BEAUFORT, S.C. - Beaufort County has teamed with the federal government to protect land next to the Marine Corps Air Station against unwanted development.

The county paid $311,250 for 69 acres adjacent the base. The Department of Defense will reimburse the county half the cost of the easement.

"The goal is compatible land use," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Patrick Noonan. "We just want to permanently ensure compatible land use so we don't end up like Oceana."

Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va., faces encroachment problems that have interfered with pilot training.

A federal program started last year permits the Defense Department to partner with other organizations to buy buffer land or development rights around bases. The land must be used for conservation, not to expand the base, and property owners must agree to sell, Noonan said.

The Pentagon-mandated round of military base realignment and closure set for next year makes the purchase doubly important, Beaufort County Council Chairman Weston Newton said. "Efforts to protect and address encroachment are significant to the Pentagon," he said.

The purchase agreement allows the land to be used only for farming, recreational use, forestry, grazing and natural resources. The agreement also allows for the construction of a single-family guest house no larger than 1,500 heated square feet, a fish pond no larger than 3 acres, a tennis court for personal use and up to three additional barns no larger than 600 square feet and up to 40 feet in height.

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Information from: The Beaufort Gazette, http://www.beaufortgazette.com/