The Central Savannah River Land Trust (CSRLT) is bringing back one of its signature events to help preserve a hidden gem among Columbia County’s preserved tracts.
Sugarberry Hill is a 344-acre estate at 712 Blanchard Road, adjacent to Blanchard Woods Park, that was used by the Dorn family to raise cattle. Laverne Dorn, who passed away in 2022, bequeathed the property to the Land Trust, preserving its use from outside developers.
CSRLT, founded in 2001, with then-future Augusta mayor Deke Copenhaver as its first director, is a nonprofit agency that helps landowners protect their properties development, such as through conservation easements, covenants and other legal means.
Now that it owns the Sugarberry Hill property, CSRLT is exploring its options on how to put the land to community use.
“We’re not sure exactly where we’ll go with it, but we want to be able to use it to enhance the community while keeping the property, wooded and wild like it is. It’s got everything from wildlife to very interesting array of native flowers and plants in the wetlands down along Euchee Creek,” said CSRLT board member Rob Pavey. “it’s going to be managed for timber. Any parcel that big has to be, but we don’t really know what it wants to what it’ll be when it grows up.”
The Land Trust is organizing the Sugarberry Bash, a fundraising event to help meet the cost of maintaining the property, on which sits only the former Dorn house — now used partly as CSRLT offices — and a cattle barn.
“The Land Trust, historically has done an oyster roast and cookout once a year for many years,” Pavey said, referring to Bash on the Banks, an event CRSLT hosted at the River Island subdivision. “After Covid, and then Helene, we just haven’t had a fundraiser like this, so this is sort of our effort return to doing that.”
Attendees will be able to enjoy live music, cocktails from an open bar, a tour of the home and the opportunity to explore the grounds. There will also be a pig is roasted on the grill, and, of course, roasted oysters.
“This event coming up is maybe a first production inviting the public to sort of see what we have out here,” Pavey said. “Just so they know it’s there.”
The Sugarberry Bash is on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 4 pm. Interested parties can find tickets via https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-sugarberry-bash, or contact the CSRLT office.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
