Vol. 2, No.1 Newsletter of the Ashepoo, Combahee, Edisto Basin Winter 1992

ACE Basin Protection Update : . =<,.~·;.r&l ~ ;':r .. .. , .. , I

~". . :' . H~ A<;E BASIN P.ro-;,; Ject IS a cooperatIve i:.: .' '.:' effort among l~nd-x,'~2~ , owners and prIvate

. and public conser-vation agencies to

protect important habitats in the watershed of the Ashepoo, Com­bahee and Edisto (ACE) rivers including St. Helena estuary and sound. The project area, identified as one of the highest priority regions for protection under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, encompasses 350,000 acres of marsh, swamp and upland in Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton and Hampton counties. Administered by the ACE Basin Task Force (Private landowners, Ducks Un­limited, s.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, The Nature Conservancy and the U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service), the project has protected approximately 50,000 acres of diverse upland and wet­land habitats. (See table page 4.)

National Wildlife Refuge

The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina (TNC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently announced the purchase of the 1,955-acre Grove Plantation on the South Edisto River in lower Charleston County (see Project Area map page 3). The property will be included in the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, a major element of the ACE Basin Pro­tection Plan. TNC purchased the prop­erty from Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Hendricks of Charleston and will transfer ownership of the Grove to the USFWS.

The Grove is adjacent to other protected areas including privately owned Will town Bluff Plantation, protected by TNC through a 1990 conservation easement donated by

Hugh C. Lane, Sr., and the Springfield Unit of Bear Island Wildlife Manage­mentArea, owned and managed by the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (SCWMRD). Springfield was acquired in 1987 through the cooperative efforts of Ducks Unlimited and SCWMRD. Speaking of the collective protection efforts of the Task Force, Patrick H. Morgan, executive director of TNC's South Carolina office, said, "These important habitat protection accomp­lishments are exemplary of the effec­tiveness achieved through cooper-ative initiatives

South Carolina's rice industry in the late 1800s, the former rice fields have been managed for migratory water­fowl, making the property an ideal waterfowl refuge today. The bald eagle, a federally endangered species, regu­larly uses the area for nesting, roosting and feeding.

Donny Browning, ACE Basin Na­tional Wildlife Refuge manager said, "The Grove Plantation increases our ability to manage for wildlife as well as to provide for additional public access and use in the Basin. Public use plans

include future na­ture trails and facil­ities. Upon devel-

among federal, state and private­sector conserva­tion interests".

"1 couldn't be more pleased that this property will be dedicated to wildlife manage­ment and conser­vation purposes. There is no worth-

11Th ere is no worthier use for the area

than the objectives set forth by

opmentof a master plan for the prop­erty, the Refuge will defini tel y pro­vide public fishing and hunting op­portunities."

the Conservancy and the Fish and

A three-story antebellum home, built in 1828 and currently on the Wildlife Service"

ier use for the area than the objectives set forth by The Conservancy and the Fish and Wildlife Service," said former owner, Mrs. Margret B. Hendricks.

"The purchase of the Grove Plan­tation allows us to expand the refuge and at the same time protect another important portion of the ACE Basin. To see our protection efforts succeed like this is our biggest reward. The com­mitment to conservation and the long term resource stewardship such as provided by Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks are typical of most private landowners throughout the Basin," Morgan added.

The Grove, a former tidewater rice plantation, contains a diversity of wet­land types including tidal marshes, forested wetlands and managed coastal marshes that provide valuable habitat for wetland-dependent wildlife (see Rice Fields page 6). Since the decline of

Department of In­terior's National Register of His-

toric Places, is loea ted on the property. Spared damage during the Civil War, the house will become the headquarters and visitor center for the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge. Currently including the Grove and the 832-acre Bonny Hall Club tract in Beaufort County, the Refuge ultimately may encompass 18,000 acres (11,500 acres along the Combahee River and 6,500 acres along the South Edisto). "The Nature Conservancy as well as other Task Force members are all making important contributions toward com­pletion of the ACE Basin Refuge," Browning commented.

