SC agencies granted $1M to preserve 1,000 acres along Savannah River in Jasper County
A $5 million award to two South Carolina agencies will help to preserve nearly 5,000 acres of wetlands throughout the state, including purchasing and protecting almost 1,000 acres of land in Jasper County along the Savannah River, a news release from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources said.
The 974-acre forested tract is in the Lower Savannah River watershed protecting 3.5 miles of river frontage. Its extensive floodplain forests are integral for habitat and flood control, which supports clean drinking water across the region.
The grant, to SCDNR and the S.C. Conservation Bank, will allow SCDNR to acquire the land with help from the Lowcountry Land Trust and Savannah River Clean Water Fund, the release said.
The other four projects that are part of the grant include preserving 841 acres along the Black River in Williamsburg County, 194 acres along the Ashley Scenic River in Charleston County, 1,964 acres along the Santee River in Georgetown County, and 980 acres along the Waccamaw River Basin in Horry County.
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants were awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Coastal wetland habitat conservation is critical to ensure that important habitat, wildlife and coastal communities continue to thrive for future generations,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in the release.
SCDNR director Robert H. Boyles Jr. and S.C. Conservation Bank executive director J. Raleigh West III both echoed that the grants will have great benefits for the state’s economy, people, and wildlife.
This announcement comes more than a year after an almost-14,000-acre tract along a different section of the Savannah River in Hampton County was set aside in a conservation easement.
