Project
Keep Johns Island Rural
Johns Island is the fourth largest island on the east coast of the United States. It is rich with history and natural beauty, but its future is in danger. The Coastal Conservation League seeks to protect Johns Island’s natural environment and way of life. We want to help spread the word about ways to celebrate and protect Johns Island’s rural assets!
Check out these upcoming events on Johns Island:
Johns Island Farmers Market: Every Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm at 3546 Maybank Hwy, Johns Island, SC
Looking for an opportunity to get involved with issues on Johns Island? Attend a Johns Island Council meeting to hear the latest from your community representatives! Meetings are at 7:00pm on the first Thursday of every month at the Berkeley Electric Building on Maybank Highway. Visit their website for more information: http://johnsislandcouncil.org/
Learn more about the Coastal Conservation League’s projects on Johns Island:
- US 17 & Main Road Intersection Improvements
- Maybank Highway Transportation Improvements
- I-526 Extension Opposition
- Johns Island Community Plan and Code
- Voluntary Agricultural and Forestal Areas
December 13, 2015 Update: The tree is safe for now thanks to more than 2,500 of you who signed the petition calling on the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to halt cutting down a healthy, 80-100-year-old live oak along River Road on Johns Island! The matter is not entirely settled, though. We will be back in touch as details develop. In the meantime, we encourage you to drop a note thanking SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall for suspending the plan to chop down this grand tree. Once again, we are so grateful for your support. We couldn’t do the work we do without you.
The developer of 1700-1744 River Road would like to put the entrance to his proposed apartment complex immediately across the street from the entrance of Fenwick Hall (where this tree currently stands), so as to avoid having to get a minor wetland fill permit. The developer is circumventing the City’s process for granting a tree removal (thus avoiding a public hearing) by going directly to the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT), claiming that the tree needs to be cut down immediately for safety reasons. The permit for the driveway was initially denied, and only on appeal did the SCDOT determine that this tree was endangering drivers and it must be removed. Basing this decision on statewide statistics of traffic fatalities (not statistics related to this tree or even Johns Island), the SCDOT is once again solving a termite problem by burning the house down. While safety is of utmost importance, there are numerous ways that we can address these concerns without clearcutting grand trees.
Please sign our petition to the SCDOT to save this historic tree.
Moreover, it is imperative that the entrance be at a different location on River Road in order to line up with the planned “pitchfork road” which will provide a parallel route to Maybank Highway, alleviating daily traffic congestion. But as mentioned, the developer wants to avoid dealing with a permit and has decided in order to convenience himself, he will scuttle plans for better road improvements that have been on the books for years and are ready for construction.
Know of an event, meeting, or proposal that threatens, protects, or celebrates rural Johns Island? Tell us!