Properties within the ACE Basin are owned primarily by private land­owners who manage their lands for

"Update" continued on page 2

"Update," continued from page 1

wildlife, timber resources and agri­culture. The ACE Basin Project en­courages continued private ownership while emphasizing protection and en­hancement of habitat for traditional naturalresourceuses.HVVhenthere~ge is complete, the land under USFWS management will account for only 5 percent of the total area encompassed by the ACE Basin Project boundaries," said Browning. HThe Re~ge Revenue Sharing Act allowsforfederal payments in lieu of taxes to counties in which a re~ge is located. The Act alleviates loss of property tax revenue in counties where re~ge properties are removed from the tax base."

National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)

In early September, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admini­stration (NOAA) awarded $700,000 to the S.C. Coastal Council (sccC) to purchase two islands for inclusion in the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).

U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings, who was instrumental in acquiring the grant, presented the award saying, HI am pleased that by working through the NERR Program, we were able to provide funding for purchasing these islands. Today, thanks to an aggressive effort by the state and federal gov­ernments as well as by private organi­zations and individuals, the ACE Basin is being preserved in all its pristine wildness for~ture generations of hunt­ers, fishermen and nature lovers."

The two islands, Ashe and Beet, origi­nally purchased by TNC, will be ac­quired with this grant for inclusion in the NERR. Three other islands will also be added to the NERR. Warren and Big, originally donated to TNC by nationally recognized conservationists Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley, will be transferred to the State as a match for the NOAA grant. Bolder Island, donated by the Donnelleys to Ducks Unlimited, will also be included in the

NERR. The NERR System was established

as part of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to address threats of commercial development and pollution on the nation's estuaries. NOAA was given responsibility for designating estuarine reserves and administering the system. On the state level, the ACE Basin NERR will be administered by SCCC and managed by the SCWMRD. Ie

U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings presents a $700,000 check to William W. Jones, Jr., chairman of the S.c. Coastal Council, for the purchase of Ashe and Beet islands. Looking on are Dr. John Knauss (left), administrator of NOAA and John C. Sawhill, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy.

Management Plan Benefits More Than Just Waterfowl

A CCORDING TO the u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the North American Waterfowl

Management Plan (NAWMP) isreceiv­ing increasing recognition for benefit­ing not only waterfowl but a rich vari­etyofotherwetland-dependentspecies.

As new conservation partners con­tribute to NAWMP projects, an ever­increasing emphasis is being placed on expanding benefits to include addi­tional species. Accordingly, the crite­ria and ranking factors for selecting wetlands conservation projects for matching funds under the North Am-

2

erican Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) are designed to select projects with the broadest possible wetlands benefits.

In the ACE Basin, the 9,000-acre Mary's Island Wetland Reserve is an excellent example of a project receiving high ranking and support by NAWCA (see related story pg. 3). On Mary's Island, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, S.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department and USFWSare developing a holistic wetlands man­agement plan benefiting waterfowl, non-game and endangered species, rare

plants and flor­isticcommuni­ties. Addi­tionally, the NAWMPhas identified the entire ACE Basin Project as a prime example of a project that pro-tects a diversity of wetland resources including estuarine and freshwater fisheries, bald eagles, wood storks, American alligators and several rare plants. ..

ACE BASIN PROJECT AREA

Yemclss.u

SITE DESIGNAnONS 1 Hope Plantation 2 Wilitown Plantation 3 Bear Island WMA 4 Botany Bay Island 5 NERRCore 6 Mary's Island Reserve 7 ACE Basin NWR 8 Hunting Island State Park 9 Edisto Beach State Park 10 Cheeha-Combahee Plantation 11 Grove Plantation

-.. ACE Project Boundary

Proposed NERR Butter Boundary

• Proposed NERR Core or Federal Refuge

iX Conservation Easements

0< Federal/State Protected Areas

~ To Walterboro

'" Areas Protected by Conservation Group DU and/or TNC

Ducks Unlimited Receives Federal Matching Grant and Duck Stamp Challenge I N SEPTEMBER, the Migratory

Bird Conservation Commission awarded a matching grant of

$2,275,972 to Ducks Unlimited to help fund its conservation activities in the ACE Basin. The grant will be used toward fulfullment of land acquisition needs and to initiate wetlands enhance­ment work on approximately 800 acres of former rice field backwaters on the Mary's Island Wetland Reserve. To qualify fully for these funds, Ducks Unlimited must raise matching dollars from private individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations.

