Burrell’s Place

Forming an island within Sumter National Forest and along Pig Pen Creek is a 6.5-acre property that controls the fate of over 4 miles of brook trout stream, which flows into the wild and scenic Chattooga River. 

SCDNR has worked for decades to restore populations of native eastern brook trout in South Carolina streams, but the biggest obstacles to this important effort are man-made impoundments and non-native fishes. Identified as a critical inholding by the National Forest and a strategic property for brook trout reintroduction, SCDNR, US Forest Service and Naturaland Trust have had their eyes on this property for many years. 

In 2020, the property went on the market. This small tract presents a disproportionately great opportunity to help brook trout and add to the National Forest. Removing the non-native fish and the dam will restore 4 miles of brook trout stream. It was an opportunity we couldn't turn down and thanks to a generous donor who loaned us the funding to close, we purchased the property.

We then set to raise $30,000 that would trigger a 10-fold match from federal and state agencies to prepare the site, safely remove the dam, restore the stream and incorporate the property into the National Forest with the Forest Service becoming the eventual owner.

From the beginning this was a community project. Charles Moxley removed the derelict buildings and hauled off the trash on the property. SCDNR and USFS biologists lead by Dan Rankin and Keith Whalen dewatered the pond and with the help of Trout Unlimited, removed the non-native fishes. Frank Holleman organized the SC Native Plant Society and the Chattooga Conservancy to host a clean up day and plant rescue for the dozens of mature plants that would have been impacted by the dam removal. Peggy Jo Nadler and Robbie Sitzlar at the USFS helped line up funding at the federal level and in March of 2022, Hal Jones and Tripp Boltin of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Team arrived with their machinery and over three days with USFS's staff, they removed the nearly 90-year-old dam and stabilized the site.

SCDNR biologists have already reared 1,500 Southern Appalachian brook trout fry to be reintroduced to the stream and other parts of the watershed. Over the next several years, SCDNR and USFS biologists will monitor their success and the stream ecology post-dam removal. With our acquisition, restoration, and transfer to the Forest Service, the entire Pig Pen Branch watershed is now protected. 

Today, the property is part of Sumter National Forest, the dilapidated buildings are gone, and the pond is now a lush wetland with a mountain stream babbling through. We expect the native brook trout below to flourish in the 4 miles of mountain stream that is now isolated from non-native fish. They will have the best chance they've had in nearly a century to spawn and reoccupy their historic range. We're so excited and we couldn't have done it without the boldness of our board, our partners and a true grassroots funding effort.

We received critical funding from the Jim & Shawn Floyd Foundation, American Rivers, Mountain Bridge Trout Unlimited, and Gerrit Jobsis who matched your gifts. You donated, told your friends, shared our email, and helped us accomplish this monumental goal. Thank you to those below, who contributed personally to this project: 

David Armstrong, Boris Bauer, Catherine Bergin, Lawrence Brown, Gail Brownlee, Camille Buck, Cynthia Clark, Edwin and Andrea Cooper, John Cooper, Corey Giving Fund, Crystal Davenport, Gary Davis, Glen DeHart, Ruthann Earl, Kathy Edwards, Mary Fievet, Jim Fowler, Cory Godbey, Patti Grammatis, Steve Grant, Dave Hargett, The Harveys, Glenn Hilliard, Frank Holleman, Lawrence Karniski, Andrew Kerns, Dale Leffler, Michael Libbrecht, Jeanne Miner, Vivian McCreery, Boyd Newman, Jonathan Norwood, Henry Parr, Scott Park, Bill Sharpton, Julia Sibley-Jones, David Spain, Don Spude, Nancy Stangle, Merike Tamm, Tom Theus, Carter Thomasson, Mike Waddell, Kay and Brooks Wade, Dan and Sheri Whitten, Jim Woods.