Celebrating 25 Years of Conservation!
Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy
Back in the late 1990s the permanent loss of green space and wildlife habitat resulting from the anticipated buildout of the Island was recognized by the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association (SIPOA). SIPOA took action to preserve undeveloped land as green space by establishing the non-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable corporation that is the Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy. Through tax deductible donations and fundraising, Green Space has made it possible to preserve and enhance the natural environment on the Island.
Over the last 25 years our Green Space Conservancy has played an active role in conservation efforts by initiating and facilitating the transfer to SIPOA of 46 properties totaling 32 acres with permanent conservation easements on Seabrook Island. The conserved properties are spread across the Island, but the biggest tracts are very noticeable. The ponds at Bohicket Place across from the Lake House were conserved in 2000, followed the next year by the Horseshoe Creek Tract with three ponds on Jenkins Point. In 2004, SIPOA supported the purchase and conservation of the “Tree Canopy” along Seabrook Island Road’s bike path. Several years later almost six acres of horse pasture were purchased for a bargain price and in 2015 the four-acre Nancy Island was conserved. Individual property owners continue to donate or sell lots for conservation.
As the actual buildout of Seabrook Island is becoming a reality, Green Space’s mission will continue to focus on preserving and enhancing the natural environment on the Island, providing informational programs on environmental topics and advocating for conservation.
The benefits of green space are many: wildlife habitat, aesthetic beauty, flood control, improved water and air quality and noise abatement. The support of conservation by the community has made Seabrook Island a greener place for all of us to live. To learn more about SIGSC, click here.
To learn about all of the special interest groups on Seabrook Island, go to tidelinesblog.com, click on “Do You Know” from the drop-down menu, and select “About Special Interest Groups”.
-Submitted by Susan Leggett for Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy
(Image credit: Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy)