2010-01-29
Beaufort County Conserves Land on the Okatie Headwaters
Beaufort County Council plans to strengthen its protection of the headwaters of the Okatie River through the preservation of two parcels of undeveloped land on Barrel Landing Road.
The purchases were approved at Monday’s council meeting. The two adjoining properties include 2,500 linear feet of frontage along the marshes of the Okatie and total 12.66 acres. They lie in close proximity to a 31-acre site acquired by the County in 2000. The purchases are being negotiated through the County’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program for $2, 386,500. The County has saved a total of nearly 200 acres near the Okatie headwaters.
Weston Newton, Chairman of Beaufort County Council, said the purchase continues the County’s commitment to protect our waterways and other important natural resources. “These two important conservation transactions reflect the mission of the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program by protecting open space and natural resources for our citizens for generations to come.”
The agreement was negotiated by the non-profit Conservation Consulting Company. The two purchases bring the total number of acres protected by the County to more than 17,275. The County has invested more than $73 million in property worth more than $125 million on the open market. The County’s land preservation program was approved for $ 90 million in funding by voters in two referenda during the past decade.