Charleston County is considering spending more than $500,000 in Greenbelt funds to help a nonprofit buy just over three acres on Betsy Kerrison Parkway on Johns Island, land the Conservancy of the Sea Islands wants to turn into a hands-on conservation and volunteer hub. The county council is slated to vote on the funding Tuesday.
The project, known as the Stewardship & Sustainability Field Station, would support habitat restoration, oyster recycling, environmental education and volunteer projects, according to the Conservancy of the Sea Islands, as reported by Live 5 News. Collie Farah, the Conservancy's land preservation specialist, said the purchase would protect critical habitat in an area prone to development. Farah also said the field station would connect protected areas for wildlife, adding that the project aims to add conservation acreage and create more wildlife corridors.
Part of the plan includes growing sweetgrass for the Gullah Geechee community, with sweetgrass artisans expected to be able to harvest the plant on-site once the field station is established, per the same report. That detail echoes work at a separate Conservancy property known as The Gathering Ground, which features plants used in sweetgrass basket artistry and an Artisan Pavilion, according to the Conservancy of the Sea Islands.
A Race Against Developers
The Conservancy is aiming to buy the Betsy Kerrison Parkway land by the end of 2026 and hopes to open the property for volunteer events within five years, the station's report notes. The nonprofit says it competes with developers and others who can move faster to acquire properties, and Farah said the parcel will need cleanup and restoration before it is ready for community use if the funding comes through.
The full project is expected to cost about $1.4 million, with the Conservancy seeking funding from Charleston County and the Town of Kiawah Island, alongside the value of donated land, the outlet reported. Kiawah Island's town council is expected to vote on its share of the funding later in 2026. The Conservancy has also tapped the Town of Kiawah Island's Conservation Fund, which allows land trusts to obtain money for purchasing land or conservation easements, and Kiawah Island's application was reportedly the fund's first.
How Greenbelt Dollars Usually Work
The Charleston County Greenbelt Program was created in 2004 and is funded by the Transportation Sales Tax, according to ABC News 4. The program has previously funded similar Johns Island efforts, including the final 10.7-acre parcel for the Betsy Kerrison Nature Trail, which is to be acquired using $1,614,150 in Greenbelt funds alongside a $2,468,000 match; that tract was described as a natural buffer that would include low-impact walking trails and public access.
County council also approved nearly $5 million in Transportation Sales Tax funding for Greenbelt projects in November 2025, which officials said would help protect more than 1,781 acres, per the same outlet. Not every improvement on Greenbelt-funded land qualifies for that money, though — the Charleston County Greenbelt Program says funds may only support specified minor improvements that provide public access and use of conservation lands, while other improvements can be part of a project but must be funded separately.
Part of a Broader Johns Island Push
The Betsy Kerrison Parkway proposal is one of several land-preservation efforts moving through the county this year. In April, Lowcountry Land Trust sought $3,630,000 in Rural Greenbelt funds to buy roughly 97 acres at Humbert Woods on Johns Island, a proposal that would protect most of a nearly 103-acre tract while setting aside nearly six acres for affordable housing, according to Live 5 News.
County council also recently weighed over $1 million for a proposed Tupelo Trail on Johns Island, which would connect neighborhoods with county parks and green spaces and let residents walk or bike without a car, the station reported. Together, the projects point to steady demand for Greenbelt dollars on Johns Island, where a draft county transportation sales tax proposal described by the Kiawah Island Community Association would allocate $690 million, or 16.24% of the overall measure, to the Greenbelt Program.
