Statewide Land Protection News
The South Carolina Land Trust Network announced today that Lyles Cooper, Executive Director of Pee Dee Land Trust, has assumed the Board Chair role. She succeeds Ashley Demosthenes, who recently became the CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. Cooper has been a respected leader within the network, having served multiple terms as Treasurer and as one of the founding board members when the organization secured its 501(c)(3) status and appointed its first executive director.
Beginning her career in conservation almost thirty years ago, Ashley Demosthenes now serves as President and CEO of the Lowcountry Land Trust (LLT) and brings a wealth of knowledge to the South Carolina Land Trust Network (SCLTN).
September 5, 2024 - Columbia, SC - The South Carolina Land Trust today honored Senator Nikki Setzler for his lifetime of contributions to conservation in South Carolina. During the organization's Fall Member meeting, Setzler was presented with a coffee table book on the Cowassee Basin, an expansive area in the heart of Senate District 26 which he has represented for the last forty-eight years. Inside the front cover was a signed Board Resolution that read: In recognition and profound appreciation of Senator Nikki Setzler’s Service to the State of South Carolina Whereas South Carolina is blessed with rich and abundant natural, historical, and cultural resources and remarkable beauty; Whereas protecting these special places is paramount to our enviable quality of life and to the thousands of jobs provided by industries that depend on natural places; Whereas effective land protection work relies on committed people and proactive policies; Whereas for forty-seven years, Senator Nikki Setzler has served the people of South Carolina through his leadership in the South Carolina Senate, notably as Chairman of the Senate Finance Natural Resources and Economic Development Subcommittee; Whereas his bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the South Carolina Conservation Bank have ensured the permanent protection of hundreds of special places, including the recently expanded Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve; Whereas he has championed conservation funding and voted in support of policies that financially incentivize private landowners to permanently protect their working farm and forestlands; Whereas his steadfast leadership has positioned investment in voluntary land conservation as an essential aspect of state governance to balance growth with quality of life today and for future generations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved that the South Carolina Land Trust Network Board of Directors this fifth day of September 2024 formally acknowledges and extends its deepest appreciation for Senator Nikki Setzler’s exemplary service to the people of South Carolina.
In McCormick County, near the banks of the upper Savannah River, 991.8 acres of undeveloped land will soon be protected by conservation easement. Ms. Della Coulter of Columbia, SC and a fifth-generation owner of the land, has partnered with the Upper Savannah Land Trust to obtain this easement and ensure her land legacy endures.
Member Network News
Congaree Land Trust is pleased to announce the permanent protection of Shelton Wood, a 219-acre property in Fairfield County. Thanks to the generosity of landowners Jack and Elizabeth Suber and the support of the South Carolina Conservation Bank, this land will remain safeguarded for generations to come. Read entire story with Congaree Land Trust
Lowcountry Land Trust is proud to announce the permanent protection of the Holmes Tract, an impactful, six-acre property on Johns Island. The tract strengthens connectivity between conserved lands, protects sensitive wetlands that flow into Bohicket Creek, and retains the rural character of a growing Sea Island. Read entire story with Lowcountry Land Trust→
After nearly two years of determined negotiations, Conservancy of the Sea Islands, Town of Kiawah Island, Kiawah Island Community Association, Kiawah Partners, and the State of South Carolina have forged a landmark settlement agreement that guarantees the permanent protection of Captain Sams Spit—securing one of the Lowcountry’s most treasured coastal landscapes for generations to come and setting a powerful precedent for conservation across South Carolina and beyond. Read entire story with Conservancy of the Sea Islands
Lowcountry Land Trust is proud to announce the permanent protection of Oscar’s Place, a nearly 50-acre property on Johns Island that ensures the land will remain undeveloped forever. Located along River Road across from CCPRC’s Johns Island County Park and Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, this property is especially significant for the surrounding community and landscape. Read entire story with Lowcountry Land Trust→
Pee Dee Land Trust successfully worked with landowners to permanently protect nine (9) new conservation easements totaling 5,336 acres across seven counties connected to the Pee Dee Watershed. PDLT also partnered to support two landscape-scale conservation projects protecting over 70,000 acres. Read entire story with Pee Dee Land Trust→
The Aiken Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the permanent protection of 76.1 acres in eastern Aiken County through the completion of the Mayadinya-in-the-Pines Conservation Easement. The project recently closed, ensuring that this ecologically significant landscape will be safeguarded forever. Read entire story with Aiken Land Conservancy→
Today, partners are excited to share that, through collaborative planning and robust community involvement, the Beefield Community Park initiative has made strides forward in not only the technical planning and implementation of the park and its intentional features, but in fostering a sense of stewardship and excitement within the community that spans far beyond the 4-acre site. It is a testament to the power of a historic, determined community committed to perpetually representing its history, culture, and conservation values. Click here to learn more.
