Conservation Bank leads way

Already, the preservation campaign for Morris Island has been notable for the strong public support it has generated. That support should translate into a successful fund-raising campaign to cover any needed shortfall in the island's $4.5 million purchase price.

Post and Courier reporter Robert Behre noted in his Monday column that federal assistance is being sought and that greenbelt funding may be available from the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission. The PRC is getting a portion of the county's half-cent sales tax for greenbelts, and its director Tom O'Rourke looks favorably on the project.

Though zoning on the island would sharply limit development, sentiment is strong to keep the island free from any change in recognition of its historical associations with the Civil War as well as its existing pristine state. Fortunately, that sense is shared by the developer Bobby Ginn, who is willing to sell the island to the Trust for Public Land at a $2.3 million loss. The sale is scheduled for completion next February.

The preservation campaign for Morris Island has come close to achieving its goal before, only to fall short. Surely now the goal can be reached by systematic exploration of public resources for the project and an earnest fund-raising effort to make up the difference.

The contribution of the state Conservation Bank should spur those efforts.

The allocation is further confirmation of the value of the bank as an agent for the preservation of valuable natural resources and of traditional land uses that are threatened by development.

Last year, the bank was instrumental in leveraging support for limiting development on 12,000 acres in rural Charleston and Dorchester counties, including Poplar Grove and a portion of the historic Ashley River Road corridor.

Its assistance with Morris Island should prove equally key to the preservation of the barrier island and the transfer of its title to the public realm.