This is the second grant of more than $2 million that Ducks Unlimited has received through the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission toward its ACE Basin campaign goal of$15 million.

Duck Stamp Artist Issues Challenge

Nancy Howe, winner of the 1991-1992 Federal Duck Stamp competition and first female winner in the history of the contest, picked up the guantlet on behalf of the ACE by pledging $50,000

of Duck Stamp print royalties to the Mary's Island Reserve and to a sister wetland project in New Brunswick, Canada. This pledge initiallywas made in the form of a challenge to Ducks Unlimited to raise a minimum of$50,OOO in private matching funds this year and then to double or triple that amount if possible.

Late this fall, the Howe-Ducks Un­limited challenge campaign was joined by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy

"Challenge" continued on page 4 3

"Challenge," continued from page 3

and the Orvis Company. This "Duck Stamp Partnership" has embarked on the campaign to "Paint a Brighter Future for Wetlands and WIldlife" by raising a total of $500,000 in matching contributions for the ACE Basin, Belle Isle (Canada) and Cheyenne Bottoms, a nationally significant wetlands project in Kansas.

An extremely generous December gift from the Mills Bee Lane Foundation of Savannah, Georgia, made it possible for Ducks Unlimited to answer Ms. Howe's important original challenge and to kick off Phase IT of the campaign. A $10,000 pledge from L.L. Bean, Inc., of Freeport, Maine, initiated Phase II with anadditionalchallenge to sporting and outdoor companies across the U.S. to provide $40,000 or more to create a full match for the campaign to "Paint a Brighter Future for Wetlands and Wildlife."

Contributions toward these two exciting Ducks Unlimited challenges to protect and enhance ACE Basin wet­lands can be made directly to Ducks Unlimited-ACE Basin and mailed to Mary's Island Wetland Reserve, Rt. 1, Box 25, Green Pond, SC 29446. All contributions are tax-deductible ...

4

Don't Miss the Expo!

F EBRUARY 14-16 is the 1992 South-

eastern WIldlife Exposition. The Expo is again generously dona­ting exhibit space on the mezza­nine of the Omni Hotel to the ACE Basin Project. The exhibit room will be staffed by members of the ACE Basin Task Force during Expo hours, so come by and see us. On Friday afternoon from 4-6 p.m., at the Old Charleston Visitors Center you can participate in an exciting Auction for The ACE featuring works donated by Expo artists and exhibitors. All proceeds will be used to support habitat con­servation in the ACE Basin. II!

Protected Habitats In The ACE Basin Acquired Conservation Sites

Bear Island WIldlife Management Area (est. 1953) Springfield Marsh (1987) Sampson Island (1988) Cut Marsh (1989)

ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge Bonny Hall (1990) Grove Plantation (1991)

ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (proposed) Warren Island (1988) Big Island (1988) Ashe Island (1989) Beet Island (1989) Bolder Island (1990)

Mary's Island Wetland Reserve

Conservation Easements Hope Plantation (1988) Willtown Bluff Plantation (1990) Church Tract (1990) Cheeha-Combahee Plantation (1991)

TOTAL

The"· NatureJIIT COlIsernlllCY

Acres

12,021

2,787

7,288

8,757

5,232 993 321

12,524

49,923

1991-92 S.C. Duck Stamp Is Dedicated To The ACE Basin A BLACK Labra­~ dor retriever,

a pintail de­coy and a pair of pintail ducks by Minnesota artist Jim Killen grace the 1991-92 S.c. Migra­tory Waterfowl Stamp. The stamp is dedicated to the ACE Basin. All rev­enues collected are earmarked for wa­terfowl and wetland conservation pro­jects in South Caro-

>-Q a::Z o<{ 1-1-<{UJ a: (9 <..9z :zf= <{z z=:J _ :r: ~~ o~ ~s uo ..r: LLa­I- -:::>w 01-UJ<{

S

lina. In theACE Basin, revenues will be used for acquisition and enhancement of the Cut Marsh, a unit of Bear Island Wildlife Management Area. The 4,000 art prints went on sale last July 15 for $135 each. Orders may be placed

$5.50

through retail art dealers. Collectors may purchase stamps in singles, num­bered blocks of four and sheets of 30 for $5.50 each by writing SCWMRD, P.O. Box 11710, Columbia, S.c. 29211."

