Edisto Island and Surrounding Area
State Parks
Interpretive Center Now Open
The Edisto Interpretive Center at Live Oak Landing is now open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Volunteers are needed for a variety of activities. To volunteer or for more information contact Rob Achenberg at 869-4425 or Elaine Freeman at 869-4426.
location
30 miles south of Charleston
ecoregion
South Atlantic Coastal Plain
project size
350,000 acres
preserves
Bailey Island
public lands
ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve, ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, Edisto Beach State Park, Hunting Island State Park
partners
private landowners, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Lowcountry Open Land Trust, Nemours Wildlife Foundation, Mead Westvaco Corporation
natural events
loggerhead turtle nesting, late spring and early summer; wood storks arrive in March, peak numbers in spring and summer
Dawhoo River Boat Ramp
Edisto Beach State Park
This remote sea island park, rich in Native American history, was originally developed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. A variety of shells dot the 1.5 mile beach and some of the tallest palmetto trees in the state can be seen throughout the park. This 1,255-acre park includes a dense maritime forest and an expansive salt marsh where visitors can explore the wonders of nature. The park offers a day-use area for beach access and a four-mile nature trail that winds through the maritime forest with beautiful vistas overlooking the salt marsh. Contact Information 8377 State Cabin RD Edisto Island,SC 29438 Phone: (843) 869-2756 Fax: (843) 869-3023 For overnight guests the park offers vacation cabins and a campground. Office Hours: M-Fr 9am-5pm Admissions: $3/adult; $2.50 SC seniors; age 15 & younger free Days and Hours of Operation: M-Su 8am-6pm (extended from 6am to 10pm during Daylight Savings Time )
Live Oak Landing State Park and Boat Ramp
Interpretive Center Now Open
The Edisto Interpretive Center at Live Oak Landing is now open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Volunteers are needed for a variety of activities. To volunteer or for more information contact Rob Achenberg at 869-4425 or Elaine Freeman at 869-4426.
Steamboat Landing Boat Ramp
St. Helena Sound - 7,537 acres, Colleton Co. & 2,765 acres Beaufort Co. (10,302 acres total) - Six islands (Big, Warren, Ashe, Beet, Otter, and South Williman) comprise this preserve, which lies at the southern end of the 144,000 acre ACE Basin complex. These islands serve as core research areas for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. They are open for daytime use year round and overnight camping is allowed from November through April. Access points may be limited due to wildlife resting and nesting locations. Pets are not allowed. Hunting is allowed. The islands are managed by our Marine Resources Division. For more information call 843-762-5042 or 5062.
The 8,048-acre Donnelley Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in eastern Colleton County near Green Pond. The main entrance to the area is immediately north of the junction of SC 303 and US 17.
Donnelley WMA is named in honor of the late Gaylord Donnelley and his wife Dorothy for the contributions they made to the ACE Basin Project and conservation across the continent. Donnelley WMA is managed by theSCDNR through agreements with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the principle landowners of the management area.
The National Wild Turkey Federation purchased and donated additional land to the Donnelley WMA. Other groups cooperating in the establishment of this WMA include The Nature Conservancy, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Dow Elanco and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
This unique property is a cross section of the Lowcountry, encompassing a diversity of wetland and upland habitats: managed rice fields, forested wetlands, tidal marsh, agricultural lands, and a variety of upland forest types, including a natural stand of longleaf pine.
The area is intensively managed by the DNR to provide optimum habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and to provide public recreation and education. The area has two designated nature trails and miles of dirt roads for hikers and bicyclists. Late winter through early spring provides bird watching opportunities to observe a variety of species including waterfowl and migratory songbirds. Alligators are abundant in the managed wetlands and are most often seen from late February through mid-November. Hunting opportunities are available to the public for white-tailed deer, waterfowl, dove, small game and furbearers.
The area is open for general public visitation Monday through Saturday 8am - 5pm; closed on Sunday and for special hunts. Office telephone 843-844-8957. Address: SCDNR, 585 Donnelley Dr., Green Pond, SC 29446.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area is owned and operated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The 12,021 - acre property consists of 5,385 acres of managed wetlands, 5,005 acres of tidal marsh, 1,227 acres of woodlands and 404 acres of agricultural lands.
The area is managed to provide quality habitat for wintering waterfowl, and other wetland wildlife including threatened and endangered species such as woodstorks and bald eagles; to provide habitat for upland game and nongame species; and to provide recreational opportunities for the hunting and nonhunting public.
Public hunting on the WMA includes waterfowl (by special drawing only), white-tailed deer, mourning dove and small game. The diverse area provides excellent bird watching, attracting waterfowl, bald eagles, wading birds, shore birds and song birds. Two observation platforms and miles of dikes provide access. The area is open for general public visitation in designated areas from January 21 - October 31, Monday - Saturday. Telephone: (843) 844-8957. Address: SCDNR, 585 Donnelley Dr., Green Pond, SC 29446.
| Private landowners continue a tradition of land and water stewardship at this large, pristine estuary, known fondly as "the Pearl of the Low Country." |
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With its meandering blackwater rivers, dense cypress swamps and teeming estuary, the ACE Basin recalls a fertile Southern coast that, well over a century ago, fueled dreams of glory for ambitious rice plantation owners. Men like Nathanial Heyward, who owned 17 plantations in the basin, led a rice boom that fed much of the nation from 1850 to 1860. When the boom ended, wealthy individuals purchased the decaying estates, restored the rice fields and water management systems to attract waterfowl, and created private hunting retreats.
The ACE Basin remains one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast. Formed by the confluence of three undammed and free-flowing rivers-the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto, thus the name "ACE"-the basin encompasses a remarkable web of ecosystems, from upland pine forests to bottomland hardwoods, from barrier beaches to freshwater marshes. |
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| A wealth of wildlife abounds: alligators, endangered loggerhead turtles, bobcat and mink. During the early 1980s, the ACE Basin played a critical role in the recovery of the southern bald eagle and the wood stork. With the help of biologists, their populations rebounded from just a handful of nests to more than 100. |
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| Private landowners have led the effort to conserve this special place. Voluntary conservation easements have protected some 64,000 acres of private property. The Nature Conservancy holds 20 percent of these easements. We also helped charter the ACE Basin Task Force, a coalition of businesses, landowners and private organizations taking the lead to promote traditional land uses like farming and forestry while protecting the estuary and the shoreline from strong development pressure. |
| Conservation Profile | targets
migratory waterfowl, wood stork, southern bald eagle, loggerhead turtle; maritime, longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood forests
stresses
incompatible residential and commercial development
strategies
acquire land, secure conservation easements, promote compatible development, build conservation alliances
results
150,000 acres in conservation management; ACE Basin Task Force launched |
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Chris Walters - Edisto Beach Realtor - E-Pro®Edisto Sales & Rentals Realty (Edisto Realty)
1405 Palmetto BlvdEdisto Beach, SC 29438Office: 843-869-2527Mobile: 843-708-8501