Public meeting offers residents chance to discuss green spaces

Wanted in Columbia County: landowners interested in having their property preserved.

On Monday, the Columbia County Greenspace Committee will have a public meeting to talk all about it.

"This will be our first real interaction with property owners," said Dr. Gwen Wood, the committee's chairwoman.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Savannah Rapids Pavilion on Evans to Locks Road. It will detail why and how the committee wishes to acquire and preserve the county's green space.

Means for acquisition include conservation easements, land trusts and donations, which could mean tax breaks for landowners. Outright purchases also are a possibility.

The drive to preserve county green space was initiated last year after Gov. Roy Barnes set up a statewide Greenspace Program, aimed at protecting natural resources in Georgia's rapidly growing counties.

Columbia County has already won approval for more than $1 million to preserve 20 percent of its green space.

The following four areas have been designated as areas in the county that the local committee would like to see preserved: Savannah River Conservation Area and Greenway, floodplain greenways, Martinez-Evans open space, northwest conservation area and historic/natural resources.