Betsy Kerrison Nature Area
Johns, Kiawah, and Seabrook are our sea islands—a place where land, water, and history meet and mingle like the tides that carve their shores, where people, wildlife, water, and land are bound together in a delicate, enduring balance. Recognizing this interconnection and the urgent need for conservation on Johns Island, the Conservancy has preserved three properties along Betsy Kerrison Parkway with the support of Charleston County Greenbelt, the South Carolina Conservation Bank, and many generous donors.
The Conservancy envisions this new nature area as a place where nature, history, culture, and community come together. Trails will lead visitors through native plant meadows alive with color, past groves of longleaf pines, into the quiet shade of maritime forests, and along sweeping marsh views. Sweetgrass farms and stands will honor Gullah Geechee traditions, keeping artistry and heritage rooted in the very landscapes that sustain them. Interpretive exhibits and outdoor classrooms will deepen the experience, opening windows into the islands’ ecological and cultural richness, while an Environmental Education Center—designed in harmony with the land—will host programs that inspire schoolchildren, visitors, and community members to embrace conservation as a shared responsibility.
Even oysters will have their place: a shell drop-off will return discarded shells to tidal creeks and rivers, where they will help build reefs, filter waters clear and clean, shelter marine life, and slow the creeping hand of erosion. Restoration is already underway—planting native trees, reintroducing grassland species, and removing invasives—so that with each passing year this land grows stronger, healthier, and more resilient.
By protecting both nature and culture, the Betsy Kerrison Nature Area will stand as more than preserved land—it will be a living promise. A promise that the sea islands will remain places of beauty and resilience, where wildlife finds sanctuary, where traditions endure, and where communities gather beneath the same ancient oaks. In the years ahead, this landscape will remind us all that when land, water, and people thrive together, the future can be both wild and whole.
Sweetgrass Initiative
Sweetgrass artistry—an enduring symbol of Gullah Geechee culture—relies on a plant that has become increasingly difficult to find in the wild. When local artists voiced these concerns, the Conservancy joined with the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, sweetgrass artisans, and farmer Sidi Limehouse to act. Native sweetgrass seeds collected from preserved lands were carefully cultivated into seedlings and grown on Johns Island until ready for harvest. Today, volunteers and Conservancy staff work together to gather the mature grasses, which are then shared directly with generational sweetgrass artists.
This effort not only sustains a centuries-old art form but also strengthens the connection between people and the land itself. By restoring sweetgrass to the landscape and placing it in the hands of those who carry the tradition forward, the initiative helps ensure that the artistry, culture, and history sewn into every coil will continue to flourish for generations to come.
Citizen Science Litter Sweep and Study
In January 2022, the Conservancy partnered with the South Carolina Aquarium to launch a hands-on program that unites people from across the sea islands—and beyond—in the effort to care for our shared environment. Each month, volunteers gather to remove litter from beaches, roadsides, and sometimes waterways, places where trash not only mars natural beauty but also threatens wildlife and water quality. Bags fill with plastic bottles, discarded fishing line, cigarette butts, and countless other items that, left unchecked, would continue to pollute the landscape.
But the effort goes far beyond cleanup. Every item collected is carefully documented, turning each piece of litter into a data point that helps researchers better understand the sources and impacts of pollution and advocate for change. This citizen science approach means that every participant contributes directly to shaping stronger, more sustainable solutions for the future.
The result is twofold: the immediate restoration of healthier, cleaner spaces for people and wildlife, and the long-term creation of knowledge that can influence lasting change. What begins as a morning spent picking up trash becomes part of a much larger story—one where community action improves the present while helping to protect the Lowcountry for generations to come.
Marsh Restoration
Marshes are the nurseries of the Lowcountry, places where young fish, crabs, and countless other species find shelter and where the tides help cleanse and renew the water. Their loss threatens not only wildlife but also the protection of shorelines and the health of surrounding communities. The Conservancy is working to restore these fragile edges through living shoreline projects that combine human ingenuity with the resilience of nature. Using manufactured wire reefs (MWRs) and fresh plantings of spartina grass, these projects stabilize eroding banks, filter water, and create the foundation for thriving oyster reefs that, in turn, shelter marine life and further strengthen the marsh.