The Aiken Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the permanent protection of 29.8 acres south of Montmorenci through the completion of The Pond Conservation Easement. This project recently closed, ensuring the conservation of a biologically significant property within ALC’s 302/78 Corridor Strategic Focal Area. Read entire story with Aiken Land Conservancy→
For more than two decades, Charleston County’s Greenbelt Program has quietly but powerfully shaped the region, protecting treasured landscapes, conserving water and wildlife, and enhancing overall resilience and quality of life across the Lowcountry. As Charleston County leaders discuss future greenbelt funding in the coming weeks, this is a natural moment to reflect with gratitude on what this visionary program has achieved in our community, and why it continues to matter so deeply to residents across the Lowcountry. Click here to learn more.
PDLT Summer 2025 Interns featured in Francis Marion University's Focus Magazine. Read entire story with Francis Marion
Job Postings
Aiken Land Conservancy (ALC) seeks a passionate person to take the lead in stewarding ALC’s conservation easements and fee-owned lands. This position will play a key role in fostering positive landowner, partner, and community relationships through the monitoring of conservation easements, the facilitation of land management opportunities for private landowners, the close collaboration with partner organizations, and the management of fee-owned properties. The Stewardship Coordinator will also have the unique opportunity to work closely with the Executive Director and Conservation Coordinator on a number of other ALC activities as time, interest, and skillsets allow. To learn more, click here.
The Land Stewardship Manager supports the long-term care of Open Land Trust’s protected lands by conducting annual monitoring visits, maintaining strong relationships with landowners, assisting with baseline documentation, responding to landowner requests and inquiries, and ensuring that stewardship records are complete, accurate, and compliant with Land Trust Accreditation Commission Standards & Practices. This role is central to OLT’s commitment to care for land in perpetuity and plays a key part in the organization’s strategic priorities to elevate stewardship capacity, strengthen systems, and support sustainable organizational growth. The Land Stewardship Manager works closely with the Director of Conservation to implement a high-functioning stewardship program that reflects OLT’s values, mission, and long-term obligations Click here to learn more.
Position Type: Part-Time, 20 hrs/week Term: Seasonal, 10 weeks (June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026) Reporting: Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel Location: Hybrid; Charleston, SC, with work-from-home components Application Instructions: To apply, please email a cover letter (clearly stating the internship you are applying for), a resume, and three references in one PDF addressed to Ellen Blake at careers@lowcountrylandtrust.org. Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2026. The interview process will begin on March 16, 2026, and finish on April 10, 2026. Position Summary: This position will provide policy outreach, conservation easement interpretation, and research support to the Land Protection and Stewardship teams at Lowcountry Land Trust. The intern will experience how a local nonprofit approaches legislative relationships to advance its work. Responsibilities: Drafts memorandums and scheduled opportunities to educate policymakers on public funding process opportunities and outcomes; Works with staff to address easement interpretation questions; Reviews and researches internal and external policies that impact conservation easements and protected properties, as well as confidentiality matters; and Other tasks as assigned. Qualifications: At least 18 years of age, with a strong interest in pursuing a career within conservation; Ideal candidates are degree-seeking law students; Experience using email, digital calendars, document editing, and cloud applications such as Google and Microsoft; Strong communication and interpersonal skills; Strong organizational skills; and Professional and customer service-oriented. Compensation: The Intern will have the opportunity to work up to 20 hours per week at a rate of $17/ hr. Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to the principles of diversity and equal employment opportunity and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws that are applicable to equal employment. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation or identity, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran, service in the federal or state military, union affiliation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, medical or genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, refusal to submit to a genetic test or make test results available to the Company, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, in accordance with applicable laws. The Land Trust also complies with the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act. Read more.
