McKinney Creek Preserve
Location: Highway 276, Slater-Marietta, SC
Size: 195 acres
Habitat: Hardwood forest, creeks, rolling hills
Public Use: hiking only
Partners: South Carolina Conservation Bank, Oconee County Conservation Bank, KTHEP program
Year Protected: 2020
The 195-acre McKinney Creek Preserve builds on our efforts to protect critical habitat for the Oconee bell. The property is located just north of Scenic Highway 11, next to Devil’s Fork State Park, Sumter National Forest and Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee and it also borders privately protected riparian zones that were part of an Army Corps mitigation project within the Cliffs HOA.
Many of the tributaries that feed Lake Keowee are unprotected, contain rare and endangered species, are vulnerable to development, and pose a threat to the Lake Keowee watershed if they were developed in a damaging way. McKinney Creek is also critical habitat for the Oconee Bell, the signature species of the Jocassee and Keowee watersheds.
When Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee were formed, as much as 85% of the habitat for Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia) was permanently lost. These plants exist only in these watersheds and do not leave the confines of their historic range. Scientists worry that lack of genetic diversity will make these iconic plants vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Populations in adjunct and southerly colonies like the ones found on McKinney and Boones Creek may contain the gene pool necessary to make this plant more resilient to environmental changes and therefore may be critical to the long-term survival of the species. On the 195-acre McKinney Creek property, thousands of Oconee Bells thrive.
Naturaland Trust was able to close on the property and protect this stunning resource through generous grant funding with the SC Conservation Bank, Oconee County Conservation Bank, KTHEP program, and anonymous private donors.
And a special thank you to: the Airey Law Firm, Stone and Associates, Dick Williams, Pat McNamara, and ECS.
