About the Edisto Island Open Land Trust

 About Us


Home


About Us


Membership


Protected Properties


EIOLT Events

EIOLT News

 Acquisition Fund

Legacy Live Oaks


Conservation News

Easement Facts


Business Sponsors


Related Links

News & Notes

Help Us Go Over the Top  

Currently, there are almost 16,000 acres preserved on Edisto. Three-thousand additional acres will take us "Over the Top": more than 50 percent of Edisto preserved forever. Thanks to "heroes" like you, we are getting ever closer to our "Over the Top" goal. Want to help? We welcome your thoughts and support. Please call us at (843) 869-9004 to talk about how you can help us go "Over the Top."

New Board Member

R. Walter Hundley, an Edisto and Charleston resident, has been elected to the EIOLT Board of Directors. A workers' compensation attorney, he is a past Chair of the S.C. Workers Compensation Commission and recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, one of the two highest civilian honors awarded by the S.C. Governor.

Setting the Record Straight  

The spring issue of Tidal Tales inadvertently omitted Paradise Shrimp Farms of S.C., Inc., from the Honor Roll of Contributors. Our apologies. Their continuing generosity has included placing a conservation easement on their Highway 174 property in 2008, then selling it at below market value to EIOLT. EIOLT, in turn, sold it to conservation buyers. Thank you!

Board of Trustees

Executive Committee


Alex S. Crawford, Jr.
President & Chair
 

Robert E.
"Bobo" Lee, Jr.
Past
President

Fisher C. Walter, Jr.

Secretary

Charles E. Callahan
Treasurer


Staff


Executive Director:

Marian Brailsford

Marian Brailsford


Office Manager:
Ida Tipton

ida tipton
   

Trustees
Mark T. Crawford
Bobby Creech
Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Jr.
R. Walter Hundley
Pamela G. Jacobs
James O. Kempson
David L. Lybrand
Burnet Maybank III
I. Jenkins Mikell, Jr.
Chalmers W. Poston, Jr.
Sue H. Thorton
Ellen E. Unger
 



You are invited to
review EIOLT's

IRS Form 990

for 2008

LETTER
FROM THE Robert E. "Bobo" Lee, President
Past PRESIDENT

           Our annual Back to Nature Celebration was a tremendous success. I want to thank all of the staff, faithful volunteers and specialists that led the various activities. From all of the comments – and they have been plentiful – everyone had a wonderful time.
                                                                                                  
At the Legacy Live Oak Dedication, we were treated to an amazing talk by naturalist, Dr. Patrick McMillan.  As he talked about the decline of species, one could only imagine what it was like to have been here when the now-extinct Carolina parakeet inhabited the woods and fields, and prehistoric native people created the shell middens. Pat talked about the irreplaceable natural environment on Edisto and how many species, like the Painted Bunting and the Red Knot, have found refuge in the marshes, woods and fields here.

We live in a very special place and we have a responsibility to see that it remains a very special place.  We have made great progress thanks to the landowners (current and future) who protect their property via conservation easements and thanks to our members. But a lot of work remains and we continue to need your help and financial support

As Patrick put it, when you mention Edisto to people, smiles come to their faces.  Let's keep them smiling.


Thank you,
Robert E. Lee, Jr. President

LETTER FROM
THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTORMarian Brailsford, Executive Director, EIOLT

         I think that we are all, unavoidably, thinking about the economic times in which we live. Do you ever wonder how land protection impacts the economy?

A recent study by the University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business suggests that there is a direct link between the protection of our state’s natural resources (woods, waters and open space) and economic prosperity.  South Carolina’s natural resources currently provide 236,000 jobs and contribute $30 billion to the state’s economy.  Researchers predicted that “the wise use of our extraordinary assets, if preserved, will bring substantial growth to a variety of economies,” including recreation, tourism, forestry and sustainable agriculture.

Where does Edisto fit into this prosperity picture?  It mirrors the state's top industry, recreation and tourism.  You simply can’t find a more outstanding location for South Carolina's three most popular recreational activities -- bird watching, hunting/fishing/wildlife viewing, and beach swimming/sunbathing.  And Edisto is home to three farm markets – the trendy "eat local" movement has long been a way of life on Edisto.

The USC study corroborates what the Edisto community has long realized: Edisto’s future prosperity is tied to protecting our island’s agricultural heritage, its spectacular natural beauty and its irreplaceable ecosystems.  Saving Edisto was once a dream.  Now, thanks to you and all EIOLT members, it is rapidly becoming a reality.

            Thank you.

            Marian Brailsford

BOARD
COMMITTEES


Finance Committee
 
Chair: Charles E. Callahan

Members: 
Bobby Creech, I. Jenkins Mikell,Jr.;
Ellen E. Unger 


 

Land Protection Committee

Chair:  Burnet Maybanl III,

Members: Chalmers W. Poston, Jr. James O. Kempson,Jr.
Sue Thornton, Bo Bo Lee

Development Committee

Co-Chairs:  Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Jr.; Mark T. Crawford

Members: David L. Lybrand;
Fisher Walter
Pam Jacobs

    

Audit Committee

Chair: Bobby Creech   

Members: 
Pam Jacobs, Walter Hundley,

& Ellen Unger


 

Neighbors - and the places they do business - are coming together to save Edisto's cherished places.

Find out about
Business Sponsorship

EDISTO ISLAND OPEN LAND TRUST
P.O. Box 1
Edisto Island, S.C. 29438
(843)
869-9004
Fax: (843) 869-7820

eiolt@bellsouth.net
www.edisto.org


Home


About Us


Membership


Protected Properties


EIOLT Events


EIOLT News

 Acquisition Fund

Legacy Live Oaks


Conservation News

Easement Facts


Business Sponsors


Related Links