Woodcock Woods

Over the last ten years, we have made protecting the endangered bunched arrowhead plant and its habitat one of our focus areas. Initially, each property did not touch one another, but every acquisition brings us closer to bridging the hydrological gaps with a mix of fee-simple purchases and private conservation easements. Millions of dollars have been invested in protecting these properties and their hydrological inputs, which has helped to stem the loss of ecologically sensitive properties, but there is still work to do, and each opportunity to protect an endangered species is one we cannot pass up.

The goal is to protect enough of these plants and their habitat, and permanently secure the hydrological facets on which they depend to delist the bunched arrowhead from its endangered status. Woodcock Woods is a project that brings two properties together to protect the habitat for the plants and their restoration through a joint project with SCDNR. Several years ago, Naturaland Trust negotiated the purchase of the Burns Bunched Arrowhead site, a 7-acre property containing the endangered plants.

The bunched arrowhead is one of the rarest plants in the Carolinas. It is an umbrella species for myriad plants, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals who depend on these wetlands. It is federally listed as endangered, and the principal strategy for its survival, as determined by the USFWS, is the protection of existing populations, their habitat, and their hydrology. The Woodcock Woods project will protect 26 acres of seepage forest, two streams, and the prime habitat that SCDNR has identified aside for relocating and propagating federally endangered bunched arrowheads along a rapidly growing corridor in Travelers Rest.

At the time, DNR was not in a position to take ownership and connect it with the other Heritage Preserves. To avoid a catastrophic development on the property, Naturaland Trust borrowed funding to close on the tract until we could grow its footprint and make a bigger impact on the plants, public access, and wildlife. In 2022, we negotiated the sale of the adjoining 26.2 acres containing a beautiful braided swamp, a large beaver pond, and exceptional habitat for the bunched arrowhead. Together, these properties total 33 acres and form the basis of our application to the Bank.

Protecting this property builds on decades of conservation efforts in the area and is a priority for state agencies, local government, conservation groups, and residents along Scenic Highway 11. Woodcock Woods contains populations of federally endangered bunched arrowhead plants and a suitable habitat for their reintroduction. On the property is a small earthen dam that Naturaland Trust will seek to remove with the help of USFWS. We will conduct a trash cleanup and invasive removal days with volunteers. After the dam removal, we will look to transfer the property to SCDNR for inclusion in their Heritage Preserve Program, to be managed alongside the existing Heritage Preserves in the area.