While giving the go-ahead to inquire about five more properties, legislators gave final approval to buy nearly 1,100 acres in Pickens County
Nearly 1,100 acres in the Upstate will be purchased by the state, expanding the collection of properties that are protected. (Mac Stone, Naturaland Trust, provided)
Columbia A new dove hunting field, an extended heritage preserve, and an undeveloped barrier island are all being considered by state officials to join the state’s expanding patchwork of preserved territory.
Last week, a legislative fiscal oversight committee authorized the state parks and natural resources agencies to investigate purchasing approximately 800 acres of state land. Additionally, the purchase of around 1,100 acres received final clearance from the Joint Bond Review Committee.
The approvals were made just hours before Governor Henry McMaster’s State of the State address, in which he praised the state’s conservation efforts.
According to McMaster, the state used almost $143 million in state, federal, and private funds to conserve over 96,000 acres of land last year. His proposed executive budget included $15.5 million for more conservation programs, and he urged increased efforts to safeguard the state’s natural resources.
In his hour-long speech on Wednesday, McMaster stated that in order for South Carolina to succeed in the future, we must intensify our efforts to preserve and honor our land, history, culture, and environment. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our efforts to protect, maintain, and showcase our special gifts of nature’s richness have coincided with prior years of economic growth.
One barrier island remained undeveloped and unprotected for years along the 22-mile stretch of shoreline between Myrtle Beach and the North Carolina border.
For many years, governmental and nonprofit environmentalists have prioritized the preservation of Waties Island, also known as Waites Island. According to materials provided to the state Joint Bond Review Committee, the island’s beaches provide a haven for coastal birds, support endangered vegetation, and provide a safe haven for sea turtles and birds to lay their eggs.
As requested by the Department of Natural Resources, the island has a mosaic of significant natural features, such as coastal uplands and a lagoon tidal marsh.
Agency officials wrote to the committee that the long-term health of high-value ecosystems and the animals that depend on them depend on Waites Island being protected.
Trust for Land The Open Space Institute has been purchasing parcels of land from private owners in order to donate them to state organizations. The Department of Natural Resources asked for $20,000 to inspect the 260 acres the nonprofit had bought in 2022 before approving the donation.
An additional 320 acres might be purchased by the state parks department for a total estimated cost of around $10.2 million. Similar preliminary research is being done by the parks department before deciding whether to buy the properties. According to a spokeswoman, it’s still unclear if the agency would find another means to administer the area or if it could become a new state park.
McMaster cited Waties Island’s existing conservation efforts as an illustration of a successful conservation initiative.
According to McMaster’s speech, the Grand Strand region is expanding quickly, and its inlet, salt marshes, and estuaries provide a crucial natural barrier against storm surge and ocean waves.
More than 1,100 acres on the island’s southern shore and the nearby Little River Neck uplands are owned by the Coastal Education Foundation at Coastal Carolina University. The institution claims that the land is set aside for research by faculty and students.
According to agency documents, the Department of Natural Resources is nearing completion on a $1,072-acre property in Pickens County that will cost roughly $7.1 million.
According to the government, the site will be transformed into a new wildlife management area where guests will be able to trek, fish, hunt, and observe birds. The property is close to roughly 10,000 acres of state parks, heritage preserves, wildlife management areas, and other protected properties that are not under state supervision. It is situated next to Highway 11. As previously stated by officials, this will enable unhindered vistas from the top of the property’s bluffs.
In 2023, Naturaland Trust, a conservation organization, used a $9 million Conservation Bank grant to buy the property. A large portion of that funding will be returned to the Conservation Bank by the Department of Natural Resources and the Office of Resilience for use in upcoming initiatives.
The Department of Natural Resources is considering a purchase that would expand Lancaster County’s Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve.
A 97-acre addition to the Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve is being considered by officials. According to the agency’s website, the 3,100-acre preserve is well-known for a huge rock face that is actually just 14 acres.
The site protrudes from the northwest corner of the current preserve and was purchased by the Open Space Institute in March of last year. The land trust has stated that it intends to donate the site to the state after receiving approval for $20,000 for preliminary studies.
The state’s heritage land trust fund, a fund set aside specifically for the purchase of nature preserves, will provide that funding.
The smooth purple coneflower is a nationally threatened plant that officials may try to reintroduce in Lancaster County on the new site. According to the request, greater property would also imply more recreational activities for visitors and better protection for the area.
If the Department of Natural Resources proceeds with another piece of land under review, dove hunters may be able to utilize an additional 63 acres of public land.
According to the agency’s proposal, the land, which is expected to cost $272,000, would be located around 10 miles north of Saluda, close to the county’s borders with Greenwood and Newberry counties. To decide whether to buy the land, officials are first spending $20,000 to examine it.
According to the agency’s request, the demand for dove hunting has grown recently, necessitating the acquisition of additional grounds to hunt the migrating birds.
According to the request, the unmet demand would be lessened if this site were acquired as a dove field for public use.