Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve/ Wildlife Management Area

Property Location

Botany Bay Rd.
Edisto Island, SC 29438

Latitude: 32.54  Longitude:-80.26
Acreage: 3363
County: Charleston
Game Zone: 3


Property Type: Heritage Preserve / WMA Other

Hours of Operation

  • The area is open for general public visitation during daylight hours (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.
  • The area is CLOSED on Tuesdays and for scheduled special hunts
  • The beach (also known as Boneyard Beach) is only accessible at low tide. Please check a tide chart if you're planning on going to the beach.

Property Regulations

  • All visitors are required to obtain a day use pass at the kiosk located at the main gate off Botany Bay Road.
  • There are no restroom facilities or trash disposal on the property.
  • No natural items or cultural artifacts may be collected or removed from Botany (including the beach); this includes shells, fossils, pottery, plants, fungi, etc.
  • Dogs and horses are not permitted on the causeway or beach at any time.
  • Only 15-passenger vans and smaller are allowed to tour the property due to the fragile nature of the road system.
  • Fishing at Jason's Lake is only open Friday through Sunday for adult-youth (17 years old and younger) catch and release fishing. Adults must possess a valid South Carolina saltwater recreational fishing license and must be accompanied by youth individual to fish. Youth cannot fish alone. No fishing can be done from any causeway at Botany Bay WMA.
  • NO alcohol, metal detectors or drones are allowed.
  • View full list of property regulations
  • For more information, call (843) 844-8957


Activities / Facilities

Biking Driving Equestrian Fishing Hunting Nature Viewing Hiking Canoes

Property Owner Information

South Carolina Budget and Control Board    

http://www.bcb.sc.gov

'South Carolina Budget and Control Board' is the property Owner and has a cooperative partnership with SCDNR to manage this property.

Property Description

Photograph of Botany Bay Plantation WMA

Calendar of Events

The 3,363 acre Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located adjacent to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast corner of Edisto Island in lower Charleston County, South Carolina. The area lies near the North Edisto River just south of the intensely developed resort islands of Kiawah and Seabrook and just north of the rapidly developing Edisto Beach area. The SC Department of Natural Resources acquired this property and opened it to the public in 2008.

The area's location near the North Edisto River places it within the boundary of the ACE Basin Focus Area, one of the largest remaining relatively undeveloped wetland ecosystems along the Atlantic Coast. Botany Bay Plantation WMA with Botany Bay Island (under conservation easement with The Nature Conservancy) and Deveaux Bank form a core area of protected habitat in the eastern corner of the Focus Area.

The biological features of Botany Bay Plantation WMA are characteristic of Sea Islands along the lower Southeast coast. The undeveloped coastal habitats of the management area are important to numerous wildlife species. The beach is utilized for nesting by the federally-threatened loggerhead sea turtle and the state-threatened least tern. The maritime forest and coastal scrub/shrub areas provide nesting and foraging habitat for neotropical songbirds including painted buntings and summer tanagers. The uplands support a wide diversity of wildlife. The tidal marshes and managed wetlands contain a variety of fish and shellfish resources and provide foraging habitat for numerous wildlife species.

The cultural resources on Botany Bay Plantation WMA are extremely significant. Cultural resource sites dating from as early as the Late Archaic Period through the 19th century are present. Several sites including the Fig Island Shell Rings, outbuildings from Bleak Hall Plantation and elements of the Alexander Bache U.S. Coast Survey Line are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The causeway to the beach is wheel chair accessible. The designated driving tour provides excellent viewing opportunities for the mobility impaired. Please note that due to the fragile nature of the road system through the property, only 15 passenger vans and smaller are allowed to tour the property.

Public Programs

  • View events calendar to learn about free public educational programs offered at Botany Bay!
  • Interested in volunteering? The ACE Basin NERR Volunteer Program helps enrich visitors experience and understanding of the ACE Basin's cultural history and ecology by assisting with the education and outreach programs at the multiple locations within the ACE Basin NERR including Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Edisto Environmental Learning Center and McKenzie Field Station. Volunteer activities can include participating in citizen science projects (i.e. Hawk Watch and Monarch Tagging Program), educating and enhancing visitors experience at Botany Bay through the Education Kiosk, assisting with nature tours and other public outreach events, and helping with reoccurring property maintenance days. Volunteer requirements include participating in a yearly volunteer training. To become an official volunteer, contact Brianna Evans at EvansB@dnr.sc.gov.
  • Learn more about the ACE Basin NERR