None The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina Press Releases Search All Press Releases Michael B. Prevost Sewee to Santee Project Director Phone: (843) 887-4380 E-mail: mprevost@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy and Beaufort County Purchase N. Williman Island

Columbia, South Carolina -- May 20, 2002 -- The Nature Conservancy and Beaufort County jointly purchased North Williman Island in northern Beaufort County on Friday, May 17, 2002 for $4,035,000.  Beaufort County contributed $1 million toward the purchase price through funding from the county's Rural and Critical Lands Program.

The island is comprised of approximately 8,000 acres, 500 of which are uplands surrounded by vast salt marshes.  The island is bounded on the north and east by the Combahee River and on the south and west by the Coosaw River, Bull River, Williman Creek, Schooner Channel and Wimbee Creek.

"This was an excellent opportunity for Beaufort County to leverage its land-preservation dollars and help purchase land that is a critical component of the ACE Basin Reserve," said Mark Robertson, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's South Carolina Chapter.

The Conservancy's 75 percent interest in the island will be transferred to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) for management under the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve.  National Estuarine Research Reserves are managed and funded under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Beaufort County will retain its 25 percent interest.

North Williman Island, along with other islands in the ACE Basin Reserve, is open to public use.

The Reserves are established to 1) provide opportunities for long-term estuarine research and monitoring, 2) provide opportunities for estuarine education and interpretation, 3) provide a basis for more informed coastal management decisions and 4) promote public awareness, understanding and appreciation of estuarine ecosystems and their relationships to the environment as a whole.

Mike McKenzie, an official with SCDNR and the manager of the ACE Basin Reserve, commended The Nature Conservancy and the county for their environmental foresight.

"North Williman Island occupies a strategic location within the Reserve boundaries and has been a long-term priority identified for acquisition under the Reserve's management plan," McKenzie said.

The Nature Conservancy has been the principal partner working with SCDNR and NOAA to acquire land for the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve.  Prior to acquisition of North Williman Island, the Conservancy had acquired six other islands totaling 10,218 acres for inclusion in the Reserve.

Beginning in 1988, the Conservancy acquired Warren and Big Islands as gifts from the late Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley who are credited as founding leaders of the nationally acclaimed ACE Basin Project of which the National Estuarine Research Reserve is one component.  Other islands purchased by the Conservancy included Ashe, Beet, Otter and South Williman.

The Conservancy, Beaufort County and SCDNR commend Senator Ernest F. Hollings for his long-term support in securing NOAA funding to protect and manage the ACE Basin Reserve for public benefit.

Beaufort County's Rural and Critical Lands Program is supported by a $40 million bond referendum passed by more than 73 percent of the voters in 2000.