Position Type: Part-Time, 20 hrs/week Term: Seasonal, 10 weeks (June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026) Reporting: GIS & Conservation Planning Manager Location: Hybrid; Charleston, SC, with work-from-home components Application Instructions: To apply, please email a cover letter (clearly stating the internship you are applying for), a resume, and three references in one PDF addressed to Ellen Blake at careers@lowcountrylandtrust.org. Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2026. The interview process will begin on March 16, 2026, and finish on April 10, 2026. Position Summary: This position will provide geospatial data management and analysis support to the land protection team at Lowcountry Land Trust. The intern will experience how a land trust does community and landscape-scale conservation, and how GIS functions advance its work. Responsibilities: Uses legal and ecological data to summarize conservation values of properties; Maintains and updates existing datasets with new project data; Assists with mapping and analysis for grant funding applications, conservation easements, internal reports, and field data collection; and Other tasks as assigned. Qualifications: At least 18 years of age, with a strong interest in pursuing a career within conservation; Ideal candidates are entry-level, without significant professional experience; Experience using ArcGIS Pro, as well as email, digital calendars, document editing, and cloud applications such as Google and Microsoft; Strong communication and interpersonal skills; Strong organizational skills; and Professional and customer service-oriented. Compensation: The Intern will have the opportunity to work up to 20 hours per week at a rate of $17/ hr. Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to the principles of diversity and equal employment opportunity and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws that are applicable to equal employment. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation or identity, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran, service in the federal or state military, union affiliation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, medical or genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, refusal to submit to a genetic test or make test results available to the Company, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, in accordance with applicable laws. The Land Trust also complies with the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act. Read more.
Position Type: Part-Time, 20 hrs/week Term: Seasonal, 10 weeks (June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026) Reporting: Advancement team Location: Hybrid; Charleston, SC, with work-from-home components Application Instructions: To apply, please email a cover letter (clearly stating the internship you are applying for), a resume, and three references in one PDF addressed to Ellen Blake at careers@lowcountrylandtrust.org. Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2026. The interview process will begin on March 16, 2026, and finish on April 10, 2026. Position Summary: This position will provide administrative support to the Advancement department at Lowcountry Land Trust to ensure efficiency. The intern will experience the fundraising and communications functions of a land trust and how they advance the organization as a whole. Responsibilities: Compares and synchronizes databases and file systems for record-keeping accuracy, stakeholder relationship stewardship, and overall organizational advancement; Researches additional funding opportunities for conservation organizations to leverage; Establishes relationships with conservation-minded agencies, nonprofits, and special events teams to engage with the community on behalf of the organization; and Other tasks as assigned. Qualifications: At least 18 years of age, with a strong interest in pursuing a career within conservation; Ideal candidates are entry-level, without significant professional experience; Experience using email, digital calendars, document editing, and cloud applications such as Google and Microsoft; Strong communication and interpersonal skills; Strong organizational skills; and Professional and customer service-oriented. Compensation: The Intern will have the opportunity to work up to 20 hours per week at a rate of $17/ hr. Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to the principles of diversity and equal employment opportunity and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws that are applicable to equal employment. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation or identity, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran, service in the federal or state military, union affiliation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, medical or genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, refusal to submit to a genetic test or make test results available to the Company, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, in accordance with applicable laws. The Land Trust also complies with the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act. Read more.