Winter Bounty What To Know About Shellfishing in the ACE Basin

THE COASTAL WATERS oftheACE Basin support large oyster and hard dam populations for both

commercial and recreational use. Shen~ fishgnoundsare~gedbythe~arine Resources Division (MRO) of the state wildlife department. Their proper cultivation and permitting for harvest are monitored by marine biologists.

Shellfish harvesting season usually begins on September 15th and is dosed during the summer beginning around mid~May. Exact dates may vary based on weather conditions. Commercial culture permit holders (formerly called lease holders) use the summer months for planting and cultivating their shell~ fish beds. ~ost oysters and dams spawn in late spring and early summer.

Six types of shellfish areas are found in the ACE Basin. The ~RO provides maps to both commercial and rec~ ationalharvesters of these opengnounds to ensure that shellfish are gathered from an approved area. Additionally, a new conservation initiative, "cull in place," has been established throughout

Shellfish Area Guide • Public Oyster Grounds (POGs)-POGs

were established for recreational use only, and shelliish gatherers must be South Carolina citizens. TheACEbasin'sonePOG is located atthe southeast end of Ashe Island.

• State Shellfish Grounds (SSGs)-After new legislation was passed in 1986, S5Gs becamemorecommon. Thesegrounds,much larger than public oyster grounds, accommo­date both recreational and commercial har­vesters. Seven are found in the ACE Basin: Johnson Creek, CoffinPoint, MorganIsland/ St. Helena Sound, Hutchinson Island, Ashepoo River, Pine Island and Scott Creek. Because of their proximity to Edisto Beach State Park and Edisto Beach, Johnson Creek and Scott Creek S5Gs are limited to recrea­tional harvesting only.

Additionallimitations such as "clamhar­vesting only" or closure of an entire state shellfishgroundmayoccurinthebestinterest of conservation. Sound management of re­newable resources, such as oysters and clams, often requires rotationofharvest areas to prevent overfishin8. One state shellfish ground,AshepooRiver, located in theAtIantic Intracoastal Waterway is managed exclu­sively for hydraulic escalator harvesting of deep water clams. The last commercial

South Carolina to encourage harvesters to leave oyster shells behind to provide protection and substrate for future shellfish generations.

Recreational harvest limits are two U.S. bushels of oysters and on~half bushel of clams per individual per day. By following the conservation initiative,

operation OCCWTed in February, 1990, during a four-day period in which more than 190,000 clams were harvested. An earlier harvest in March. 1987, produced 800,000 clams over a five-day period.

• Shellfish Culture Permits ~ Six permit sites are located in the ACE Basin. Commercial shellfish areas, formerly called leases, are maintained by commercial fishermen through an agreement with the MRD. Each culture permit holder pays $5.00 per acre annually in rent and is required to plant 125 U.S. bushels per acre of shell or seed oysters. In 1990, for example, 35,000 bushels were planted in the ACE Basin and 29,000 bushels have been planted so far this year. Commercial shell~ fishermen may also obtain partial cultivation credit by planting State Shellfish Grounds (55Gs). Recreational harvesting can occur inside the boundaries of a Shellfish Culture Permit under two conditions: (1) with the per­mission of the culture permit holder, or (2) provided an individual owns the adjacent waterfront property and has written permission oftheMRD.

• Grant Areas ~ Intertidal shellfish grow~ ing areas ceded to individuals by the King of England during the Colonial period, and later

II cull in place," shellfish harvesters will not only leave behind shells as substrate for future generations, but retain more oysters. Recreational shellfish maps in the ACE Basin may be obtained from the S.c. WIldlife and~arine Resources Department, P.O. Box 12559, Charles~ ton, S.c. 29422 or by calling 79~6350.

ratified by the South Carolina Legislature, allows shellfish harvesting rights without the obligation of rental payments or planting requirements. Four are located in the ACE Basin, three surround Jehossee Island .

• Restricted Areu-Evennearlypristine waters are subjectto pollution, and a portion ofFlShin8 CreekintheACE Basinis cWTentIy classified asrestrided bytheS.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Com­mercial harvesting of shellfish may occur from these waters, however, a two-week cleansing period is required in clean waters before they can be marketed.

