Partners establish future county park along the Ashley River

Lowcountry Land Trust and Dorchester County Government announced the permanent protection of the Barry Tract, a 67-acre property along the historic Ashley River Road National Scenic Byway. The Land Trust has officially recorded a conservation easement and transferred ownership of the property to the county, ensuring its transformation into a passive public park that will provide residents and visitors with recreational access to the State Scenic Ashley River.

The Barry Tract plays an imperative role within a larger network of protected lands. To date, Lowcountry Land Trust has conserved 17,450 acres across Dorchester County and 2,047 acres within the Ashley River watershed. Protecting the Barry Tract’s 67 acres of woodlands, wetlands, tidal streams, and trails strengthens the region, helping to reduce storm surge impacts, minimize erosion, support fisheries and wildlife habitat, and enhance recreation and education opportunities. Its coastal fringe maritime habitat, which is increasingly rare across the Southeast, supports migratory birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, while its 31 acres of coastal wetlands reinforce the integrity of the Ashley River Historic District.

Bounded by the State Scenic Ashley River to the north and the Ashley River Road National Scenic Byway to the south, the tract lies within both the Ashley River Blue Trail and the Ashley River Heritage Trail. Its protection advances multiple regional priorities, recognized as a “highest priority area” in the South Carolina Conservation Bank’s State Conservation Priority Map and identified for its exceptional ecological impact in the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative’s Conservation Blueprint. Archaeological studies have also uncovered remnants of an 18th-century settlement of enslaved people, later reoccupied by phosphate workers in the 19th century, further deepening the property’s historical and cultural significance.

The project was the first-ever to be awarded funding from the newly established Dorchester County Greenbelt Program. Additionally, trustee and Atlantic Packaging president, Wes Carter, saw the Barry Tract as an opportunity to contribute to the acquisition and subsequent protection of the property as a voluntary mitigation of Atlantic Packaging’s land use footprint. Both Atlantic Packaging and Dorchester County’s partnership, combined with financial support from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant, the Ceres Foundation, and the Dorchester Trust Foundation, enabled Lowcountry Land Trust to acquire it, protect it, and transfer it for public benefit.

“Protecting the Barry Tract reflects our commitment to safeguarding the Lowcountry’s most imperative natural and cultural resources,” said Matt Williams, president and CEO at Lowcountry Land Trust. ”We’re grateful for the partnerships that made this possible and proud to ensure this landscape will serve the community for generations to come,”

“We are proud that we had the opportunity to join forces with our local partners to protect the Barry Tract through our Greenbelt Program funding,” said Dorchester County Chairman David Chinnis. “With this tract protected, the County’s Greenbelt Program has now funded the conservation of almost 2,600 acres of land in Dorchester County. With the land transferred to the County, there will be opportunities for public access on this site to further benefit our residents.”

“We applaud the efforts of Lowcountry Land Trust and Dorchester County to finalize the protection of this property and position it for the much-anticipated public river access,” said Raleigh West, Director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank.