Dana Bauer outlines goals, funding and Gregory Neck conservation for Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape

Dana Bauer, coordinator for the South Carolina Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape Partnership, told a Beaufort County forum that the federally coordinated program aligns military readiness, conservation and working-land objectives across a landscape that spans more than 2.2 million acres.

"The Sentinel Landscape Partnership is a partnership between the Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior," Bauer said, describing the program as a way to "advance sustainable land management, strengthen military readiness and support natural-resource protection." She said Sentinel Landscapes are anchored by at least one high-value military installation and that the Lowcountry designation creates new opportunities for coordination and funding.

The presentation laid out aggregated funding flows the partnership has helped attract across Sentinel Landscapes, which Bauer said include roughly $335,000,000 in USDA funds, $233,000,000 from the Department of Defense and $92,000,000 from the Department of the Interior, alongside state, local and private matches. Bauer also emphasized DOD's REPI (Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration) program as a tool that can provide non-federal match capacity and generate cross-agency collaboration.

Bauer highlighted the landscape's conservation value and infrastructure connections: she said about 58% of land within the Sentinel Landscape boundary is recognized at a national conservation priority level, the Savannah River supplies drinking water to more than 500,000 residents and military installations, and 55% of South Carolina's salt marsh falls within the boundary.

One of the presentation's focal points was Gregory Neck, a 4,400-acre property at the mouth of Port Royal Sound in Jasper County that The Nature Conservancy purchased and moved to permanent protection through a conservation easement. "That happened through funding from the DOD REPI program," Bauer said, and she listed the public and private contributions used to secure the protection: $2,000,000 from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, $1,000,000 from the Beaufort County green space program and $4.5 million donated by The Nature Conservancy.

"It's notable because it was the first Beaufort County green space project of its kind and demonstrates cross-jurisdictional conservation funding," Bauer said, describing the acquisition as a keystone for protecting water quality and habitat connectivity under military flight corridors.

Bauer also described ongoing coastal-resilience and living-shoreline efforts in partnership with local groups and funders: an Oyster Castle reef installation at Laurel Bay to address erosion near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort housing, marsh restorations at sites adjacent to Parris Island funded through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA grants, and multi-state salt-marsh capacity work under the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative.

She said a Military Installation Resilience review funded by DOD's Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation identified pilot projects, and the Shellpoint interchange (the US-21 ramp to Parris Island) is moving to scoping and a 60% design phase to address shoreline stabilization, flood management and habitat restoration.

Bauer closed by describing a Beaufort Conservation District needs assessment of small farmers (with outreach to 25 farmers focused on BIPOC producers) and next steps such as technical-assistance support, farm-tool-share ideas and pursuing infrastructure funding for regional distribution and cold storage.

Kate Schafer of the Oakland Land Trust thanked Bauer and encouraged continued collaboration: "If you're wondering why this matters to a city planner, the coordination supports the military, conservation, and resilience partners and helps attract more funding," Schafer said.

The forum participants invited continued conversations, and Bauer shared contact information and the Sentinel Landscapes web page for those seeking more details. The presentation concluded with questions about steering-committee composition and opportunities to share Bauer's materials with members.