#
75
No.
Little Bear Island
Little Bear Island is a special place on Kiawah. The 152-acre preserve, adjacent to the Stono River inlet, contains one of
the Island’s most diverse assortments of plant communities. From the maritime shrub thickets to the tidal salt marsh and
upland forests, interesting plants such as sea lavender, Fimbristylis and prickly pear cactus abound. Golden expanses of
glasswort color the mud flats of Little Bear in the fall. The diverse plant life provides a pristine habitat for a variety of
wildlife, from glass lizards to bobcats to foraging shorebirds. This unique place is forever protected from development by
a conservation easement held by the Kiawah Conservancy.
76
Hammock Islands
Marsh hammocks (also referred to as “hummock islands”) are the small chunks of high ground that dot the marshlands of
the Lowcountry, and more locally, the salt marsh associated with the Kiawah River. The small islands can be viewed as
“mini preserves,” as they often exist in a very natural state and have had little human impact because of their isolation and
lack of easy access. Migratory songbirds, like our cherished painted buntings, often use these pockets of habitat to feed
and rest during seasonal migration. These islands often contain unique plants, such as shell-mound buckthorn, a plant that
is fostered by the calcium-rich soils associated with oyster shell middens and are considered rare by the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources. The hammock photographed here, Beck Island, is protected by a conservation easement
held by the Kiawah Conservancy.
- Justin Core
If you are interested in visiting Little Bear Island, the Kiawah Conservancy often includes volunteers on its land
stewardship visits to this and other properties throughout the year. Please contact the Kiawah Conservancy (843-768-2029
or [email protected]) for more details.
- Justin Core
Number
Properties Owned:
77
•
Wassén Preserve
9 Airy Hall
•
Maritime Forest Reserve
& Nature Trail
133 Conifer Lane
•
77 New Settlement Road
•
Plenty’s Island
•
168 Bluebill Court
•
25 Arrowhead Hall
•
141 Red Cedar Lane
Properties Preserved in Perpetuity
by the Kiawah Conservancy
Properties Under Conservation Easement:
•
41 Marsh Edge Lane
•
Beck Island
•
107 Marsh Elder Court
•
Briar’s Creek Marsh & Hummocks
•
227 Sea Marsh Drive
•
Little Bear Island
•
523 Ruddy Turnstone Drive
•
Salt Cedar Lane/Falcon Point Road Nature Area
•
38 Berkshire Hall
•
Rhett’s Bluff Nature Area
•
765 Curlew Court
•
Indigo Park Nature Areas
•
66 Blue Heron Pond Road
•
Otter Island Nature Area
•
579 Oyster Rake
•
83x Blue Heron Pond Road