Thank you for your continuous support of Katawba Valley Land Trust’s mission to protect the natural resources, cultural resources, open lands, waters and vistas of aesthetic value in the Catawba River Valley and the surrounding areas. We could not do this work without such incredible donors.
With our donors’ help, KVLT has now protected nearly 13,500 acres of land!
Significant accomplishments in 2023 include:
• In January, an easement was received on the Wrenn Tree Farm property in Lancaster County just east of Landsford on the Catawba River. This mitigation project involves the restoration of several stream sections. The bulk of the property (533 acres) is transferred for ownership to S.C. Parks, Recreation and Tourism. KVLT holds the easements on 260 acres related to the restored stream sections.
• In mid-January, KVLT hired a full-time land management specialist.
• For the spring semester, KVLT had a student intern from USC Lancaster.
• In March, the Nitrolee Access area, a KVLT-owned property, opened to the public, in conjunction with Duke Energy and other partners, providing public access by Fishing Creek to the Catawba River whitewater areas. In addition, KVLT manages the historic Nitrolee building on this property, which has been renovated and is now complete with interpretative signage and now open to the public.
• In June, KVLT filled a part-time administrative assistant position.
• In July, an easement was received on the Daus Knights Hill property in a rural section of Kershaw County north of Camden, S.C., off Pine Bark Road. The easement was donated and includes 1,010 acres of mixed habitat types, including a riparian corridor of Flat Creek. The easement was donated by Gray Daus in conjunction with a S.C. Coservation Bank bargain sale funding of $500,000. This has been KVLT’s largest easement donation to date!
• In October, an easement was recorded on the Blue Heron mitigation property located in Kershaw County, about 3 miles soutwest of Liberty Hill, S.C., off Wildlife Road in the vicinity of the Department of Natural Resources’ Liberty Hill Wildlife Management Area. The easement was donated by Resource Environmental Solutions and encompasses 149.78 acres along Singleton Creek and consists of a restored floodplain/wetland. The property is in a natural state, consisting of mixed pines and semi-upland/flood plain of hardwood woods composed of oaks and hickory, and various tree and shrub species.
• Improved technology with Little Green Light, a new constituent database, to help with membership and fundraising, and Landscape, a software program for land transactions and stewardship.
• KVLT continues to promote the Lindsay Pettus Greenway, where KVLT owns over 90% of the land on which it resides. KLVT was awarded a $57,000 grant from the S.C. Forestry Commission for habitat enhancement on KVLT-owned properties along the greenway, which will help with invasive species removal.
• KVLT continues to provide outdoor education/recreation activities to the public in addition to our evening speaker series, thanks to the Duke Energy Foundation.
Thank you for supporting KVLT! We could not accomplish our mission of land protection without your support.
We look forward to more great conservation projects in 2024.
Dr. Michelle Evans is executive director of the Katawba Valley Land Trust.
