The federal government has awarded South Carolina $36 million to protect thousands of acres of ecologically important land from development.

State officials and aides to U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., say the money is the most earmarked to buy and protect land in South Carolina since at least 1989. The appropriation also outranks the amount awarded by Congress to any other state this year for natural resource purchases, according to Hollings' office.

Congress approved the money last month in the federal appropriations bill.

This year's funds will make it easier for state and federal agencies to complete deals protecting land along scenic rivers from the coast to the mountains.

That's significant in high-growth South Carolina, where development is sprawling into the countryside, conservationists and some state officials say.

"We're anxious to get these deals done and see the land protected,'' state land negotiator John Frampton said. "If all these corridors are developed, what does that do to our quality of life?''

Frampton and conservation groups credited Hollings with helping bring home the money. The Charleston senator has long supported environmental programs, and his seniority in the Senate wields great influence, Frampton and conservationist Dana Beach said. Hollings was first elected in 1966.

A spokesman for freshman U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush also should be credited.

Frampton, an assistant director at the state Department of Natural Resources, said he doesn't believe South Carolina's budget woes will prevent the state from receiving the federal money.

The S.C. House approved a budget this week that is more than $560 million less than last year.

Some of the federal money requires a local match. But Frampton said the state already is working on ways to meet the federal requirement, despite South Carolina's budget problems.

Federal money will go either to Frampton's agency or the state offices of several U.S. government agencies, such as the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Among the lands eligible for acquisition through the federal appropriations are:

• More than 10,000 acres at Bonneau Ferry along the Lowcountry's Cooper and East Cooper rivers north of Charleston. The federal government appropriated $14 million for Bonneau Ferry.

• Land on the wild and scenic Chattooga River in the mountains west of Walhalla. The government appropriated $1 million for South Carolina.

• Property along the coast at the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge near Georgetown and the Francis Marion National Forest near McClellanville. Collectively, the federal government appropriated $4.5 million.

• Land on the Broad River northwest of Columbia near Newberry. The property would be added to the Sumter National Forest. The government awarded $4.6 million.

Frampton declined to discuss in detail any land acquisitions because negotiations are ongoing. But Frampton said he hoped priority lands in the areas targeted for federal money could be purchased or acquired in the next year.

Much of the federal money would be used to buy either land or development rights from property owners.

The money for Bonneau Ferry is particularly significant, said Beach, director of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League.

Bonneau Ferry contains miles of waterfront along the Cooper and East Cooper river systems between Charleston and Moncks Corner, Beach said. The area contains longleaf pine forests and scenic wetlands, and it provides habitat for rare red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Conservationists say the area is threatened by Charleston's growth.

"This is one of the state's biggest land protection priorities,'' Beach said.

The property is owned by the Mead-Westvaco paper company. A company spokesperson could not be reached Friday, but Hollings' office said the company wants to sell some of its land.

Beach said the $14 million earmarked for Bonneau Ferry would not pay for the entire tract, estimated to cost $30 million to $60 million. But Frampton said the $14 million could be combined with other funds for a land purchase.

While conservationists said they were pleased with the federal appropriation, the award underscores South Carolina's historic indifference to protecting natural resources. South Carolina relies too heavily on federal money, they said.

Just last year, the Legislature established a conservation bank for land protection. But the program won't be funded until next year, and some lawmakers have sought to delay the money.

"It seems we are heading in the opposite direction from the federal government,'' said state Rep. James Smith, D-Richland.

Also, the S.C. House this week took money from about 15 different environmental accounts to help balance this year's budget. Some of those were for land protection.