In South Carolina, gopher tortoises are about as scarce as a non-sweltering day in July. Only a few populations remain and, for that reason, opportunities to protect known habitat for them in the state don’t come around very often. However, such an opportunity arose late last year.
In December, the Aiken Land Conservancy (ALC) fielded an interesting call. The director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank (SCCB) came upon a listing for a property adjacent to the Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve (AGTHP). The AGTHP, managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), is home to the northernmost population of gopher tortoises anywhere in their range, along with several other listed species such as red-cockaded woodpeckers, Bachman’s sparrows, and Eastern coral snakes. The property next door had longleaf pine, wiregrass and, importantly, gopher tortoises but, if it got into the wrong hands, all of that could be lost.
The SCCB director asked whether ALC could buy the property, hold it, and then ultimately transfer it to SCDNR to be added to the AGTHP. This would be a gamble and would require a successful grant award of more than a million dollars, but ALC agreed to try. Back in the late 2000’s, ALC successfully added over 130 acres to the Preserve, so there was a precedent at least, despite the many unknowns.
Many phone calls, project hiccups, and over $20,000 in due diligence expenses later, ALC was ready to buy the property, known as the Korn Tract, contingent upon a grant from the SCCB. Fortunately, they received a grant of $1,090,000 to cover the purchase price in spring of this year and were able to close on the Korn Tract in July.
ALC will hold the property until SCDNR completes its many processes to be able to purchase it from them. In the meantime, ALC has made the property available for guided hikes as well as for scientific research for entomologists, herpetologists, and botanists.
In a year or so, the Korn Tract will be transferred to SCDNR and incorporated into the AGTHP, boosting the size of the preserve to over 2,000 acres. The fire-craving wiregrass and longleaf pines will be managed with prescribed fire, and the property will be made accessible to the public. Plus, and this is important, multiple listed species, including a few fortunate gopher tortoises, will never have to worry about their home going away.