotional chord for Hill, whose family enjoyed a lifelong friendship with the late senator and his family that allowed him access to the plantation’s vast and varied acreage. “My grandfather , Pledger Parker, was in their wedding,” he says of the late Sen. Dennis and his wife, Natalie. “They were friends the rest of their lives. My grandfather tended to things for them.

He worried about Miss Natalie after Uncle Rembert died, and I guess he passed that worry on to me.”

Hill looks further down the road, where a humpbacked bridge spans Lewisfield Creek and serves as the boundary for the land sale. Beyond it on the river is the historic home that Sen. and Mrs. Dennis occupied until their passing. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, that portion of Lewisfield is privately owned, but plans are for the home’s future preservation and restoration.

“She (Mrs. Dennis) walked this road every morning. I can remember seeing her light coming down the road when it was still dark.” Hill points out the black walnut trees lining the road and chuckles at a memory. “She loved collecting walnuts from these trees. She left a bag of them on the road one day, and when I took it to her, she said she’d left it there on purpose for cars to run over and crack the shells for her.”

With the future of one of the last unprotected and undeveloped plantations on the Cooper River Corridor secure under the stewardship of LBCT, a new season has begun for Lewisfield. The tender green buds of the walnut trees that have chronicled the coming and going of past generations on this dirt road await the arrival of the fresh eyes of a new generation and the keen ears that will listen to the land.

“Yes sir,” says Parker Hill as the sun breaks through the clouds to paint the landscape with a golden glow. “This land, it speaks to you.”

As if hearing something in the rustling of the leaves, Buddy briefly pauses from his explorations, turning his head to listen for a moment to a whisper that rides on the wind. “Thank you.” Soft as a sigh, the message rises skyward in search of those who have come before us who loved his land, and understand the importance of listening to Lewisfield.

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2018 DONORS

>$10,000 Cainhoy Plantation Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Mills Bee Lane Memorial Foundation U.S. Fish & Wildlife The Stoney Family

$5,000 + Ceres Foundation Contract Construction Dupont Nucor Steel Berkeley Terry & Susan Blackwell Ronnie & Nancy Givens Glenn McConnell

$2,500+ Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd Home Telecom South State Bank Thomas & Hutton Weyerhaeuser Foundation Jim & Kathy Rozier Anonymous

$1,000+ Capital Concrete Davis & Floyd Land Trust Alliance The Ceara Donnelley & Nathan Berry Fund The Williams Company Sylleste Davis Jonas Glenn & William B. Glenn Jim & Bobbi Hill Al & Dana Kennedy Bobby M. Mead John & Ellen Morgan Linda Morse Rick Quagliaroli Robert & Greg Royall Richard & Linda Slack Matt & Lisa Sloan Tom Suitt John Tiencken

$500+ The Avery Company, Inc. Palustrine Group

Williams & Hulst George B. Bishop Carlyle Blakeney Rick & Ann Burnette Michael & Elli Daly Andrew Dennis Jan & Markley Dennis Rupert Markley Dennis, III Tom Finnegan Ron Harvey Henry Knight Ben & Dorothy Miller Howell Morrison Bob & Patricia Perry Gray Soapes Carolyn Umphlett J. Raleigh & Hall West, III Larry & Sarah Windham

$250+ WestRock Charleston Appraisal Services Dial-Murrary Funeral Home Kevin Alford Jim & Brenda Barry Scott Barnes David Baumann Paul G. Campbell Calvitt Clarke Dorothy C. Clarke Debby Dial - Holtsclaw Parker Hill Todd & Marietta Hicks Edward E. Ingram Barry H. Jurs Joe & Melinda Kelley Charles G. Lane Randy Lowell Bill McKenzie Stafford “Skip” & Debbie McQuillin JD & Penny Metts Eugene Oliver Harold C. Padgett Elizabeth Pinnell David & Sara Ramage Lt. Col. Hubert M. Rentz Charles & Mary Rudloff James Simons Mark & Kate Stewart Robert & Maxine Tanner Gene & Babs Warner Joseph R. West, Jr.

