ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - Georgia’s most populated barrier island is protecting a slice of it valuable maritime forest from development.
The 3.1 acres (1.25 hectares) bordering the marsh on St. Simons Island form one of the few undeveloped tracts remaining on the island’s south end.
The St. Simons Land Trust announced it has acquired the property to add to more than 1,000 acres the group already has in conservation, The Brunswick News reported. The group’s board chairwoman, Susan Shipman, said a recent appraisal showed four private homes could have been built on the property. She said an anonymous donor helped the group acquire the land.
“The forest, and the marsh upland interface, harbor species of concern such as painted buntings and diamondback terrapin,’’ said Shipman, who noted that undeveloped maritime forest is becoming rarer not just on St. Simons Island but along the southern Atlantic U.S. coast.
More than 12,000 people live on St. Simons Island near Brunswick. Two lots for sale along the island’s marsh have been listed recently for $695,000 and $895,000.
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