Charleston County Council this month took up a request to put greenbelt money behind the Conservancy of the Sea Islands' plan to buy about three acres on Betsy Kerrison Parkway. The county weighed more than $500,000 in greenbelt funds for the purchase.
What the hub would do.
The Conservancy describes the site as a stewardship hub for the sea islands: a working base for habitat restoration, oyster recycling, education programs and wildlife corridor work between protected lands.
Why it matters.
Betsy Kerrison Parkway is one of the longest rural roadways left in the Charleston area, running from Maybank Highway toward Kiawah Island. Greenbelt purchases are the county's main tool for holding that corridor open, and a stewardship hub would put a conservation presence directly on the island.
The request was among several island greenbelt items before the council this fall. The county's greenbelt program buys land and conservation easements across Charleston County, funded in part by the transportation sales tax renewal voters approved on November 3.