Miller & Barbara White <$250 Barony Financial Group Hickory Bluff Berry Farm Russell Funeral Chapel St. John’s Parish - Berkeley Charles Altman Audubon Bill Baughman Elliott W. Bishop Adah Brewer Norman Brunswig Don & Kelly Brown Ellen Wallace Buchanan Kenneth & Priscilla Calcutt Lonnie Carter Jackie Clarke Cal Colvin Elizabeth Copeland Helen & Jim Conner Joseph & Mary Cross Dana & Deana Cumbie Deryel & Beth Cumbie Tom Curtis Eddie Dangerfield Ashley Demosthenes Wayne & Amelia Dewitt Berkeley Family Dentistry Cynthia Deaton James & Octavia Dingle Sandy & Pradensia Drayton Bethel & Deannie DuRant Dave & Dee Dee Evans Heidi Finniff Ben & Patty Fleming Ken & Barbara Ford John & Anne Girault Charlie E. Glover Steve & PA Gramling Emilie Hagan Will & Alice Helmly Russell & Beth Hilton Jennifer Howard Matt Hoover Dustin Hockman Kappa Kappa Iota Susan Jackson Martha Johnson Sam & Suzi Parker Jr. John M Kadlecik Michael Kirby Caroline Laggis

Laurens Livings R.N. Shepard Investments, LLC Jeffery Lord Valerie Lowndes Kristin Martin Kristin & Ben McCollum Robert & Barbara McElfresh John & Lanna McMeekin James Meadors Julie Metts Elise Merritt Martha Meyer Robbie Morse Justin & Jennie Murrie Gazie Nagle Duncan Newkirk Ron & Kim Nolte David & Mary O’Brien David Perry Christina Press Mike & Virginia Prevost Martha Rhea Byron C. Rodgers Jr. Margie Roberts Phil & Adair Roark Polly Robb Willis Sanders Ben Schwanda RM & Michele Singletary Susan Smythe Hugh & Mickey Smith Jean Solomon Joseph Gray & Kay S. Sprott Theodore D. Stoney, Jr. Terry & Linda Stanley Grace & Gerard Stelling Russell & Sweetheart Tyler William D. Umphlett Norman Walsh United Way Jon K. Wagle James Weaver Gene & Jane Williams Angela Williams Elizabeth Young Avery & Linda Yount In Kind Santee Cooper

We apologize if we inadvertently omitted your name or incorrectly listed your name in our list. Please call us at 843.899.5228 so we can make the correction for publication in our next newsletter.

In Memoriam

In memory of Robert Mead, Jr. by: Angela Williams, Avery & Linda Yount, Ben & Dorothy Miller, Ben Schwanda, Cal Colvin, St. John’s Parish - Berkeley, Charlie E. Glover, Cynthia Deaton, Deryel and Beth Cumbie, Duncan Newkirk, Eddie Dangerfield, Grace & Gerard Stelling, Howell Morrison, James Simons, JD & Penny Metts, Jennifer Howard, Martha Johnson, Berkeley Family Dentistry, Terry & Linda Stanley / In memory of Richard McMaster Sprott by: David & Mary O’Brien, Ellen Wallace Buchanan, Jennifer Howard, John and Lanna McMeekin, Joseph Gray & Kay Sprott, Laurens Livings, Martha Meyer, Polly Robb / In memory of Nelle McMaster Sprott by: John and Lanna McMeekin / In memory of Margaret Shirley Isaacs Mead by: Howell Morrison / In memory of Larry Wyndham, Jr. by: Ben & Dorothy Miller, Helen & Jim Conner, Martha Rhea

Honorariums

In honor of Ben Miller by Lonnie & Laurie Carter, In honor of Joe Harnage by Miller White, In honor of Richard Jackson by Miller White, In honor of Courtney Salisbury by Miller White, In honor of Steve & Julie Horton by Lonnie & Laurie Carter

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SOCIAL

First Annual Woods & Waters Event: Hosted at beautiful Cainhoy Plantation, guests enjoyed Lowcountry

fare, open bar, and a live auction­â&#x20AC;&#x201D;all while listening to local band HoneySmoke.

Annual Dinner: The annual Dinner and Membership Celebration was held at Somerset.

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