Public Access Preserve
51.73 acres
Funded by the Charleston County Greenbelt Program and SC Conservation Bank
Maxcy Farm Nature Preserve is currently under development and not yet open to the public.
Maxcy Farm Nature Preserve sits prominently on the corner of Edisto Island National Scenic Byway and Maxie Road near the center of Edisto Island. This former tomato farm is being converted by EIOLT into a grassland habitat preserve, experimental/incubator farm, community agricultural space, and passive park.
On Maxcy Farm Nature Preserve, we plan to provide public access through walking trails for wildlife watching, exercise, and learning. Beyond that we are undertaking efforts to restore native plant diversity back to it tired fields in order to bolster local habitat for pollinators, grassland birds, and threatened and endangered species. We also intend to establish a community garden, food forest, and sweetgrass plot for use by Edisto Island residents. Lastly, in honor of Edisto Island’s agricultural heritage and economy, we intend to keep at least 14 acres of land in active agriculture for lease/use by local farmers, especially for new and beginning farmers and experimentation with specialty commodity crops.
