Although there is no shortage of sweet spots in our neck of the Southeastern coast, one of the most popular spots here in the Lowcountry is undoubtedly Hunting Island State Park. One of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands along our coast, our slice of paradise along the Atlantic means so much to so many, with more than a million visitors from all over the world walking the sandy beaches every year.
It’s home to a few miles of pristine beaches, thousands of acres of marsh and maritime forest, a historic lighthouse, a beautiful campground, a saltwater lagoon and ocean inlet…which all play their part in the park’s natural allure. Thanks to limited human development since its birth as a State Park in 1935 and lots of hard work by a dedicated staff, the island remains a very natural preserve for its abundant wildlife.
But, our time spent on our favorite barrier island may indeed be borrowed time.
Barrier islands like Hunting Island are forever changing. That’s what they do.
Hunting Island keeps getting knocked down, then picked back up again.
A barrier island is a constantly changing deposit of sand that forms parallel to the coast. Barrier islands form as waves repeatedly deposit sediment parallel to the shoreline. As wind and waves shift according to weather patterns and local geographic features, these islands constantly move, erode and sometimes they even grow.
Barrier islands are important in protecting the coastline during storms. Behind a barrier island, you will usually fund multiple wetland systems including lagoons, estuaries, and salt marshes that are home to a wide variety of amazing coastal wildlife. Without barrier islands, these wetlands could not exist; they would be destroyed by daily ocean waves and tides as well as our fierce storms.
Those that have frequented Hunting Island over their lives have watched our beautiful little barrier island go through changes year after year. Whether it be from the natural ebb and flow of the tides or from damaging storms.
First, we lamented the slow decline of vacation cabins along the beach. Erosion has seen to their sad demise, and has left us with only memories. Then it was all of the storms. Most notably, and most lately, three storms named Matthew, Irma and Dorian.
Matthew caused Little Blue, the cabin that folks referred to as the last cabin along the beach, to be torn down after the 2016 storm. It also inundated the island, destroyed all of the sand dunes and sea oats on the beach, changed the lagoon’s shape and size and destroyed most of the man made roads. All three aforementioned storms led to the park’s closure, and ultimately caused a redesign of sorts for the campground, shaving off the number of available campsites.
Yes, recently the state of South Carolina has graciously executed a large-scale beach renourishment project on the barrier island, giving us back much of Hunting Island beach that has been lost over the past 10 years. New dunes have been created and very important sea oats have been planted. Sea oats trap wind-blown sand which increases the size of the dunes, and the dunes are also vital, as they help protect the coast from erosion during high winds and storm surges.
But what if it all happens again? Or, should we say, when it happens again?
How much more can she take? How many more storms can the island handle?
The staff at the State Park has done the best they can to put things back together each and every time they fall apart, and for them we are very grateful. They do it because of their love and dedication to the island.
But, ultimately, humans tend to lose their battles with Mother Nature.
With that being said, we need to be thankful for the time spent at Hunting Island and pray that our children and grand children get to grow up enjoying it, as well.
Like the little-barrier-island-that-could….Hunting Island will stay around for us as long as she can. We just need to be sure to make every year count.
