Welcome to SANDY ISLAND PRESERVE PHOTO © CARLTON WARD JR. About Sandy Island Preserve Wildlife Habitat The 9,165-acre Sandy Island Preserve is part of the largest Today Sandy Island’s abandoned ricefields and wetland protected freshwater island on the east coast and The Nature habitats are home to abundant wildlife, including Conservancy’s largest preserve in South Carolina. Comprised swallow-tail kites, screech owls and great blue herons. of tidal freshwater marsh and wetland forests (3,600 acres) Black bear, deer, feral hogs, alligators and other reptiles and interior upland habitat (5,565 acres), the Preserve is (turtles, snakes) make their home in the Preserve’s forests home to the federally endangered red-cockaded and wetlands. Native plant species of interest include woodpecker and longleaf pine forests, among other rare longleaf pine, pitcher plants, sandhill rosemary and plants and animals. The Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and orchids. In order to maintain healthy longleaf pine forests, Wildlife Service (USFWS) partner in managing recreation prescribed fires are conducted annually on different and ecosystem health on Sandy Island. pieces of the Preserve. Fire helps reduce hazardous fuels and competing vegetation and promotes rich plant History & Culture diversity. The island’s sandy roads and trails make for excellent viewing of wildlife tracks. Sandy Island is home Sandy Island is surrounded by the Waccamaw River, the to more than 40 families of the federally endangered Great Pee Dee and tidal creeks that were instrumental in red-cockaded woodpecker. You can view the cavity trees supporting the Winyah Bay rice plantation culture that thrived where these birds live along hiking trails and experience during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The island’s forests longleaf forests, oak bluffs, and wetlands pocosins. were also used for shipbuilding and the turpentine industry, evidenced by the “cat-faced” tree markings on some of the older longleaf pines. Sandy Island is home to a small community of people, and a school “bus” boat ferries students to-and-from the mainland. In 1997, Sandy Island TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SANDY ISLAND Preserve was created as a wetlands mitigation project of the VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.nature.org. South Carolina Department of Transportation, which the Conservancy managed for DOT. In 2011, the Conservancy became both owner and manager, and in 2012, USFWS and TNC entered a formal agreement to co-manage the Preserve. Little Bull Creek Trail (2.2 Miles) Inset 1 Enjoying Your Visit Sandy Island Preserve LLititttllee B Buullll C Crreeeekk T Trraaiill ((22..22 MMiilleess)) Inset 11 Sandy Island Preserve Red-cockaded Woodpecker Trail (3.9 Miles) The Nature Conservancy hopes visitors to Sandy Island will Hiking Trails RReedd--ccoocckkaaddeedd W Wooooddppeecckkeerr TTrraaiill ((33..99 MMiilleess)) enjoy the easy hiking terrain, pristine forest and wetland HHiikkiinngg T Trraaiillss habitats of the Preserve. Here are some tips for making the ¤£701 ¤£70£1701 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¤ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! most of your visit. ! B ! ! u ! Inset 1 BBull ! u I! nIsneste t1 1 ll C ! r XY1 ll CC ee ! ! r k ! XYXY11 ree • The Preserve is open to the public from sunrise to sunset. XY eek ! k ! XY1 ! XYXY ! ! ! XYXY1XY1 ! • Access to Sandy Island Preserve is by boat only, and there ! XYXY ! ! ! are no restrooms, running water or trash removal service. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! • There is no bridge to Sandy Island. The closest boat ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! access is from landings along the Waccamaw River. Bull ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Creek (1), Vaux Creek (2), and Thoroughfare Creek (3) landings on the Island (yellow diamonds on adjacent map) Wacca Wache provide access to hiking trails and informational kiosks. WWacaccac aW Wacahche e XY2XY2 Landing XYXYXY2 LaLnadnidnigng • Visitors to Sandy Island Preserve are welcome to: hike, d[ observe wildlife, picnic, take photos, fish. d[d[ • Visitors are on their own but guided tours may be 0 0.125 0.25 0.5 Miles pre-arranged with local tour companies. 00 00.1.21525 00.2.255 00.5.5MMiilleess • Visitors are asked to refrain from: camping, littering, lighting fires, hunting without a permit, and removing cultural or animal/plant artifacts. Please respect private 00 00.2.525 00.5.5 11MMiilleess property outside of the Preserve. 0 0.25 0.5 1 Miles ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! • Call Waccamaw NWR Visitor’s Center 843-527-8069 or ! InIsneste 2t 2 Inset 2 ! ! ! ! ! TNC 843-937-8807 with questions about your visit. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! XY3XY3 XYXY3 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! XY ! ! ! ! ! XY ! ! ! ! ! ! d[d[ SaSnadnyd Iys lIsalnadnd Sandy Island LaLnadnidnigng Landing ¤£1¤£717 ¤£17 T T T h h h o o o r r r o o o uu ughgh g fafa XYXYPuPbulbilci cA cAccecsess Ps oPionintst as nandd K Kioiosksk I nInfoforrmmaattioionn hf rere XY ar C C Public Access Points and Kiosk Information e rr C e e r e e e k k [d[PuPbulbilci cbo baota tla lnadnidningsg os non m maianin l alnandd e 33 d k XYXY d[ Public boat landings on main land XYXY3 0 0 0.50.5 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 M5 Milielses 0 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 Miles 0 0.50.51 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 K5iKloilmoemteetresrs $$ LLaarrrryy P Paauull T Trraaiill ( (22 M Miilleess)) Inset 22 0 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 Kilometers $ Larry Paul Trail (2 Miles) Inset 2.