The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on a proposal to significantly expand the boundaries within which it could pursue conservation acquisitions at national wildlife refuges in South Carolina and Georgia, including Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Clarendon County.
A map released with the Aug. 17 notice places a portion of Clarendon County within the agency's approximately 3.48 million-acre conceptual focus area for the South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges Complex. The focus area includes the existing Santee National Wildlife Refuge acquisition boundary around Lake Marion and extends beyond that boundary into other portions of Clarendon County.
The map does not identify individual properties for acquisition or specify how many of the additional acres ultimately authorized for conservation could be located in Clarendon County.
The proposal includes four refuges within the South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges Complex — Santee, Cape Romain, Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin and Waccamaw — as well as six refuges in the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex.
USFWS has identified approximately 4.5 million acres across two larger conceptual focus areas as it begins the planning process. The South Carolina Lowcountry conceptual focus area stretches from Clarendon County and Lake Marion through portions of the Lowcountry to the coast.
The conceptual focus area should not be confused with the amount of land that could ultimately be acquired.
USFWS is proposing to expand the nearly 120,000-acre South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges Complex by between 30,000 and 300,000 acres. The larger conceptual area identifies where the agency could potentially pursue conservation opportunities rather than land slated for federal acquisition.
According to USFWS, an approved limited acquisition boundary establishes an area within which the agency is authorized to acquire a specified amount of acreage. If the expansion is approved, the agency could work with willing landowners on voluntary conservation measures, including the purchase of property.
The agency emphasized that inclusion within a proposed boundary would not change how property owners may use their land or determine to whom they may sell it.
USFWS also said inclusion does not mean a property will be purchased. Future acquisitions would depend on willing sellers, available funding and other factors.
The proposal is intended to help conserve connected coastal lands and habitats for migratory birds, resident wildlife and rare, threatened and endangered species. USFWS said expansion could also create additional opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography and environmental education.
The agency said the conceptual focus areas were developed using watershed boundaries, urban areas, conservation priorities identified by Georgia and South Carolina and priority areas included in the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy's Southeast Conservation Blueprint.
The process remains in its early stages. USFWS is currently conducting public scoping before developing proposed land conservation plans. The agency said the current comment period is intended to gather information from residents, organizations and other interested parties about potential issues and opportunities associated with the proposed expansions. Additional opportunities for public review and comment are expected once the proposed conservation plans are developed.
The full proposal and maps are available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
View the full USFWS public notice and maps
Public comments must be submitted by Sept. 17.
Comments may be emailed to Dorothy_Wells@fws.gov or mailed to Nathan Hawkaluk, project leader, Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, 694 Beech Hill Lane, Hardeeville, SC 29927. Submissions should include the subject line "Proposed NWR Expansions in GA and SC."
