A senate RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS fiftieth ANNIVERSARY AND TO COMMEND the program FOR ITS MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to recognize the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program as it celebrates this important milestone; and

Whereas, Governor John C. West inaugurated the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program on February 27, 1974 by an executive order that created the Heritage Trust Advisory Board. The program's purpose is to inventory, evaluate, and protect the natural and cultural resources representative of the State's heritage; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Heritage Trust Act of 1976 made it a public policy of the State to secure the most significant natural and cultural resources for current and future generations; and

Whereas, the program was transferred from the Nature Conservancy to the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, the predecessor of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; and

Whereas, the program was the first of its kind in the nation to preserve and protect natural and cultural properties across the Palmetto State; and

Whereas, the program subsequently began a movement within the United States and across the Western Hemisphere for the creation of similar programs that protect significant natural areas; and

Whereas, to date, the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program still leads the way as the only program within the United States and across the Western Hemisphere that preserves both natural and cultural properties for current and future generations; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources or the State has acquired and dedicated a total of eighty-one properties, covering over one hundred thousand acres, as heritage preserves. Of the eighty-one heritage preserves, sixty-three of these are natural area preserves and eighteen are cultural preserves. An additional four properties totaling over two thousand five hundred acres have been placed under a conservation easement with Department of Natural Resources and dedicated as heritage preserves; and

Whereas, South Carolina is an environment of rich natural resources, including habitats for rare and critically imperiled species of global importance, and is home to diverse and vibrant cultures that have shaped the landscape since time immemorial, as revealed through archaeology and the historic record; and

Whereas, there is no other layer of protection equal to that of dedicated South Carolina Heritage Preserves. These places serve as a legacy for the future. They enhance the quality of life for the citizens of our State and encourage tourism to both natural areas and cultural sites across the State; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate greatly appreciate the dedication and commitment of the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program to serving the people and the State of South Carolina.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program upon the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary and commend the program for its many years of dedicated service to the people and the State of South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the director of the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program.

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