About: Santee Coastal Reserve (SCR) Wildlife Management Area represents a variety of habitats found in South Carolina including diverse uplands, freshwater, brackish and tidal wetlands, and agricultural fields. The SCR property is composed of Murphy Island, Cedar Island, The Cape, Washo Reserve, and adjacent upland habitats. Murphy Island, Cedar Island and The Cape are former rice fields managed for the benefit of breeding, migratory and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on Murphy and Cedar Islands. Washo Reserve, owned and co-managed by The Nature Conservancy, is a 1,040-acre sanctuary within Santee Coastal Reserve consisting of a cypress lake and surrounding upland longleaf pine buffer. The impounded cypress lake harbors the oldest wading bird rookery in continuous use in North America.
The upland habitat at SCR contains a diversity of forest types, including a natural stand of longleaf pine, Carolina bays, and mixed hardwoods. The long-leaf pine and other forested areas support many colonies of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, songbirds, raptors, butterflies, fox squirrels, and other small mammals.
The SCDNR intensively manages SCR to provide optimum habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, to provide habitat for upland game and nongame species, and to provide recreational opportunities for the hunting and non-hunting public. The area has four designated nature trails and miles of dirt roads for hikers and bicyclists. Alligators are abundant in the managed wetlands and are most often seen from late February through mid-November.
Link: https://public-lands-scdnr.hub.arcgis.com/pages/santee-coastal-reserve-wma#desc
Hours: The Santee Coastal Reserve managed wetlands will be open for wildlife observation, bird watching, photography, or nature study during daylight hours (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset) except during special hunts and events regulated and annually scheduled by the Department.
Location: From the intersection of US 17 and Highway 45 in McClellanville, follow US 17 north toward Georgetown. After 3 miles turn right on South Santee Road and proceed 2.6 miles to turn right onto the dirt entrance road to the SCR. Murphy and Cedar Islands and their beaches are not accessible from the mainland. Visitors must provide their own transportation via watercraft.
