Mast General Store Hosts Land Trust Day – June 3
May 26, 2017
On Saturday, June 3, the Mast Stores in Columbia will welcome Congaree Land Trust (CLT) to the store in celebration of Land Trust Day. Volunteers will answer questions about CLT and will offer information about the benefits of protecting land. Mast will donate 20% of the day’s sales to support CLT’s conservation efforts.
The Congaree Land Trust works to conserve natural and scenic lands, farms, waterways, forests, and open spaces in central South Carolina, while supporting traditional land uses such as agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. The CLT works in 13 counties: Newberry, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Saluda, Lexington, Richland, Sumter, Orangeburg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Williamsburg, and Bamberg.
More than 72,000 acres, representing 150 individual properties, have been preserved since CLT’s inception in 1992. Their focus is to support economic vitality, promote healthy lifestyles, safeguard drinking water and air quality, and protect quality of life. Natural resources are tied to industries such as farming, forestry, outdoor recreation and tourism which provide significant revenue to the state and are included in the land trust’s focus.
The land trust movement started in the 1970s and gained momentum in the 1980s as urban sprawl began to develop at an ever-increasing pace, overtaking open spaces and farmland. In fact, according to the Farmer’s Business Network, via USA Today, “The US Department of Agriculture estimates that 144,792 farms have disappeared across the US in the past decade.” Our land trust partners help preserve many local farms.
Land Trust Day is an important day at Mast General Store. Employees believe in the mission of CLT and are proud to support land conservancy, clean water, and scenic beauty. Lisa Cooper, president of Mast General Store, appreciates the impact that CLT has on the local community. “Mast hopes that our support of Land Trust Day encourages awareness of the work of land trusts. It is not only important to our physical and mental health, but also to our economic well-being.”
A land trust can help individuals, families, businesses, and communities take steps to ensure that the land is there for us, our children, and our children’s children. The impact of their work can help family farms remain productive and in the family or ensure that the habitat for a rare species of plant will remain intact.
Stop by the Mast Stores in Columbia on June 3 to learn more about what the Congaree Land Trust is doing in the local area and how you can get involved. For more information about Land Trust Day, visit www.MastGeneralStore.com or about the CLT , click on www.congareelt.org.
