In the 1960s, the Boryk family and friends bought about two dozen acres of land on the southern tip of Topsail Island, then a long slip of sand off the North Carolina coast. Over time, Mother Nature added acreage to the area, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the property owners built a set of townhomes called Serenity Point.

Recognizing that the property was likely to continue growing in size and concerned about the stability of the south end of Topsail Beach—including the Serenity Point development—the Town of Topsail Beach zoned the property as a C4 conservation zone in the early 1980s.

In 2005, the Boryk partners prepared the property for sale for the first time, and the future of The Point became a flashpoint for community concern. The Wall Street Journal spotlighted the tensions in an article titled “On Topsail Island, Storms Fuel Battle Over Right to Build.”

Passionate local citizens, led by Maggie Chesnutt, who lived at the Serenity Point townhomes, organized neighbors to oppose the potential development and formed a nonprofit organization called Conserve The Point. This marked the birth of the first grassroots advocacy group campaigning to conserve the site. Maggie organized neighborhood meetings, produced Conserve The Point t-shirts and buttons, and presented charts and petitions at town meetings.

The Town also stepped up to help conserve the property. Town planners attempted to declare the property a permanent reserve. Then-Mayor Michael Parrish stated that the Town would like to buy the land to block development, in part due to the need for repairs and utilities after storms. However, with a total annual budget of only $1.7 million, the Town could not afford the purchase. The Town next asked the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust (NCCLT) to apply for grant money to buy the land and negotiate with the owners on its behalf.

The onset of the Great Recession prompted the property owners to withdraw the property from the market in 2008. Although the sale was paused, the foundation of community-based defense had been firmly laid. The NCCLT was unable to raise sufficient funding to purchase the land, which real estate agents estimated to be worth as much as $30 million—including a mile of beachfront property. However, this effort sparked the Land Trust’s long-term interest in conserving the site.

Although conservation momentum slowed during the recession, the grassroots infrastructure—Conserve The Point’s volunteer base, media networks, and public engagement—remained intact, creating an enduring legacy. It laid the groundwork for reactivation years later in response to renewed development threats.

In 2022, the property owners relisted the property for sale at $8 million. Around the same time, the Town approved a new “Conditional Zoning Ordinance,” specifying the requirements for rezoning should someone seek to change the existing zoning from “Conservation” to “Residential Development.” Soon after, a prospective buyer and developer submitted a rezoning application to build a 25-acre family compound with several 5,000-square-foot homes and buildings, a swimming pool, a private marina on the sound side, and boardwalks leading to the ocean beaches. By then, the property had grown to approximately 150 acres.

Building on the conservation movement begun in 2005, Conserve The Point rapidly reorganized in response to the new development threat. Relaunched via a Facebook page, it quickly evolved into a volunteer-led grassroots coalition focused on raising public awareness, sharing conservation information, coordinating with local governments, and guiding public commentary during rezoning hearings.

Hundreds of community residents and thousands of visitors shared their stories and love for The Point’s natural sanctuary—undeveloped beaches and wildlife habitats. The group emphasized protection of the 150-acre barrier ecosystem: a mosaic of oceanfront dunes, maritime shrub forests, salt flats, and estuarine wetlands, essential for wildlife such as shorebirds, nesting turtles, and migratory species.

The coalition contacted the Town and several conservation groups, urging them to consider purchasing the property for permanent protection if the proposed development could be stopped and the owners became willing sellers.

In March 2024, a few months after the buyer withdrew the development project,  the NC Coastal Land Trust announced it had negotiated and signed a contract with the owners to purchase The South End.  The Coastal Land Trust launched the Save the South End fundraising campaign with the goal of raising more than $7.8 million by March 2025. Conserve The Point and other community members spearheaded community involvement in the fundraising efforts, making donations, hosting local events and securing local business contributions.

By January 2025, The Coastal Land Trust announced it had reached this ambitious fundraising goal! With the support of almost 800 donors—who contributed more than $1.6 million—and several major public funding sources, the acquisition became a reality. Grant funding was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, North Carolina Land and Water Fund, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  The Town of Topsail Beach also contributed matching funds through a special grant to acquire additional property adjacent to its existing south end parking lot and make public access improvements.  The Land Trust, along with state and local officials, hailed this achievement as a “once in a lifetime” coastal conservation success.

The Coastal Land Trust successfully purchased and assumed ownership of the property, now called the “South Topsail Preserve”. In partnership with the Conserve The Point organization, a new volunteer stewardship program called The South Topsail Stewards was launched in June.  Volunteers serve as ambassadors for the new preserve, sharing information, education and resources to inform the public about the ecological value of the preserve and ways to help protect it.  

Audubon worked with local volunteers to create the first nesting area on the island to protect Piping Plovers and other threatened birds. 

In the near future, the “South Topsail Preserve “will transfer to the NC Division of Coastal Management as part its coastal preserve system.