SC Coastal Plain
Botany Bay Heritage Preserve
- Location: Charleston County, SC
- Wetland Types: Tidal Marsh, Maritime Forest, Coastal Scrub/Shrub
- Site Owner: SC Department of Natural Resources
- Year Nominated: 2020
- Unique Feature: Large intact coastal wetland with varying types of habitat.
- More Information: Fact Sheet
- Additional Resources:
- NOAA Report
- SCDNR Webpage (includes directions to the site)
- The ACE Basin by Discover South Carolina (You Tube Video)
The tidal marshes and managed wetlands of Botany Bay Preserve support a variety of fish and shellfish resources and provide foraging habitat for numerous wildlife species.
Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve
- Location: Greenville County, SC
- Wetland Types: Piedmont Seepage Forest and Bottomland Hardwood Forest
- Site Owner: SC Department of Natural Resources
- Year Nominated: 2020
- Unique Feature: The preserve supports a disappearing piedmont wetland type and federally endangered herb.
- More Information: Fact Sheet
- Plan a Visit: SCDNR
Congaree Swamp
- Location: Congaree National Park Richmond, SC
- Wetland Type: Bottomland hardwood forest, riverine swamp forest
- Owner: National Park Service
- Year Nominated: 2017
- More Information: Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Francis Beilder Forest
- Location: Dorchester County, Couth Carolina
- Wetland Types: Cypress-tupelo swamp, bottomland hardwood forest
- Property Owner: National Audubon Society
- Year Nominated: 2016
- Threats: Development pressures from the Charleston metro area.
- More Information: Beidler Forest Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Hobcaw Barony Wetlands
- Location: Georgetown County, SC
- Wetland Types: Salt/brackish marsh, tidal freshwater marsh, basin wetlands
- Owner: Belle W. Baruch Foundation
- Year Nominated: 2017
- More Information: Factsheet
Lewis Ocean Bay
- Location: Horry County, SC
- Wetland Types: Carolina bay complex, bay forest, pine flatwoods, pond pine woodland, longleaf pine savannah
- Owner: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Year Nominated: 2018
- Threats: Fire suppression due to urban development pose concerns for fire dependent species.
- More Information: Lewis Ocean Bay Factsheet
- Video: Learn about the Threats to Lewis Ocean Bay
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Little Pee Dee Heritage Preserve
- Location: Horry and Marion Counties, SC
- Wetland Types: Floodplain Forest and Oxbow Lakes
- Site Owner: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Public Lands
- Year Nominated: 2021
- Unique Feature: 80 to 100 years old and provide excellent nesting sites for songbirds but bring a boat – this site is best accessed by kayak or canoe.
- More Information: Wetland Treasure Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: SCDNR Public Lands
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Location: Beaufort County, SC
- Wetland Type: Salt Marsh
- Site Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Year Nominated: 2021
- Unique Feature: Freshwater ponds provide a safe place for wading birds to nest, as well as excellent wildlife viewing opportunities for visitors.
- More Information: Wetland Treasure Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Pink Beds Bog
- Location: Pisgah National Forest, NC
- Wetland Type: Southern Appalachian bog, swamp forest-bog complex, semi-permanent impoundment
- Owner: U.S. Forest Service
- Threats: This site is well protected, though future threats may stem from visitation or development in adjacent areas
- More Information: Pink Beds Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Santee Coastal Preserve
- Location: Charleston County, SC
- Wetland Type: Cypress Lake, Fresh - Saltwater Marshes, Carolina Bays
- Owner: South Carolina Division of Park and Recreation
- Year Nominated: 2019
- Unique Feature: Once a rice plantation, this reserve provides essential habitat for many species of wildlife, including migratory and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds, and Loggerhead sea turtles.
- More Information: Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Sparkleberry Swamp
- Location: Lake Marion, South Carolina
- Wetland Type: Riverine swamp forest, bottomland hardwood forest
- Owner: South Carolina Public Service Authority
- Year Nominated: 2018
- Threats: Invasive exotic vegetation including giant salvinia, water hyacinth, and hydrilla; potential landfill leakage; and development.
- More Information: Sparkleberry Swamp Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: https://paddling.com/paddle/trips/sparkleberry-swamp-in-south-carolina
Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge
- Location: Georgetown, Horry, and Marion Counties, SC
- Site Owner: US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Year nominated: 2023
- Wetland Types: Alluvial and black water floodplain forested wetlands, tidal forested and emergent wetlands, and historic rice fields.
- Unique Feature: More than 400 species of animals are supported by the variety of habitats within the refuge, including several endangered species. Wetlands play a critical role in the filtration and storm water retentions of the primary drinking water resource for the greater Grand Strand region.
- Wetland Treasure Factsheet
- More Information:
- US Fish and Wildlife Services
Wambaw Swamp Wilderness
- Location: Charleston County, SC (located in Francis Marion National Forest)
- Site Owner: U.S. Forest Service
- Year nominated: 2022
- Wetland Types: river-bottom land of hardwoods & sloughs
- Unique Feature: Thick with wild orchids, pickerel weed, sedges, carnivorous pitcher plants, and epiphytes. The wilderness is comprised of bottomland hardwood forest and is edged with small pine stands. Also, home to mature cypress and tupelo trees.
- Wetland Treasure Factsheet
- More Information:
- US Forest Service
Woods Bay
- Location: Florence, Clarendon, and Sumter counties, SC
- Wetland Type: Carolina Bay
- Owner: SC Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
- Year Nominated: 2019
- Unique Feature: The park is the home to one of the last remaining, relatively undisturbed, large Carolina bays on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain.
- More Information: Factsheet
- Plan a Visit: Directions