Keep Conservation Bank going

The state Conservation Bank would no longer be the red-haired stepchild of state government under a funding plan that will go to a Senate committee today. The bill, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, would restore budget equity to a state agency that deserves it.

In recent years, the Conservation Bank has seen its budget zeroed out under a poison provision included in its enabling legislation by those who were less than enthusiastic about the bank's mission. Only by the efforts of legislative advocates like Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, has the bank received enough funding to survive.

Normally, the Conservation Bank could expect to receive about $12 million a year from the sale of documentary stamps purchased when land is sold, at least during a prospering economy. During this dismal fiscal year, the bank might have expected to receive less than $6 million, had not the poison provision kicked in.

As it was, the bank was lucky to get $2 million just to keep the doors open and pay a portion of its long-term land purchase obligations.

The bill, expected to be considered by the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today, would eliminate the deadly budget provision and provide the bank with dedicated funding it can depend on.

Virtually all the bank's funding goes to assist the preservation of property that is important as habitat, or for its scenic or historic value. In terms of personnel, it is the state's smallest agency, with only two staffers.

Nevertheless, the bank has made considerable contributions to South Carolina since it was first funded in 2004. It has helped preserve more than 150,000 acres and has done so at a fraction of the property's value, because of the bank's ability to use state funds to leverage other money for land conservation.

Much of its work has been where development presssures are great, including the coastal region. Its contribution was essential in restraining development along the historic Ashley River Road corridor. It helped purchase Morris Island and acreage in Four Holes Swamp.

The Conservation Bank has made similar contributions across the state. But the tenuous funding for the bank undermines the long-term commitments required to leverage land purchases, sometimes years in advance.

The Legislature should approve Sen. McConnell's adjustment for the Conservation Bank to provide a modest level of dedicated funding. It is essential if the bank is to continue its good work preserving important areas of South Carolina's natural and historic heritage.