Beaufort County land preservation program secures hundreds more acres

A Beaufort County land preservation initiative has secured large tracts of land in Bluffton and near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

The Moody family placed an easement on their 108-acre family farm in northern Beaufort County, according to a news release. The farm is located within the Air Station’s Air Installation Compatible Use Zone, where noise and safety are a concern.

The easement was bought by the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Land Preservation program and Air Station. More than 3,600 acres in conservation easements have now been secured by the land program and MCAS.

Beaufort County’s preservation program also bought two tracts of land totaling almost 110 acres in Bluffton. The land is part of a planned unit development known as Kent Estates at S.C. 170 and Davis Road.

Mature live oaks, hardwood forest and wetlands make up the property, according to the release. The land was bought in conjunction with the Beaufort County Stormwater Utility.

Part of the land will be used by the county to build a regional stormwater basin and two other basins to restore water quality in the Okatie River. The regional stormwater basin is partially funded by a federal grant of $792,000 the county received in late 2015.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Beaufort County land preservation program secures hundreds more acres."