The State Ports Authority plans to donate $1 million to ensure the northern end of Morris Island ends up in public hands, and the nonprofit group working on the deal is now within 85 percent of its fundraising goal.

The donation is just part of the Ports Authority's larger, multi-million dollar effort to offset the ill effects from building a new shipping terminal in North Charleston. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers weighed this donation during its in-depth study of the new terminal, which is due out today.

The Trust for Public Land has been trying to raise $5 million to buy the Morris Island property, which lies just south of Fort Sumter, and to study how best to provide public access there.

David Agnew, chairman of the trust's state advisory board, said the ports' $1 million donation is a significant step.

SPA President Bernard Groseclose said the contribution made sense because of the island's rich history and its environmental sensitivity.

"It is also part of one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast and a critical habitat for numerous migratory birds and several endangered species," he said. "We believe the support of this worthy campaign is simply the right thing to do for this community, and for this project."

In February, developer Bobby Ginn of The Ginn Co. announced that he had bought the island and agreed to resell it to the Trust for Public Land for $4.5 million, $2.3 million less than he paid for it.

The closing date for the deal had been set for Feb. 2, 2007, but both Ginn and the trust now expect it to occur in April.

Slade Gleaton, state director of the Trust for Public Land, said his group currently has $4.25 million in commitments, including $1.5 million from the S.C. Conservation Bank, $1.5 million from the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and $250,000 from private donors.

Gleaton said the island ultimately could be owned by the city of Folly Beach and the PRC, with the city entering into a long-term management agreement with PRC for the island's maintenance.

Gleaton said the trust has begun discussions on the island's future, and it has talked with the National Park Service, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the Coastal Conservation League, and the cities of Charleston and Folly Beach, among others.

The property played a significant role in the Civil War. It was involved in the initial bombardment of Fort Sumter and was the site of an 1863 battle in which Confederate troops staved off an attack led by the all-black 54th Massachusetts Regiment. That battle was the climactic scene of the movie "Glory."