Our Work

The Katawba Valley Land Trust is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection of natural and cultural resources in the Catawba River Valley of South Carolina.  Since 1992, we have worked with landowners who wish to preserve their land through conservation easements, donation, or sale.  Many of our conservation efforts involve partnerships with local, state, or federal agencies and other non-government organizations.  We are supported financially by individual membership dues, support from our corporate partners, and grants. Our land protection focuses mostly in Lancaster, Chester and Kershaw counties in South Carolina.

Accomplishments

● KVLT became an accredited land trust in 2021 and has protected over 12,200 acres in five counties through conservation easements, acquisition, or transfer to other management agencies.

● Conservation education, including publication of several books, distribution of stunning photographs and post cards of our significant natural resources, research on wildlife species, public lectures, and environmental education efforts in the local schools are all part of the land trusts outreach efforts.

● KVLT conducts various outings and speaker series throughout the year to get people out into our natural environment.

● KVLT has made a firm commitment to being good stewards of the land we have protected, using national standards to monitor and manage our holdings and establishing a stewardship endowment to ensure perpetual care.

Conservation Through Partnerships

The Katawba Valley Land Trust has worked with numerous private, local, state and federal partners to accomplish conservation objectives in our 31-year history. Examples include:

● Expansion of the protected area around Landsford Canal State Park in Chester and Lancaster counties from 200 acres to over 1,400 acres through partnerships with private landowners and federal and state agencies. This now protects over 2000 linear feet along the Catawba River in this area.

● Creation of the of the Lindsay Pettus Greenway (in honor of KVLT’s creator), a necklace of green through the City of Lancaster along the major creeks, providing urban open space of over 350 acres through purchase and donation of land by numerous private property owners.

● Purchase of the Heritage Tract, an area of stunning natural beauty surrounding the reservoirs at Great Falls in Chester County, protecting over 2,000 acres and supporting new economic opportunities for this distressed community. This includes working with many entities, including Duke Power, to provide public access to the Whitewater areas on the Catawba River from Fishing Creek at the Nitrolee Access area,

● Protection of working family farms in Chester and York counties working with funding from the South Carolina Conservation Bank.  This has allowed the families to continue active farming through 4th and 5th generations.

● Protection of Revolutionary War Battlefields such including Battle of Waxhaws (also known as Buford’s Massacre), Battle of Camden and Battle of Hanging Rock.

● In partnership with The Nature Conservancy and state agencies, KVLT has worked to protect over 2,500 acres at the Forty-Acre Rock Heritage Site in eastern Lancaster County, home to unusual granite outcrops and a number of rare and endangered plant species.