About: Formal protection of the ACE Basin was initiated in 1988 with the development of the ACE Basin Task Force, a unique partnership of state and federal governmental representatives, nonprofit conservation organizations, and private landowners. This group shared a vision of maintaining the natural character of the Basin by promoting wise resource management and continuing traditional uses with improved public access. The ACE Basin is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast. It is named for the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers. These rivers drain primarily into the St. Helena Sound, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean between Hunting Island and Edisto Island.
While encouraging traditional land uses such as agriculture, timber production, hunting, and fishing, the overall management goal is to maintain the area's ambiance while restricting industrial and resort development characteristic of much of the state's coastal zone in the past 30 years. To date, well over 128,000 acres in the Basin have been protected through conservation easements, management agreements, and fee title purchases. The private landowner initiative has been fundamental to the overwhelming success of the ACE Basin Project.
The 450,000 acres making up the ACE Basin Task Force Project area support more than 1,500 plant and animal species (not including insects) within six distinct ecosystem habitats. The ecosystems of the ACE Basin are not untouched considering that some level of anthropogenic (resulting from the influence of human beings on nature) impact has occurred for the last 6,000 years; however, the ecological integrity of the ACE Basin has been maintained through conscious management and sustainable use of its resources.
The Basin is recognized as one of the most diverse natural areas of the Atlantic Coast. It is an important wintering area for waterfowl and nesting bald eagles. It provides important nesting beaches for threatened loggerhead sea turtles and supports the largest concentration of wood stork nesting colonies in the nation. The St. Helena Sound is recognized as one of the most pristine estuaries on the East Coast and provides important commercial and recreational finfish and shellfish resources.
ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve - a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atomospheric Administration (NOAA) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the reserve itself consists of over 140,000 acres consisting of a mixture of upland and lowland that is publicly protected or privately owned. In essence, it is an historic overlay district and is not in direct control or ownership of any specific land area. NERR staff monitors indicators such as flora/fauna livelihood and water quality, provides educational and scientific support to visitors and researchers and offers training programs for conservationists and other stakeholders.
Listed below is a partial list of protected areas in the ACE Basin, not including private conservation easements:
- Earnest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge
- Bear Island Wildlife Management Area
- Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
- St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve
- Edisto Interpretive Center
- Edisto Beach State Park
- Great Swamp Sanctuary
- Hunting Island State Park
- Ravenel Caw Caw Interpretive Center
Location: 45 minutes south of Charleston, the ACE Basin is located along the southern half of South Carolina's Atlantic coastline, situated between Charleston and Beaufort. The principal road through the ACE Basin is U.S. Highway 17 (the ACE Basin Parkway), which skirts the northern reaches of the protected areas and providing transportation connection between the areas clustered around Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah.The basin's boundaries are roughly defined to include all of Edisto Island and running northwesterly towards Walterboro, then heading southwest towards Garden's Corner and Yemassee before heading back towards the ocean, including all of the St. Helena Sound and Hunting Island State Park.
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/mrri/acechar/references.htmlLinks: https://www.cooperativeconservation.org/viewproject.aspx?id=89