• Prohibited Areas - A more serious level of pollution occurs in waters prohibited for the gathering of shellfish. No transplant­ing or harvesting for cleansing is allowed. A portion of Big Bay Creek and the southern end of Scott Creek behind Edisto Beach is classified as prohibited. Both restrided and prohibited waters are marked with S.c. Department of Health and Environmental Control yellow warning signs. Harvesters should be sure they are in approved waters before gathering shellfish. .Ai

-Bill Anderson Marine Resources Division

5

Rice Fields: A Unique Lowcountry Resource

W HILE THE EXACT date for the beginning of rice culture in North America is not known,

most historians agree that rice was introduced during the last quarter of the seventeenth century (about 1685) in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina. The original seed rice is believed to have arrived from Mada­gascar with John Thurber, captain of a brigantine ship, who gave asmallquan­tity of rice to Dr. Henry Woodward of Charleston. Although rice was first grown as an upland crop without irrigation, the advantage of planting rice on low moist lands became immediately apparent to the early colonists. Irrigation is thought to have begun about 1724 when inland freshwater swamps became the first actual wetland sites used for rice cultivation. Unpredictable water sources and other water management problems associated with inland swamp rice culture led the industry to shift to the tidewater region perhaps as early as 1738.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries tidewater rice culture flourished and rapidly expanded to include all major estuarine systems in South Carolina. Principal rice growing areas were: the Wtnyah Bay System (Waccamaw, Pee Dee, Black and Sampit rivers), Santee Delta, Cooper River system, Ashepoo­Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin and the Savannah River region. Conversion of tidal, heavily forested swamps into diked and cleared agricultural lands required enormous effort, which considering the primitive technology of the era has been compared to the works of the ancient Egyptians. Ample tides (averaging approximately 3 to 7 feet) allowed planters to efficiently flood and dewater the extensive rice field complexes. This factor together with exacting water management capa­bilities provided by water control structures known as rice field trunks brought tidewater South Carolina to eminence as the principal rice growing region in the United States. During the period of maximum production (1839-1859), South Carolina accounted for about 70 percent of the entire nation's rice crop.

6

Rice Field Think: Originally Zlsed to provide water management capabilities essential for tidewater rice culture Cll 1740-1860, structures of similar design currently are used to manipulate water levels in coastal wetlands managed for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife.

The ACE Basin, with approximately 37,000 acres offormerricefieldsor about 30 percent of South Carolina's total rice field acreage, had the distinction of being home to both owner of the largest individual rice plantation and the largest complex of rice fields owned by a single rice planter. In 1850, Governor Aiken's Jehossee Island along the South Edisto River encompassed some 1,500 acres of prime rice lands. Jehossee's rice fields were almost twice the acreage of the South's next largest rice planta­tion, Hopeton,located in Glynn County, Georgia. Nathaniel Heyward owned approximately 5,000 acres of rice fields located on 17 plantations along both banks of the Combahee River. Heyward, who died in 1851, owned more acreage than any other planter of his time and is buried on one of his plantations.

The great rice industry that brought wealth and expanded civilization to the South Carolina coast has passed away, as have the individuals who initiated and developed this unpar­alleled ingenious adaptation to nature.

The casual visitor to the ACE Basin probably would not recognize the relic features of this once thriving industry, . innumerable canals, ditches and banks, remnant trunks, rice mill chimneys and piles of bricks representing the remains of plantation communities.

Following a series of devestating coastal stroms commercial rice produc­tion essentially ended in South Carolina during the early 1900s. The last large­scale plantings occurred along the Edis­to and Combahee rivers. However, competent authorities agree that tide­water rice production continues to influence human behavior and rela­tionships to the region. Extensive alteration and manipulation of wet­land systems for rice production had established a regional tradition of wetland ownership and management.

Wealthy sportsmen, generally non­natives of the area, began purchasing the old rice plantations as waterfowl hunting retreats. These acquisitions typically consolidated several former

IlRice Fields" continued on page 7

"Rice Fields" continued from page 6

. ---- plantations or portions of plantations and involved repair and maintenance of rice field dikes and water control structures. The legacy of wetland management thereby was carried into the present by these sportsmen.

