Conservancy Accepts Conservation Easement

on Strategic Tract in Williamsburg County

Property supports one of the largest and most diverse

longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood communities in the Southeast

and provides important habitat for federally endangered species.

07-March-2006—A ground-breaking 1,415-acre conservation easement in Williamsburg County has been generously donated to The Nature Conservancy by the owners of Black River Bluffs. Black River Bluffs (formerly a portion of Friendfield Plantation), located between Salters and Andrews, has several miles of frontage on the Black River, as well as vast acreage of mature longleaf pine forests and hardwood swamp. This easement is a vanguard for the growing conservation commitment in Williamsburg County and along the Black River, an area that has been traditionally managed for years by attentive landowners. although never formally protected.

The Black River Bluffs tract is naturally dominated by longleaf pine communities and bottomland hardwood forests buffering the river. The combination of longleaf pine communities on the uplands and wetland habitats along the Black River creates multiple habitat values essential to rare native plant and animal communities.

The owners of the property, Berry Coggeshall and Gairy Nichols, have plans to maintain Black River Bluffs as a recreational plantation, and to enhance the wildlife and forestry values of the tract. “It is truly a pleasure to be able to protect in perpetuity a property as beautiful and special as this one, “states Berry Coggeshall, “I treasure the thought of future generations enjoying the unspoiled natural beauty of this unique ecosystem”

“Mr. Coggeshall and Mr. Nichols have made a large contribution to the conservation of South Carolina’s natural heritage” says Matt Nespeca, Winyah Bay/Pee Dee Project Director. “Black River Bluffs is a beautiful example of a well managed forest, where the traditional management practices of prescribed fire, forest harvesting, and wildlife management have shaped the ecological values of the property. Historically, the longleaf pine communities covered 90 million acres in the Southeast, only 3 million acres of this remarkable ecosystem remain.”

The protection of this tract with a conservation easement that includes a 100-acre bottomland hardwood preserve results in the preservation of approximately 2.5 miles of Black River frontage. The Black River has been designated a State Scenic River by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. In response to the news of the Black River Bluffs easement, Mary Crockett, a SC DNR planner and chair of the Scenic Black River committee said that "The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Black Scenic River Advisory Council support the Nature Conservancy and the riparian landowners for their work to preserve the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Black River riparian landscape for present and future generations to enjoy."

“The Nature Conservancy is extremely excited and honored to be able to assist with the stewardship of Black River Bluffs”, says Nespeca. “Mr. Coggeshall and Mr. Nichols are excellent examples of South Carolina landowners who recognize the importance of private conservation efforts.”