Properties Under Conservation Easement
Salt Cedar Lane/Falcon Point Road Nature Area
Property: 16.02 acres
Habitat Types: Tidal salt marsh, salt shrub thicket
Conservation Value: Preserves one of Kiawah Island’s “Important Bobcat Areas.”
Rhett’s Bluff Nature Area
Property: 2.78 acres
Habitat Types: Isolated freshwater wetland, maritime forest
Conservation Value: Preserves one of the Island’s few freshwater wetlands; the area is also a known haven for wildlife
and has been used in past years for bobcat denning. This location is also noted as an “Important Bobcat Area.”
Indigo Park Nature Areas
Property: 3.08 acres
Habitat Types: Maritime forest, hummock island, tidal salt marsh, salt shrub thicket
Conservation Value: In addition to “mainland” habitat, the easement protects four small hummock islands.
Otter Island Nature Area
Property: 4.88 acres
Habitat Types: Tidal salt marsh, salt shrub thicket
Conservation Value: On Kiawah, salt shrub thickets can be found on slightly elevated sites adjacent to tidal salt marsh.
They are only occasionally flooded by high tides and frequently serve as a transition area between the marsh and forested
uplands. These thickets, which often occur as bands or patches of salt tolerant rushes, grasses and shrubs, are heavily
used by bobcats as den sites and for resting cover. They are also utilized by a myriad of birds, including several migratory
species, such as the painted bunting. Plant species that characterize the salt shrub thicket habitat type include black
needlerush, marsh elder, groundseltree and red cedar.
Beck Island
Beck Island is a 3 acre hummock island located on the northern banks of the Kiawah River, between Bryans Creek
and Chaplin Creek. A conservation easement was placed on the island in 2000 by the Bryan family. The conservation
easement, held by the Kiawah Conservancy, preserves the property in its current natural state. Palmettos, live oaks and
red cedars are the dominate tree species found on the island, while salt shrub thicket habitat occurs around the edges
of the island. A known sanctuary for many wildlife species including painted buntings, wading birds, bobcats, deer and
raccoons, a DNR study also noted an otter camp on the island.
Briar’s Creek Marsh and Hummocks
In 2007, the Kiawah Conservancy accepted a 138 acre conservation easement from Briar’s Creek Golf Club. This
easement protects a wide expanse of marsh just east of Bryans Creek. The easement property also contains three
hummock islands. Hummock islands are coastal marsh islands, often located behind oceanfront barrier islands and
adjacent to the larger Sea Islands (such as Johns Island). In addition to providing habitat for a number of species, they
are of special importance to migratory birds, as they are frequently used as stopover areas for resting and feeding along
migration flyways.
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