The plantations' popularity as hunt­ing areas during the period imme­diately following commercial rice production was immense.

Habitat inventories of managed coastal wetlands document the contin­ued importance of former rice fields as waterfowl habitat. In a 1972-1973 sur­vey of managed wetlands in the ACE Basin, Patrick H. Morgan found 85 percent (approximately 19,000 acres) still maintained as waterfowl habitat. The second most common use iden­tified was cattle grazing, followed by a variety of other objectives including: snipe hunting, fishing, cypress tree culture, aesthetics and mariculture. (Morgan is now executive director of The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina.)

TIdewater rice culture created the sites and led to the evolution of tech­nology for modem waterfowl habitat management procedures. Current management recognizes subtle differ­ences among wetland types and emphasizes maintenance of wetland diversity to meet the food and cover requirements for various waterfowl species. Management of coastal wet­lands for waterfowl habitat is de­pendent, as was rice culture, upon efficient water management capa­bilities. The rice field trunk, of the basic design developed two hundred years ago, is still used to manipulate water levels in managed coastal wetlands.

The values and relationships of managed coastal wetlands to wildlife species other than waterfowl are being increasingly studied and recognized. Biologists of the Nongame and Heritage Trust Section of the S.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (SCWMRD) determined that managed wetlands in the ACE Basin provide some of the best alligator habitat in the state. Their studies docu­ment high alligator populations asso­ciated with managed wetland com­plexes and identify remnant rice field dikes as preferred alligator nest sites.

The Basin also is considered the most important region for nesting

Southern bald eagles in South Carolina . Most of the active nesting territories found in the Basin are located near managed wetlands. Biologists believe that the remote, unpolluted character of the ACE Basin together with the abundant prey (ducks, coots, common moorhens and fish) typically found in managed wetlands contribute signifi­cantly to the re-gion's importance to eagles.

Mary's Island Reserve will serve as an important component of Ducks Unlimited's new international Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research. The remaining 18,000 acres of the Basin's managed wetlands are owned by private individuals who have traditionally prized the qualities of the wetlands and by and large have man-

aged their prop­erties to maintain the natural char-

These shallowly flooded wetlands are used inten­sively as feeding sites by a variety of shorebirds and wading birds in­cluding: sand pipers, plovers, black-necked stilts, egrets, herons, ibis and the endan­gered wood stork. SCWMRD non­game section biol­ogists and orni­thologists from Clemson Univer-

SlNowhere else in the world has

nature been so kind to her children

acter and ecolog­ical integrity of the Basin.

The ACE Basin Task Force rec­ognizes the impor­tant conservation commitments of private landown­ers and actively promotes contin­ued private lands stewardship. A comprehensive private lands ini­tiative, sponsored by the Task Force,

as in those regions where the plantations were

formed out of the Eden-like

wilderness of the Lowcountry."

sity and U.S.c.-Coastal Carolina College currently are cooperatinginColonial Waterbirds and Shorebirds Projects, sponsored by the S.c. Sea Grant Consortium and num­erous private individuals. Theprojects seek to better understand the ecology of waterbird use associated with natural and managed coastal wetlands.

Although many of the former tidewater plantations along the South Carolina coast have been lost to residential or commercial develop­ment, contemporary land use patterns in the ACE Basin remain dedicated to conservation interests, both public and private. Much of the 12,OOO-acre Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, was devoted to rice culture. The area is now owned and managed by SCW MRD to provide habitat for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife and offers numerous wildlife-related public use opportunities. The entire wetland complex that forms the Bonny Hall Unit of the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge was once cultivated for rice and now is managed as habitat for migratory waterfowl by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Managed wetlands within Ducks Unlimited's

is currently being developed to assist

private landowners in protecting andj or enhancing biological diversity asso­ciated with existing functional man­aged wetlands, natural wetlands and upland habitats. The Task Force also is working with private landowners to secure voluntary conservation ease­ments that ensure perpetual protection of habitat integrity and allow prop­erties to remain in private ownership.

