Lowcountry Land Trust Inc

“Form 990 is reviewed by the ceo/president and controller, and reviewed and approved by the audit, finance and executive committees, and reviewed by the board of trustees prior to filing.”

“The board chair along with the board of trustees reviews the conflict of interest statements on an annual basis. Board and committee members identify and address potential conflict issues during meetings. During board and committee meetings the policy is enforced by the chair person. In the event of a potential conflict, the interested person shall recuse himself/herself from all discussions and votes on the matter.”

“The process for determining the salary of the ceo/president, officers, and other key employees is substantiated by reviewing the lta national salary survey, surveying local organizations, and is based on years of experience and expertise. After an annual review is performed by the board chair and another member of the executive committee, salary determination is documented and approved by the independent board of trustees.”

“SEE 15A”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon written request.”

“Land protection: during fy25, lowcountry land trust participated in fifteen conservation transactions. This includes ten new conservation easements protecting 1,295 acres, four fee-simple purchases protecting 146 acres, and one deed restriction on a .7-acre property. Fy25 land protection projects expanded across coastal south carolina, from the ace basin to the santee basin. On the outskirts of walterboro, a 561- acre tract was placed under a conservation easement, demonstrating the commitment of private landowners, nonprofits, and state government agencies to preserving cultural history and natural resources. The project helped create a contiguous protected landscape in colleton county, contributing to the quickly growing area's ecological integrity and aligning with lowcountry land trust's recently identified high-resilience zone near cottageville. In addition to acquiring 94 acres of vital farmland on johns island that will soon become publicly accessible via walking trails, field trips, farm stands, and educational programs about sustainable farming practices and land stewardship, lowcountry land trust bought, protected, and transferred three properties for community use and benefit. In partnership with charleston county park and recreation commission, a 35-acre tract in ravenel will serve as an official addition to caw caw interpretive center. In collaboration with the barrier islands little league, a 40-acre landmark project on johns island ensures that a vital green space will remain undeveloped, providing both active and passive recreational opportunities for the community. In partnership with the phillips community association and its residents, a .7 acre site will be transformed into a publicly accessible green space, with the preserved rutledge tomb at its centerpiece, providing a vital link to the area's plantation history and honoring the settlement community's relationship with the land. Lowcountry land trust also helped the red top improvement association conserve, interpret, and celebrate a culturally significant property, as part of its community lands program. Other fy25 conservation easement projects include permanently protecting 1.77 miles of direct river frontage along fee farm creek, adding to the nearly 14,340 acres of protected land along the ashepoo river and its tributaries protected by lowcountry land trust; safeguarding 20 acres of history and habitat in the ashley river historic district; conserving an entire undisturbed barrier island of 28 acres of upland habitat surrounded by 393 acres of salt marsh along the intracoastal waterway; and expanding the conservation easement of an ecologically rich and historically significant property located on the south santee river at the gateway to charleston county along both sides of u.s. Highway 17.”

“Community outreach: lowcountry land trust, as part of its soul of the lowcountry program, hosted a series of community outreach events in fy25 that encouraged all ages of environmental enthusiasts to engage in conservation. Free opportunities to immerse oneself in nature and learn about the importance of land protection and stewardship included events such as cleanups and yoga at the future angel oak preserve, wildlife samplings and oyster reef builds with the scdnr, nature walks and birding outings on protected and stewarded sites, and a kayak cleanup along the banks of the land trust's first-ever protected property. The organization also convened over 50 local conservation partners to host its third-annual lowcountry earth month, raising awareness about the various conservation initiatives/methods in the region.”

“Special events expenses 209,314 special events expenses -209,314”