Position Type: Part-Time, 20 hrs/week Term: Seasonal, 10 weeks (June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026) Reporting: Angel Oak Preserve and Community Lands teams Location: Hybrid; Charleston, SC, with work-from-home components Application Instructions: To apply, please email a cover letter (clearly stating the internship you are applying for), a resume, and three references in one PDF addressed to Ellen Blake at careers@lowcountrylandtrust.org. Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2026. The interview process will begin on March 16, 2026, and finish on April 10, 2026. Position Summary: This position will provide community outreach, program building, and research support to the Angel Oak Preserve and Community Lands teams at Lowcountry Land Trust. The intern will experience how a local nonprofit approaches relationship-building, park planning, and data analysis to advance its work. Responsibilities: Supports staff in the development of conservation-based community programming and coordination of volunteer events at Charleston County’s historic settlement communities and the future Angel Oak Preserve; Participates in staff meetings and community visioning sessions to gather, analyze, and interpret feedback that informs park planning, design, and programmatic decisions; Visits Lowcountry Land Trust’s community conservation sites to document existing conditions and define opportunities, preparing summaries and reports to inform ongoing stewardship efforts; and Other tasks as assigned. Qualifications: At least 18 years of age, with a strong interest in pursuing a career within conservation; Ideal candidates are entry-level, without significant professional experience; Experience using email, digital calendars, document editing, and cloud applications such as Google and Microsoft; Strong communication and interpersonal skills; Strong organizational skills; and Professional and customer service-oriented. Compensation: The Intern will have the opportunity to work up to 20 hours per week at a rate of $17/ hr. Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to the principles of diversity and equal employment opportunity and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws that are applicable to equal employment. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation or identity, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran, service in the federal or state military, union affiliation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, medical or genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, refusal to submit to a genetic test or make test results available to the Company, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, in accordance with applicable laws. The Land Trust also complies with the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act. Read more.
Resources
Guest blogger: Sebrenna Bryant, state outreach coordinator for USDA's Farm Service Agency (SC) Boasting a robust agricultural landscape of nearly 23,000 farms sprawled across 4.5 million acres of fertile land, South Carolina is a state deeply rooted in agriculture. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) in South Carolina plays a pivotal role in supporting this thriving agriculture economy by managing acreage reports for nearly 2 million acres and aiding farmers' participation in approximately 20 different FSA programs. By doing this, the FSA in South Carolina not only supports USDA's mission but also contributes significantly to maintaining a healthy, stable, accessible, and affordable food supply for all. Historically, FSA traces its roots back to the Great Depression, when the Farm Security Administration was created to help American farmers amid a challenging time. And while the agency’s name and mission have both changed and grown over the years, its commitment to helping farmers has not. Today, FSA plays a crucial role in supporting rural prosperity, improving the environment, and contributing to U.S. national security by helping to ensure a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply. Over the years, FSA’s available programs have expanded to include safety net, farm loan, conservation, and disaster assistance programs. These programs ensure producers have a strong safety net in place in case of natural disasters or market fluctuations. FSA farm loans are available for producers who want to get started in production agriculture or make investments in existing operations but are unable to obtain credit from private lenders. FSA conservation programs give landowners the tools and resources to protect environmentally sensitive land and restore grasslands and forests, leading to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and enhanced wildlife habitat. FSA’s flagship conservation program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural producers and landowners to convert highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as native grasses, trees, and riparian buffers. The benefits of CRP are far-reaching. CRP protects more than 20 million acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the nation’s natural resources. With over 22,000 acres enrolled in CRP in South Carolina, several landowners have utilized CRP in our home state, with the hope that the increased vegetation would lead to increased wildlife habitat, including bobwhite quail. This has been seen as a great success. Although the terms of CRP and land trusts may differ, with land trusts often encouraging permanent easements, both entities share conservation goals to support farmers and ranchers, and to protect environmentally sensitive land. Together, FSA and land trusts can help landowners understand the wide scope of available options for preserving and protecting their property, while helping South Carolina to achieve a greater impact in protecting farmland and promoting sustainable agriculture for generations to come. W.R. “Cody” Simpson, III, was appointed by the Trump Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency in South Carolina in May 2025. He has spent his lifetime protecting the Palmetto State’s agricultural heritage and growing its future. Simpson supports wetland conservation through Ducks Unlimited and collaborates with the Pee Dee Land Trust to safeguard natural habitats.
South Carolina is a uniquely conservation-minded state with abundant opportunities to not only enjoy recreational activities on protected land, but also to join the growing workforce behind land protection. Often, park rangers, the forest service, or the DNR stand out as the obvious routes for young folks entering the conservation field. Such organizations are essential. But perhaps less commonly considered is the world of land trusts, and specifically stewardship. For those interested, here’s a look inside.