Wise resource stewardship that pro­tects the ecological integrity ofthe Basin and encourages continued traditional uses is the fundamental tenet of the ACE Basin Project. Spawned by tide­water plantation society over two hun­dred years ago, this legacy continues in the ACE Basin today and is portrayed most eloquently by the words of the late Archibald Rutledge, poet laureate of South Carolina. "Nowhere else in the world has nature been so kind to her children as in those regions where the plantations were formed out of the Eden-like wilderness of the Lowcountry. And the charm is an eternal one; though tlte civilization that it cradled and nourished has passed away, the charm survives. The home remains lovely after the guests are gone." .... ........

7

ACE Basin Task Force Named S.C. Wildlife Federation Conservationist Of The Year T HE ACE BASIN TASK Force has

been selected by the S.c. Wildlife Federation (SCWF) as its 1991

Conservationist of the Year. SCWF selected the Task Force for its top award in recognition of the Task Force's lead­ership in developing a plan for pro­tecting Significant portions of the ACE Basin. Represented on the ACE Basin Task Force are Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, the S.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and pri­vate landowners.

According to SCWF, "The efforts of the group have produced a remarkable land and water conservation project in South Carolina's lower coastal region.

"The Task Force has used a variety of approaches to achieve its conserva­tion objective and has demonstrated the benefits to resource conservation and wildlife habitat through its cooper­ative actions. It has successfully se­cured funds for purchase of significant properties, conservation easements and creative resource management arrange­ments, all of which enhance the natural resources of the ACE Basin while en­suring the continuation of traditional uses. The ACE Basinhas been identified as one of two "flagship" projects within the North American Waterfowl Man­agement Plan's Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. The North American Water­fowl Management Plan is a $1.5 billion

ACE Basin Committee s.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Dept. Dr. James A. Timmerman Jr., Exec. Director John E. Frampton, ACE Basin Task Force Michael Prevost, Committee Chairman David Allen - Freshwater Fisheries Section Bob Campbell- Conservation Education

and Communications Joe Hamilton - Game Section Mike McKenzie - Marine Resources Ben Moise - Law Enforcement and Boating Sally Murphy - Nongame-Heritage Trust Graphics Design Glen Connelly - Conservation Education

and Communications Editorial Assistance Ann Simpson - Ducks Unlimited Funding provided by the Hany R.E. Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, Inc.

o Printed On Recycled Paper.

effort to restore continental waterfowl populations primarily through habitat enhancement and conservation.

"Private landowners have donated conservation easements on their prop­erties assuring long term management for traditional wildlife values. The development of the new ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge is underway and a National Estuarine Research Reserve, which combines preservation with applied research and education is envisioned. Conservation organizations have enabled the transfer of properties to the public domain or to a cooperative arrangement between nonprofit founda­tions and government agencies.

"The creative vision of the partici­pating forces on the Task Force has made possible the impossible dream."

Charles G. Lane, chairman of the ACE Basin Task Force said, "We are surprised and honored to receive this recognition from SCWE All the mem­bers of the Task Force have worked hard to put the ACE project on the path to success, but we would also like to give

ACE Basin Current Events.fie

a great deal ofcreditto the many organi­zations, businesses and individuals who have supported and encouraged the project from the beginning."

The award will be presented at the Federation's annual Conservation Ban­quet, January 25, 1992, in Myrtle Beach.

The SCWF is a nonprofit conser­vation organization that promotes the wise use, management and proper development of wildlife and othernatu­ral resources. Founded by sportsmen over 60 years ago, the Federation is one of the oldest conservation organiza­tions in the nation. #I!

Editor's Note ~A&i ACE Basin Current Events is a product

of the S.c. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department's ACE Basin Committee. This committee integrates the comprehensive habitat protection and enhancement concept of the ACE Basin Project with appropriate resource management responsibilities of the Department's various Divisions.

CUN"ent Events is published twice annually and is intended to inform the public of the Department's role as a member of the ACE Basin TaskForce as well as communi­cate overall activities and cooperative accomplishments of other TaskForce mem­hers including: Ducks Unlimited, Private Landowners, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Address correspondence to: ACE Basin Project, SCWMRD, Rt. 1, Box 25, Green Pond, SC 29446. #I!

South Carolina Wildlife & Marine Resources Deparbnent Rt.l, Box 25

Second Class U.S. Postage

PAID Walterboro,

SC Green Pond, SC 29446.