Bluffs overlooking Congaree National Park, seen from a nearby property in Fort Motte, S.C., on May 12, 2025, are among conservation projects that received approval to move forward. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — A nature preserve near Columbia could more than triple in size under a proposal that received initial approval from the state’s financial oversight committee.
An expansion of 480 acres at the Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve was one of several conservation projects the State Fiscal Accountability Authority signed off on pursuing last week. The OK from the board, which includes the governor and state treasurer, is typically among the first steps of a lengthy process involving land surveys and purchase negotiations.
Altogether, the approvals would add close to 10,000 acres to South Carolina’s protected lands.
Among those is about 480 acres the Department of Natural Resources is looking to add to the 201-acre Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve, which overlooks part of Congaree National Park in Calhoun County.
Located more than 100 feet above the 26,000-acre national park, the protected land is known for stunning views of the untouched swamp and bottomland forest. If the purchase goes through, the land would “add to the natural and cultural significance of the area by providing beautiful scenic hikes and views,” according to an agency application.
A family trust is offering the land for $2.5 million, according to the agency. Several other protected plots of land run alongside the portion the Department of Natural Resources is eyeing, including about 400 acres the Audubon Society owns.
Once at risk of development because of the sweeping vistas and proximity to Columbia, the area has been a top priority for conservation groups because it sits so near the state’s only national park, meaning any development could affect the park’s habitats.
The land contains a diverse mixture of trees, including at least 100 acres of loblolly pines the department could harvest and sell, as well as mixed hardwood pines, according to the agency request.
Jasper County’s Coosawhatchie Heritage Preserve could also see an expansion after approval from the board.
The Department of Natural Resources is looking to buy 635 acres that sit within land the agency already owns. For $1.8 million, that land could become part of the 10,570-acre preserve that opened to the public in September 2024.
A total of 1,265 acres will add to two of the state’s wildlife management areas, which offer deer, hog, quail hunting along with hiking trails. The board signed off on final land deals for the areas, allowing the department to move forward with the purchases.
That included 774 acres to establish the Bobwhite Hills Wildlife Management Area, located on the line between Lee and Sumter counties. The area is an important habitat for longleaf pines and sits beside a 2,500-acre unnamed wildlife management area, according to the application.
The agency will fund the $715,000 cost through proceeds from fees for hunting licenses.
Nearly 500 acres will protect land along nearly a mile of the Pee Dee River, which flows into the wetland Marsh Wildlife Management Area in Marion County. The existing 8,700-acre preserve sits in a floodplain, and preserving the riverfront will make sure the aquatic habitat stays protected, according to the application.
Conservation group buys 8,000-acre forest in Georgetown County
The state will pay just over $1 million for the property.
One of three potential new state forests received initial approval from the committee, allowing state officials to survey the land and make sure it would make for a good addition to the five state-owned forests.
Nonprofit group The Conservation Fund plans to sell just over 8,000 acres in Georgetown County to the state for about $36.3 million. The Forestry Commission would turn that land into Carvers Bay State Forest, according to the application.
Primarily composed of pine trees, the forest is one of the most productive in the nation for timber harvesting, The Conservation Fund’s state director said previously. The state’s purchase will allow for continued harvesting of timber in a sustainable manner, protecting the trees from possible development.
The last time the Forestry Commission added a new state forest was in 2004, when it bought the 12,000-acre Wee Tee State Forest in Georgetown and Williamsburg counties. Conservation groups purchased two other properties this year with plans to sell them to the state as new forests.
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