CHARLESTON - South Carolina has reached an agreement on the purchase of the 10,697-acre Bonneau Ferry, a historic forested tract in Berkeley County.

Tract owner MeadWestvaco, the Natural Resources Department and the Conservation Fund have agreed on the sale. Officials say details will be disclosed when the sale is complete.

"We hope in the next few months to announce the details," agency director John Frampton said late last week.

MeadWestvaco has not revealed an asking price, but people close to the negotiations have said it could be $50 million.

In all, $23.7 million in federal funds have been delivered or promised to Natural Resources, said Andy Davis, a spokesman for Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C.

That includes $7.7 million from the 2004 fiscal budget, and nearly $16 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hollings continues working to obtain additional funds, Davis said.

Without some action such as state purchase to protect the tract, some type of development is likely, Frampton said.

Gov. Mark Sanford has been very involved in negotiations, said Will Folks, Sanford's spokesman. "He continues to support the conservation of Bonneau Ferry," Folks said.

The Conservation Fund has been involved in discussions with MeadWestvaco and Natural Resources on the land purchase. The Arlington, Va.-based organization works with partners to preserve wildlife habitat, landscapes and community open space.

The fund and its partners have protected more than 34 million acres since 1985.

The Bonneau Ferry Tract, home to bald eagles and endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, covers more than a third of the newly created 30,000-acre Cooper River Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.