Norfolk Southern Donates 12,488 Acres for Conservation Easement
CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Some of the most ecologically
significant land in the U.S. will be protected permanently from development
through a conservation easement donated by Norfolk Southern to the
Lowcountry Open Land Trust. The easement is thought to be one of the
largest in the Southeast and the largest ever by a corporation in South
Carolina.
Norfolk Southern, through two subsidiaries, has granted an easement on
12,488 acres of its Brosnan Forest timber and wildlife preserve near
Dorchester, S.C., 35 miles northwest of Charleston. The property is near
the 15,000-acre Francis Beidler Forest, which is owned and operated by the
National Audubon Society. Beidler Forest and the surrounding rural lands
make up a 450,000-acre watershed for Four Holes Swamp within the larger
Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto (ACE) Basin, one of the largest intact coastal
ecosystems on the East Coast.
"The rural character, natural resources, habitat, beauty, and unique
ecological character of the land will be preserved in perpetuity," said
Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman. "With our partners
at the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, all of us at NS are proud to do our part
in protecting the environment."
"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. "This tract is incredibly
significant from an ecological standpoint, both for the way it encompasses
the headwaters of the ACE Basin and its proximity to Francis Beidler
Forest. To that end, I would like to thank Norfolk Southern for this
donation and give real credit to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust for working
together over the past few years to make this happen."
The undeveloped land is the largest corporately held and privately
protected property in South Carolina. Brosnan Forest is especially
significant because it provides a protected habitat for 79 groups of the
endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker and serves as home to the largest known
and most researched population under single ownership on private land.
Norfolk Southern has participated in a Safe Harbor program through the
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to provide a protected
nesting area for the woodpecker since 1999. Additionally, the property is
designated an Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy and
National Audubon Society.
Brosnan Forest also includes more than 6,000 acres of longleaf pine
trees. Longleaf pines can grow to 120 feet tall and live up to 500 years.
The longleaf pine ecosystem, once one of the most extensive in North
America, is now among the most threatened. It currently occupies about 2
percent of its original coverage. This ecosystem is valued not only for its
aesthetic appeal, but also for its outstanding biodiversity. It has a
natural resistance to fire and insects and supports more than 30 threatened
or endangered plant and animal species.
Norfolk Southern and its predecessors have held much of the Brosnan
Forest lands for more than 160 years. The property straddles the historic
route of the Charleston-Hamburg Railroad line, the first steam-powered
railway in the United States and, at 136 miles, the longest in the world at
that time. The conservation easement will preserve Brosnan Forest's natural
and historic value by prohibiting subdivision and development of the
property.
Norfolk Southern will continue to own and manage the land under
easement as well as an additional 1,900 acres that are dedicated to
corporate meetings, agricultural and recreational purposes, and wildlife
management and research.
Will Haynie, executive director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust,
said, "This is one of the finest acts of corporate citizenship in the
history of our state. Not only has Norfolk Southern been a good steward of
these thousands of acres for more than 160 years, but they also are good
neighbors by forever preserving the rural character of this community. The
gift will benefit the residents of South Carolina for generations to come."
"It is impossible to overstate the significance of this remarkable
conservation gift toward the protection of the Four Holes Swamp ecosystem
and the Edisto River watershed," said Norman Brunswig, executive director
of Audubon South Carolina and manager of Francis Beidler Forest. "I have
driven past Brosnan Forest for more than 30 years hoping that it could be
preserved forever, and now it has been."
The Norfolk Southern donation brings the total easement acreage held by
Lowcountry Open Land Trust to 72,429 acres during the past 23 years. The
Lowcountry Open Land Trust is a land conservation organization based in
Charleston, S.C., that focuses on preserving rural land in the coastal
plain of South Carolina.
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier
transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates
approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia,
serving every major container port in the eastern United States and
providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern
operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North
America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.
Photos and maps available at:
Lowcountry Open Land Trust: http://www.lolt.org
Norfolk Southern Corporation: http://www.nscorp.com
SOURCE Lowcountry Open Land Trust
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Related links:
http://www.lolt.org
http://www.nscorp.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/626525.html /
CONTACT:
Will Haynie, Executive Director of Lowcountry
Open Land Trust, +1-843-577-6510
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