KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — A long-running effort to permanently protect Captain Sams Spit took a significant step forward this week after the South Carolina General Assembly approved funding for the state's share of a proposed $37 million settlement that would preserve the environmentally sensitive property and end nearly two decades of litigation over its future.

The settlement calls for $32 million from the state, $3.7 million from the Town of Kiawah Island, and $1.3 million from the Conservancy of the Sea Islands. If finalized, the agreement would permanently prohibit development on the spit and limit significant human impact to one of the Lowcountry's most important wildlife habitats.

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