The first restoration site at Mingo Point—created in partnership with Kiawah Island Golf Resort and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ S.C.O.R.E. program—proved that, with care and collaboration, damaged marshes can be reborn. Building on that success, the Conservancy joined with the Town of Kiawah Island, SCDNR’s S.C.O.R.E. program, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Lowcountry Land Trust, Kiawah Island Community Association, Kiawah Partners, The Sustainability Institute, and Shoreline Restoration Group to launch a larger effort now underway. This project will restore more than 1,900 linear feet of salt marsh shoreline through the construction and installation of more than 800 MWRs, reviving habitat for fish, crabs, and oysters while protecting water quality and slowing erosion.
What begins as wire, oyster shells, and careful planting grows into something far greater: a living shoreline that safeguards the river, sustains marine life, and strengthens the Lowcountry for generations to come.
Groundwater Table Study (Town of Kiawah Island, TOKI, funded)
Beneath Kiawah Island’s lush forests and winding marshes lies a hidden but vital resource—groundwater. This unseen network sustains the island’s vegetation, influences the health of wetlands, and plays a key role in buffering the effects of sea level rise and saltwater intrusion.
Recognizing the importance of understanding what happens below the surface, the Conservancy partnered with Dr. Tim Callahan, former Chair of the College of Charleston’s Geology Department, to launch a multi-year groundwater monitoring study. Together, we set out to measure groundwater depth and salinity across the island—key indicators of how the island’s freshwater systems are responding to changing coastal conditions.
Supported by funding from the Town of Kiawah Island between 2019 and 2021, the study established the foundation for long-term monitoring. The project’s final research phase concluded in early 2022, and the data collected over the years is now being used to create detailed groundwater maps. These maps provide critical insight into water distribution, inform conservation and restoration strategies, and guide future decision-making to protect Kiawah Island’s ecosystems.
Looking ahead, the Conservancy plans to continue long-term monitoring at extended intervals (every five to ten years), allowing for meaningful analysis of long-range patterns tied to climate change, sea level rise, and land-use impacts.
By turning years of monitoring into actionable maps, the Conservancy is better able to safeguard the island’s freshwater resources and the habitats and communities that depend on them.
Marsh Vulnerability Study (TOKI funded)
A cooperative effort between the Conservancy of the Sea Islands and Dr. Norm Levine, Director, College of Charleston’s Santee Cooper GIS and Lowcountry Hazards Lab. This project is investigating the historical changes in marsh vegetation and assessing the current vulnerabilities of marsh habitat. Data gathered from this project will help to identify and prioritize areas for future restoration and enhancement activities to protect marshlands around Kiawah Island. Final phase concluding in February 2022 with periodic updates occurring in the future. This project was fully funded by the Town of Kiawah Island between 2019-2021.
Resilience Project (NFWF ECRF 2019)
A community engagement and environmental planning project focused on obtaining consensus on the future use of nature-based solutions with key stakeholders on Kiawah Island. Project is still underway and set to conclude with a comprehensive report in October 2022. This project was fully funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through a National Coastal Resilience Fund grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Integrated Watershed Study (TOKI Funded)
Project to integrate water resource monitoring data to assess watersheds on Kiawah Island. This will integrate weather, tidal, and groundwater data to develop monthly natural water budgets for Kiawah Island. In addition, monitoring equipment will be deployed in the surrounding marshlands to begin collecting data on water quality within tidal creeks. This project was fully funded by the Town of Kiawah Island between 2021-2022.
Associated Conservation Partnerships
Fall Migration Banding (ongoing – Aaron Given, TOKI)
Bobcat GPS Monitoring (ongoing – Jim Jordan, TOKI)
Bobcat Rodenticides Project (forthcoming – Meghan Keating et al., Clemson University)
Deer monitoring (Jim Jordan, Aaron Given, Matt Hill (KICA))
Alligator monitoring (Matt Hill / KICA Lakes Department, Jim Jordan, Aaron Given)