The Ossabaw Island Foundation (TOIF) and all who love Ossabaw Island are pausing this week to thank President Jimmy Carter for his vital contribution to preserving Georgia’s third-largest barrier island, located in Chatham County just south of Savannah.

The late Mrs. Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West frequently credited Carter for his two-part role in her family’s decision in the 1970s to sell Ossabaw to the state of Georgia instead of pursuing other potential stewards—creating the Heritage Preserve Act of 1975 and encouraging her family to sell the island to the state.

"The reason that we sold to the state was Jimmy Carter,” said Mrs. West in a 2002 video interview. “ And he was the only one that came down and said 'you tell me what should be done.' You know everybody else said 'you read this, you do that' and sat in the living room and didn't even go out and see anything. So, we sold to the State of Georgia."   

In 1975, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter signed into law the State Heritage Preserve Act. "Ossabaw was the first acquisition in the Georgia Heritage Trust that Governor Carter had started,” said Mrs. West.

The Georgia Heritage Trust Act of 1975 (O.C.G.A. 12-3-70) was established to “preserve certain real property…that exhibits unique natural characteristics, special historical significance, or particular recreational value.” Under this act, certain properties are designated as heritage preserves.

In the years leading up to the island’s sale, the Torrey-West family faced uncertainty about which of the many possible stewards for Ossabaw would be the best fit. By this time, Carter was our 39th U.S. President. Yet, he continued to work for Georgians, encouraging Mrs. West that the state’s proposal would be the best solution for Ossabaw’s future. Ossabaw’s Heritage Preserve designation was negotiated by the Torrey and West families as a condition of their sale of Ossabaw to the State of Georgia in 1978.  

The Ossabaw Island Heritage Preserve was designated on June 15, 1978 via an Executive Order by Georgia Governor George Busbee, “…to protect, conserve, and preserve the natural and cultural resources of this Island for the benefit of present and future generations, and that Ossabaw Island shall only be used for natural, scientific, and cultural study, research, and education, and environmentally sound preservation, conservation, and management of the Island’s ecosystem.” 

In 2020, President Carter went to bat for Ossabaw Island one more time. When Georgia House Bill 906 threatened the protections for all Heritage Preserve properties, Carter sent a letter opposing the bill to Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan for distribution to the Georgia Legislature.  

“That commitment [holding land in trust for the benefit of present and future generations of Georgians] was an essential element in the negotiation of the acquisition of Ossabaw Island from Eleanor Torrey West and the Torrey family by Gov. George Busbee," wrote Carter. "HB 906…would breach the commitments made to Mrs. West and many others who have conveyed land to the State as Heritage Preserves.  I urge you to halt any further consideration of HB 906 by the Senate.”

Elizabeth DuBose, TOIF Executive Director, said, “With every group that visits Ossabaw, we make sure to share President Carter’s contribution to preserving the island.  Mrs. West trusted him, at a time when it seemed there were few trustworthy players in the process. 

“Three years ago he took the time to lend his voice to protecting what he signed into law in 1975, preventing arbitrary private development on Ossabaw Island and over 120 other Heritage Preserve properties, from Amicalola Falls to Providence Canyon to Little Tybee.

“In the grand scheme of things, Ossabaw Island is a tiny dot on the globe. President Carter’s contributions will continue to resonate on the broader global stage for decades to come. On Ossabaw Island we will never forget what he did for our little corner of the world. 

“Thank you President Carter; may you be surrounded by love and care in your final days.”