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ACE Basin Reserve, South Carolina

State

South Carolina

State Partner

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Acres

99,308

Est. Date

1992

South Carolina’s ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve gets its name from the three rivers that meet at St. Helena Sound—the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto. The Reserve’s 99,308 acres of pine and hardwood upland, oyster reef, forested wetland, barrier islands, cypress swamp, and tidal marsh combine to make this one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast and home to many endangered species. The Reserve partners with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to restore oyster reefs that can be found alongside tidal marshes, which in turn keep the coastal water clean and protect local communities.

Explore the impact of ACE Basin Reserve’s educational programs in 2019, from virtual lab tours to hands-on experiences where students grow native shoreline plants and collect restoration data.

Did You Know…

The Edisto River, which flows through the ACE Basin Reserve, is one of the longest blackwater rivers in the world.

Latest News from the ACE Basin Reserve

Talk NERRdy to Me: Julie Binz

Talk NERRdy to Me: Julie Binz

This month, NERRA’s roving reporter Nik Charov spoke with Julie Binz, manager at the ACE Basin Reserve in South Carolina. They talked about confounding geography, environmental education, human dimensions, and a certain graduate program every wannabe-NERRd should know.

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A Bird’s Eye View of the NERRS

A Bird’s Eye View of the NERRS

The rufous-breasted red knot migrates more than 9,000 miles every year, wintering as far south as Tierra Del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America. Along the way, many take a break at South Carolina’s ACE Basin Reserve.

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ACE Basin Reserve, South Carolina