Kingsburg Bay

The property was acquired in 2009 by Santee Cooper for the purpose of environmental mitigation and then transferred to the SCNPS in late 2019. Since acquiring the property, SCNPS developed a management plan and acquired funding to carry out the restoration activities which includes:

• restoring the historic native plant community
• restoring the wetland functions
• potentially restoring the rare plant populations
• reducing coverage of woody species such as loblolly and wax myrtle
• invasive species removal
• prescribed fire

It will also be a site for isolated wetland restoration demonstration and environmental education and outreach.

The property hasn’t seen fire in over a decade and loblolly pine and other trees have grown up, shading out the wetland vegetation and altering the hydrological function. In 2020, SCNPS was awarded a 5-year Conservation Stewardship Program grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to reduce the loblolly pine, combat invasive species, burn, and restore the native groundcover in the uplands.

In December 2020, the first volunteer field day was held at the property. Volunteers cleared the perimeter of the property, put up signage, and removed over 10 bags of trash from the site. In the near future, timber will be harvested at the Kingsburg Bay as part of the restoration process. Removing the overstory will allow the herbaceous ground cover to recover and make it possible to reintroduce prescribed fire.

Volunteer and Donations

While SCNPS grant funding has been made available, it doesn’t cover the complete cost of the restoration. For more information on donating, volunteering, or about the bay itself contact Lisa Lord, Kingsburg Bay Chair.