Historic deal protects 4,400 acres of unspoiled land north of Beaufort
In what is being described as one of the most significant land protection efforts in U.S. history, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises has donated a conservation easement to protect more than 4,000 acres of unspoiled land and waterfront north of Beaufort.
The easement will protect 4,400 acres at Clarendon Farms, one of the last major unprotected tracts in rapidly developing Beaufort County.
The protected land includes 40 miles of shoreline along the Broad and Whale Branch rivers and on nine islands and several hammock islands, which are small pieces of elevated, forested land in the salt marsh. Another 1,300 acres of upland forest will be saved from bulldozers as well.
Clarendon anchors a vital ecological landscape connecting the ACE Basin to the Savannah River, one of the most biodiverse and ecologically important regions on the East Coast, said Ducks Unlimited, the waterfowl and wetland conservation organization that will steward the easement.
Clarendon Farms, once known as Clarendon Plantation, is located west of U.S. Highway 21 off Clarendon Road, about 15 miles north of Beaufort.
It’s a beloved retreat of the Cox family of Cox Enterprises of Atlanta, a family-owned conglomerate with $23 billion in annual revenues. The company owns Cox Communications (broadband) and Cox Automotive (AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim).
Cox has fully donated the easement to Ducks Unlimited, which has one of the country’s largest land trusts. The easement will prevent the prime real estate from being developed.
“You’ve got a corporate landowner that could have sought development options on the property,” Emily Purcell, director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited’s southeast region, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. “Instead, they fully donated the easement to do the right thing for conservation.”
The specific value of the easement was not released, but Ducks Unlimited estimated it to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, calling it “one of the most significant conservation easements ever recorded in United States history” based on the value of the development rights that Cox gave up.
“At one time, this property could have been over 4,500 homes plus commercial space, so it’s a pretty awesome thing they decided to do,” Purcell said.
The announcement was made at the site Tuesday at a luncheon attended by Gov. Henry McMaster.
“Clarendon is a treasure, and we’re excited to know that it will be protected and undeveloped so future generations can see it and enjoy it as we have been doing for decades,” Alex Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises, said in a news release.
Protected habitat ranges from historic rice fields to quiet ponds to tidal marshes to forested wetlands, Ducks Unlimited said. The wetlands provide essential habitat for green-winged and blue-winged teal, wood ducks, mallards, pintails, gadwall, wigeon, ring-necked ducks and mottled ducks.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 2:47 PM.
