The parent property “Buckfield” – once a large timber tract on the edge of Yemassee and straddling Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties – has been a target for land protection for more than 15 years. As a whole, the property provides a critical link between the ACE Basin and the Savannah River. The Open Land Trust easement on this 2,064-acre property, which was originally part of the larger Buckfield assemblage adds to the multi-phased purchase of the nearby 12,000-acre Slater and other Buckfield properties by partner conservation organizations Open Space Institute and the Nature Conservancy. The 12,000-acre assemblage on the parent Slater/Buckfield properties will be transferred to the State of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to become the state’s newest Wildlife Management Area – public land available for hunting, hiking, fishing, and nature study.
