Over 10,000 acres of land in Jasper and Hampton counties were acquired by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and its partners for a heritage preserve and wildlife management area, according to an agency release.
The new SCDNR Coosawhatchie Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area now resides on what was formerly the Buckfield and Slater properties, near Yemassee. The total acreage of the land acquisition is 10,570 acres, with an additional 1,992 acres pending.
“This is another huge victory for conservation in South Carolina,” SCDNR Director Robert Boyles said in a release.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to the perpetual stewardship of this precious public resource,” he added.
Containing mixed pine hardwoods, sand ridges, waterfowl impoundments, and more, the Coosawhatchie Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area will offer ample preservation space for some of the Lowcountry’s most vulnerable species.
There are approximately 68 plant and animal species identified in South Carolina’s State Wildlife Action Plan, including at-risk species including the gopher tortoise, the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and the Florida pine snake.
The preserve is open to the public and will close during scheduled hunts.
Over half of the $50 million price tag for the new SCDNR heritage preserve was paid by State appropriations, with additional funds coming from SCDNR’s Heritage Trust Program, timber revenue, and deer revenue, the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, and others.
SCDNR’s Heritage Trust Program established in 1974 to preserve and protect South Carolina’s natural and cultural resources.
