I sell real estate for a living, so trust me on this: the most valuable thing near a lot of Charleston homes is the land that will never be built on. This is the story of who keeps it that way, and why I send people their way.
Here is something most agents will not lead with. A large part of what you are paying for in the Lowcountry is not the house. It is the marsh across the street, the live oaks that will outlive all of us, the forest that keeps a subdivision from swallowing the horizon. That character is not an accident, and it is not guaranteed. Someone has to go out and permanently protect it, parcel by parcel, before it is gone.
Around Charleston, that someone is usually Lowcountry Land Trust. I am a fan. I point buyers, sellers, and anyone who will listen toward their work, and this page is my attempt to do that at full volume.
Who they are
Lowcountry Land Trust started in 1986 with a single 20-acre island on the Stono River. Since then they have permanently protected more than 167,000 acres across South Carolina’s 17-county coastal plain. Their mission, in their own words, is to protect land and water forever and connect the community to conservation. Forever is the operative word. A conservation easement does not expire when the next developer knocks.
This got personal for my side of the region on January 1, when the East Cooper Land Trust merged into Lowcountry Land Trust. East Cooper began life as a department of the Town of Mount Pleasant and spent years protecting places like Thornhill Farm in McClellanville and the land around Awendaw. So the group that has always looked after the East Cooper corridor, the one I live and work in, is now part of the largest land trust in the state. Same mission, more muscle.
The land around the new Awendaw park
If you read my field note on what Charleston is building, you saw that Charleston County Parks just acquired nearly 94 acres south of Awendaw for a future park. To be precise, that purchase was funded by the County Greenbelt Program and the GBSC Foundation, not a land trust. But here is why the park matters more than a park usually would: it sits inside a corridor that decades of conservation have already stitched together, hard against the Francis Marion National Forest.
That is the part a land trust makes possible. A park is worth more, and a neighborhood keeps its character longer, when the land around it is permanently spoken for instead of waiting on the next rezoning. Here is roughly where the future park sits, tucked between the town of Awendaw and the gateway to the national forest.
Approximate location only, for orientation. The exact parcel boundaries and public access will be set by Charleston County’s public design process. Forest and preserve shading comes from the base map, not a survey.
Why a REALTOR cares about this
Two reasons, and I will be honest about both. The first is genuine. I was raised to leave a place better than I found it, and permanent conservation is about the most concrete version of that I know.
The second is professional, and it is the one that should matter to you as a buyer or seller. Conserved land is one of the most underrated forces in real estate. Permanent green space next door does not flicker with the market. It buffers flooding, it protects the views and the quiet that people pay a premium for, and it cannot be turned into eighty townhomes the year after you close. When I walk a client through two similar homes, whether the open land nearby is protected or merely undeveloped is exactly the kind of thing I check quietly in the background. Undeveloped is a maybe. Protected is a promise.
None of this is a reason to overpay for a house. But if you are weighing two homes and one of them backs up to land a trust has permanently protected, that is a real, checkable advantage, and most buyers never think to look for it.
Support the work
I would rather you not just read this and move on. If any of it lands with you, the best thing you can do is back the people actually doing the work. I have no financial stake in this and no arrangement with them. I simply think they are worth your support.
- Donate. The most direct way to put more Lowcountry land under permanent protection.
- Get their updates. See what is being protected, in your inbox, and show up when it counts.
- Learn what they protect. Preserves like the Angel Oak and tens of thousands of acres you can go see for yourself.
- Own land you might want to protect? A conservation easement can carry real tax benefits. Talk to them about it, and loop me in if it touches a sale or a move.
Other groups doing this work
Lowcountry Land Trust is the one I know best, but they are far from alone. Here are other organizations protecting Lowcountry land and water that are worth your attention, and your support. I am not affiliated with any of them either. I just think the more people who know their names, the better.
Questions I get about this
Are you affiliated with Lowcountry Land Trust?
No. I am not affiliated with them, I am not paid by them, and they have not endorsed me. I am a REALTOR who admires their work and points people toward it. Everything on this page is drawn from public information.
Does conserved land really affect property value?
It can. Permanent open space, protected marsh, and forest buffers tend to support nearby values and hold neighborhood character over time, because that land cannot be redeveloped. It is not a guarantee, and it will not change a home’s flood zone on paper, but it is a genuine factor worth weighing.
I own land near Charleston. How do I protect it?
Start a conversation with Lowcountry Land Trust about a conservation easement. If protecting or selling land is part of a larger move for you, I am glad to help you think through how the two fit together.
The Lowcountry looks the way it does because people decided, on purpose, to keep some of it wild. If you are moving here, that is part of what you are buying into. It is worth protecting, and it is worth supporting the people who do.
Jennifer Dane is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Lowcountry Land Trust, and this page was not created on their behalf. Details about Lowcountry Land Trust, the East Cooper Land Trust merger, the future Awendaw park, and area conservation are drawn from public sources and were accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing; verify current details directly with the organizations involved. The map location is approximate and for orientation only. Nothing here is legal, tax, financial, or investment advice; conservation easements and their tax treatment are complex, so consult qualified professionals. This page is for general information only. Jennifer Dane is a licensed REALTOR® in South Carolina with eXp Realty LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.