Two land protection groups have engineered the preservation of about 1,700 acres of swamps and woodlands in South Carolina that will eventually become a state forest in the Lowcountry near Interstate 95.
The land being preserved in Beaufort County is significant because it runs between two major protected areas, the ACE Basin and the Coosawhatchie Heritage Preserve, according to a map released Thursday by the Open Space Institute and the Open Land Trust.
The Open Space Institute acquired the land in what it says is part of a larger property protection effort in the Lowcountry. In addition to the 1,742 acres announced for protection Thursday, additional land totalling about 1,100 acres is targeted for preservation in the area. Those deals are expected to be finalized by next spring…