What better way to make sure that our children will still have wild places to visit than to guarantee that this magnificent place will always be here, Governor Beasley said.

 In a ceremony held at the Lake Jocassee Dam overlook near Devils Fork State Park, officials signed documents transferring ownership of 24,000 acres of the 32,000-acre Jocassee Gorges property from Crescent Resources to the state of South Carolina.

 "Now the stewardship of this land is in the hands of the people," Governor Beasley said.

"Our grandchildren might take it for granted that someone had the foresight to save this land ... but history will always look back on this day as one in which one of the nation's most beautiful and diverse natural areas was protected forever."

 In addition to the many forms of wildlife-related recreation available on Jocassee Gorges, the land is home to at least 171 rare, threatened or endangered plants and animals.

 For the past two years, the Governor has pushed for the purchase of the Jocassee Gorges. The land is a short drive from some of the fastest-growing areas in South Carolina.

 South Carolina acquired the Jocassee Gorges through a public-private partnership. The state raised $10 million through a bond bill spearheaded by the Governor, and the Department of Natural Resources contributed $1 million from its budget. The Richard King Mellon Foundation, assisted by The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit conservation organization based in Arlington, Va., donated $10 million, and Duke Energy and its subsidiary, Crescent Resources, donated property valued at $33.8 million.

 The state will receive the remaining 8,000 acres of the Jocassee Gorges tract before Dec. 31,  1999.

 Because Jocassee Gorges is public land, Governor Beasley said, public involvement has been an integral part of the development of the Jocassee Gorges Management Plan.
 More than 800 people attended an initial public meeting in Pickens, and each person had an opportunity to express his or her ideas on the management plan.  The draft management plan was made available for public review, and public meetings were held in Pickens and in Columbia to gather public comment.

 The most important consideration in the management plan, according to the Governor, is to maintain the natural character of the area.  The second objective is to provide public recreation compatible with the areaís natural character.  Recreational activities provided for in the plan include hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, ATV use and berry picking.