Edisto Realty News
Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area Now Open
Aug 11th, 2008It’s been described as Edisto’s jewel.
4,360 acres of pristine lowcountry plantation Botany Bay is historically significant, - the site of both Sea Cloud and Bleak Hall Plantations- it is the second most active loggerhead turtle nesting area in the sate, and it is home to incredible wildlife. Located just off scenic highway 174 on Botany Bay road, it is only five minutes from Edisto Beach.
A photographer’s paradise you look out on miles of untouched salt marshes. Coastal weather means ever changing skies. They range from clear Carolina blue, to huge white cumulus clouds, to thunderstorms complete with massive lightning strikes.
It is also a beach lovers dream where large flocks of pelicans cruise overhead and threatened terns nest nearby. Large pieces of driftwood are undisturbed and erosion leaves a bone yard of trees to bear witness to nature’s whimsical destruction.
For visitors it is also a place to walk or bicycle in a natural setting rarely found in our increasingly crowded world.
Make no mistake, Botany is wild. There are no rest rooms or trash receptacles. The philosophy is pack it in, pack it out. Visitors should come prepared for mosquitoes and keep a wary eye out for snakes and alligators. No metal detectors or trailered boats are allowed, but if you like canoeing or kayaking there is a small landing from which you can explore incredible creeks. The rules are meant to keep it pristine discouraging shell collection and intrusive tourism. This is a place set aside for people who love nature.
Forming the northern boundary of the internationally known ACE basin, Botany is just one of numerous wildlife areas within easy driving distance of Edisto. Among them Donnolly Wildlife Management Area known for its managed rice fields and waterfowl; Caw Caw Swamp Interpretive area a county owned park; Dunnegan Wildlife preserve with its large population of wood storks, and – of course – the ACE basin itself anchored by historic Grove Plantation.
