COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster has filled out the panel he created last week to steer South Carolina land and heritage protection. The governor announced 25 appointees to the Governor’s Conservation Commission on Thursday, drawn from business, landowning and academic circles.
They will sit with several state leaders who serve by virtue of their jobs, among them State Forester Scott Phillips, Tom Mullikin of the Department of Natural Resources, Duane Parrish of the parks and tourism department, and Ben Duncan, the state resilience chief. McMaster said the group brings broad insight on growth, conservation and preservation.
McMaster set up the commission on Oct. 22 through Executive Order 2026-24, which took effect immediately. The order allows up to 26 governor-appointed members from outside government, and the body is advisory only.
Its job is to recommend conservation strategies to the governor and executive agencies, get state and local agencies working together, and help local governments set their own conservation goals. Members are also asked to raise public awareness of state history and culture, look for funding and build partnerships among public, private, academic and nonprofit groups.
The state has protected roughly 3.4 million acres so far, about 400,000 of them since 2017, according to the governor’s office. A 2026 state law, the Protected Lands and Conservation Coordination Act, sets a goal of 7 million protected acres by 2050, and McMaster has called for eventually reaching 10 million.
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