St. Simons Land Trust

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St. Simons Island is one of four islands on the southern coast of Georgia known as the Golden Isles. Simons is known for its stately live oaks, abundant salt and fresh water marshes, meandering creeks and rivers, and rich history. Spotted seatrout, redfish, flounder and tarpon are abundant in the creeks and near shore waters. And, just offshore is the calving ground for the North Atlantic Right Whale - the world's most endangered great whale. Simons is also a favorite destination for vacationers. Like so many coastal areas, St. Simons experienced a population boom in the 1990s. Recognizing that the uniqueness of this barrier island would continue to attract new residents and thus be heavily impacted by development, the St. Simons Land Trust was born. Recognition is given to the vision of local leaders such as Ben Slade III, Frances McCrary, and Jim and Jeannie Manning who were the Land Trust's founding members, and the organization's first Executive Director, Catherine Main, who operated the Land Trust out of her home until 2001 when an office was opened on Frederica Road. The St. Simons Land Trust has become a community institution entrusted with an extraordinary responsibility: to protect our scenic and historic treasures and to preserve the beauty and charm of our island for generations to come. Since those early days, the Land Trust has preserved more than 1,200 acres (and another 200 acres in a nearby county). The first parcel of land protected was the Gilbert property on Frederica Road, now the site of the popular John Gilbert Nature Trail which was opened to the public in 2006. Like more than 1,600 land trusts across the country, the SSLT works with willing property owners to preserve their land using tools that include: conservation easements, donations of land and outright purchases of land through tax advantaged "bargain sales." We are guided in our work by our most recent strategic plan for land conservation on the island that has established target areas for our work and priorities for transactions.