A deal to turn more than 25,000 acres in Marion County into a wildlife conservation area is almost complete.

The historic project will set aside the 25,668-acre Woodbury Tract in southern Marion County, and the 13,281-acre Hamilton Ridge tract in Hampton County, as protected wildlife habitat.

Both parcels of land were purchased Wednesday by the state of South Carolina, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy.

“This is huge for the Pee Dee area,” said Ben Zeigler, a Florence attorney who helped broker the deal. “It’s the first really large block of land set aside in the Pee Dee for conservation, and it’s one of the largest contiguous parcels in the state that is undeveloped.”

The land, which was owned by International Paper, was purchased by the Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy, which then transferred it to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. DNR used $10 million from the state’s Conservation Bank and about $20 million from the Heritage Trust bond bill to acquire a majority interest in the property.

The Woodbury Tract is located at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River and the Little Pee Dee River. It contains about 12 miles of river frontage, Zeigler said.

“The Pee Dee River Basin has some very special habitats that are worth protecting,” Zeigler said. “But it also contains a huge concentration of (Gen.) Francis Marion sites.”

Marion was the South Carolina native known as the Swamp Fox, who played havoc with the British Army during the Revolutionary War.

The property in Marion County is not only a large natural habitat for species of wildlife, but also it contains several site of historical significance, Zeigler said.

“It has tremendous cultural resources,” he said. “Gen. Francis Marion frequently camped in that area from 1780 to 1781, during the Revolutionary War, and many of his men were from the Britton’s Neck area.”

In addition to providing recreational opportunities, the forests will protect large tracts of habitat for several important wildlife and aquatic species, including birds such as the Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush and rusty blackbird.

“This monumental habitat protection initiative conserves some of our most ecologically significant landscapes,” DNR director John Frampton said. “South Carolina is known for its diverse forests, abundant waterways and wildlife related recreational opportunities.”

The deal is an example of how conservation organizations and state government can work together to save wildlife habitat, Zeigler said.

“The fact that this was facilitated by the Nature Conservancy and consummated by the DNR and the Conservation Fund shows how the government can work with groups to preserve our natural resources,” he said.