Sullivan's Island seeks plan for maritime forest

Sullivan's Island officials have agreed on the top candidate to develop a management plan for the island's rapidly accreting land, but that's just the first step in dealing with an issue that has long been contentious.

Town Council and two members of the Sullivan's Island Planning Commission voted unanimously to pursue a contract with Coastal Science & Engineering in an attempt to find a scientific, objective road map based on the community's vision for 90 acres of public land protected from development.

Residents on the island have been split on whether they should interfere with the maritime scrub shrub forest that blocks oceanfront homeowners' beach views or leave the land as it is.

In a 2006 baseline study of the land, its authors, College of Charleston professors Norm Levine and Charlie Kaufman, said a plan of nonintervention would provide more storm protection than clear-cutting vegetation or other invasive measures.

Council member Everett Presson told consultant candidates Dec. 13 that the community was at loggerheads on the issue.

"Some people want a maritime forest and some people don't," he said. "Is there any answer on that?"

Mayor Pro Tem Pat O'Neil said he thinks the community at-large agrees on maximizing the land's potential for protecting the island from hurricanes, tidal surges and erosion.

He would like to see a plan that includes educational information on the barrier island's ecosystem, perhaps a path that identifies plant and wildlife species within the protective dunes, "so it's no longer just something between your car and the beach, but rather an opportunity to enjoy and learn about natural ecology of a Carolina barrier island," O'Neil said.

Deed restrictions written with an easement through the Lowcountry Open Land Trust in 1991 prohibit residential and commercial development, but left as an option managing the land for safety and other purposes such as scenic enhancement, educational programs and public health.

Mayor Carl Smith is the only member of the current council and the council of 1991 that placed the oceanfront property in a public trust. Since the land is public, the consultant will play an important role in soliciting citizen input on management plans.

Council hopes to involve residents early in the process thereby increasing chances at finding some consensus, Councilman Mike Perkis said.

Perkis said the ideal solution would be one that protects the dune structure, offers some relief to beachfront property owners and still attracts wildlife typical of a maritime forest.

It would be a plan to offer something for everyone.

"Can we get there?" Perkis said. "We don't know. That is why we are asking these people."