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With the rapid growth occurring in the Catawba River Valley in South Carolina, many are becoming concerned about preserving the remaining natural areas, historic and archaeological resources, farmland, and scenic vistas before they are lost to urban sprawl. The Land Trust is one way that volunteers can work together to protect and conserve our heritage through voluntary action.
The Land Trust works directly with land owners. All of our transactions are strictly voluntary actions on the part of concerned private property owners. As a private organization, the Trust has no regulatory authority.
The Katawba Valley Land Trust can protect land through several means:
- Donation. In many cases, property owners have donated parcels of land to the Trust to be protected as part of a greenway or natural area. Property owners may receive a tax deduction for the value of the donation.
- Conservation Easement. The Land Trust can negotiate easements on property with a willing land owner. The owner voluntarily gives up certain development rights, and the Land Trust agrees to protect the land in perpetuity.
- Purchase. Although the Trust has limited funds, in some cases land is purchased for protection.
- Transfer. In some situations, the Trust will secure the right to purchase land to take it off the market, and then arrange for its purchase by a private or public agency for public use.
The Katawba Valley Land Trust also undertakes educational and public interest activities and sometimes initiates studies of the historic, archaeological, and natural resources of the Catawba River Valley in order to better understand them and support their protection.
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Organizations