Protecting 500 Acres Near Charlotte

COLUMBIA, SC (MARCH 5, 2007) — The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy have completed a deal to protect more than 500 acres in Lancaster County, South Carolina, south of the Charlotte metropolitan area. The tract adjoins Forty-Acre Rock, a South Carolina Heritage Preserve.

“Charlotte’s growth has spurred residential and commercial development in Lancaster County, increasing the pressure for us to protect additional habitat near the preserve, which currently comprises 1,587 acres,” said Sarah Hartman, Director of Land Protection for The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina. “Also, the property is extremely important for protecting the water quality of Flat Creek, which harbors an amazing array of aquatic life indigenous to South Carolina.

Flat Creek is a major tributary of the Lynches River, located in the transition zone from the Piedmont to the Sandhills. It supports one of the healthiest populations of the Carolina heelsplitter mussel and is one of only seven known surviving populations of this federally endangered species.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the 521-acre tract in November of 2006 and recently transferred the property to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, which manages Forty-Acre Rock. “We were happy to partner with The Nature Conservancy on this project utilizing DNR’s Heritage Land Trust Fund and the State Conservation Bank to help fund the acquisition,” said Barry Beasley, Director of Habitat Protection Programs for DNR. Forty-Acre Rock is best known for its huge and unusual granite outcrop and offers recreational access to the rock and the adjoining acreage.

The preserve includes granite rock outcrops, deciduous woods, floodplain forests, and bluffs. Noted by South Carolina botanists Dr. Richard Porcher and Dr. Doug Rayner as “one of the most diverse protected areas in the piedmont,” the preserve supports many rare plant species, including Piedmont sandwort (Minuartia uniflora), Puck’s orpine or Granite stonecrop (Sedum pusillum), and Pool sprite (Amphianthus pusillus) Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve is open year- round and may be accessed from SC Hwy 27, .5 mile north of its junction with US Hwy 601.