HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) -- Nearly 1,000 acres threatened by development on two South Carolina sea islands have been preserved.
The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports that a total of four parcels on Hilton Head and St. Helena islands have been protected with conservation easements and land purchases totaling $5 million.
Under conservation easements, property owners waive any development rights.
On Hilton Head Island, the town and Beaufort County bought 19 acres in one of the last undeveloped parcels still under single ownership.
The St. Helena Island land includes 92 acres of Penn Center property used for hay production and livestock grazing. The Penn Center is the site of one of the first schools in the nation for freed slaves.
Officials say 326 homes could have been built on the four tracts.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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