Description
Strategically positioned around the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, the 1.6 million-acre ACE Basin watershed is one of the largest areas of undeveloped wetlands/uplands ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast. This remarkable interlocking web of ecosystems includes forested uplands and wetlands, extensive tidal marshes, managed wetlands, barrier islands, and peatlands. It supports 33 types of natural plant communities and provides critical habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds and endangered species. To date, the Conservancy has helped to protect 203,000 acres in the ACE Basin.
Botany Bay Island, located in the ACE Basin, is the yearly nesting site for approximately 50 to 100 sea turtles. The nests are screened to protect them from raccoon predation. The result is that 3,000 to 10,000 sea turtles hatch on the island annually.
