JASPER COUNTY, S.C. - The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Lowcountry Land Trust and conservation partners will celebrate the permanent protection of the 972-acre Meyer Lake Tract, a landmark conservation achievement along the Savannah River watershed on South Carolina’s southern coast, on May 22.
The future Meyer Lake Wildlife Management Area and Heritage Preserve (WMA/HP) is expected to open to the public on August 1, 2026, expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing while safeguarding critical habitat and protecting clean drinking water for more than 200,000 residents across the South Carolina and Georgia coast.
Protected in 2024, the acquisition comes at a critical time for Jasper County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. Located near key water supply infrastructure, conservation of the Meyer Lake Tract helps protect regional water resources and ensures public access to South Carolina’s natural beauty. With increasing development pressure, proximity to critical infrastructure, and rich wildlife habitat, the region has become a conservation priority not only for South Carolina, but nationally as well.
“Protecting the Meyer Lake Tract was an important step in advancing landscape-scale conservation along the Savannah River, where connected forests, wetlands, and waterways support both wildlife and the health of our coastal communities,” said Matt Williams, president and CEO of Lowcountry Land Trust. “When this property faced an urgent need for protection, Lowcountry Land Trust was able to step in quickly alongside our conservation partners to secure its future. Conserving places like Meyer Lake not only strengthens a growing corridor of protected lands, but also helps safeguard clean water for Beaufort, Jasper, Effingham, and Chatham counties by protecting natural wetlands and Savannah River drinking water sources.”
Additional funding support for the project was provided through the South Carolina Conservation Bank, whose grant contribution helped make the acquisition and long-term protection of the property possible. “The purchase, permanent protection, and transfer of the Meyer Lake property shows the power of partnership in connecting the ACE Basin to the growing footprint of conserved land in the South Lowcountry,” said Raleigh West, director, South Carolina Conservation Bank. “The Bank is proud to provide grant funds that helped this project come to fruition.”
Adjacent to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, the property strengthens a broader network of more than 38,000 acres of conserved lands, enhancing habitat connectivity and reinforcing a vital corridor of protected landscapes along the coast. The future Meyer Lake WMA/HP protects a diverse mix of habitats, including an 8.75-acre freshwater lake, a 5-acre oxbow lake, isolated wetlands, bottomland hardwood forests, upland mixed pine-hardwood forest and 3.5 miles of Savannah River frontage. These diverse habitats provide refuge for more than 165 priority species of conservation concern.
Ducks Unlimited Conservation Programs Director for the Southeast Region Emily Purcell emphasized the ecological importance of these wetlands and the partnership effort behind their protection, noting:
“Floodplain forested wetlands, such as the bottomland hardwood forests preserved on the Meyer Lake Tract, are priority ecosystems for supporting waterfowl like wood ducks and hundreds of other species of wildlife. The protection of these important wetlands also directly benefits water quality in the Savannah River watershed due to their ability to filter sediment and nutrients, resulting in cleaner water for surrounding communities. Ducks Unlimited was thrilled to support our partners Lowcountry Land Trust and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in securing critical funding to ensure that the multitude of benefits this priority wetlands provide to both people and wildlife are protected in perpetuity.”