Spring Island

PLEASE NOTE, the day of the outing has been moved from our regular fourth Saturday to the fifth Saturday, April
29, due to scheduling conflicts with Spring Island staff. Because Spring Island is a private residential community and they’re making arrangements to accommodate us, we will all need to RSVP if we are planning to attend. Please RSVP by PM’ing Tom Austin so we can let the folks at Spring Island know how many are attending.

Spring Island is a private conservation community situated on a small 3,000-acre sea island nestled between the Chechessee and Colleton Rivers and straddled by the cities of Bluffton and Beaufort, SC. The development of Spring Island was initiated about 1990. Its master plan incorporated the conservation of large areas of greenspace and natural habitats in its design, alongside the siting of homes and creation of amenities for residents. There were two roughly 500-acre nature preserves set aside in the master plan as permanent onservation areas as well as numerous relatively natural common areas. These preserves are owned and conserved by the Spring Island Trust, who also manages the natural habitats across the Island and runs the Island’s educational programs.

Spring Island has large swings in elevation across the island, which is atypical of South Carolina’s sea islands. This results in a diverse assortments of environmental conditions that can support a wide range of ecosystems. This promotes biodiversity of both plants and animals. So expect to see not just our typical maritime and coastal critters but also species from all across the Lowcountry and even some more typical of the western Sandhills.

SCAN will be soodling through primarily the Colleton Preserve on the south end of Spring Island. Given that Spring Island is a private community, we will not have free run of the place as it is very easy to end up wandering into people’s yards. We will instead be guided by Andy Jones, Executive Director of the Spring Island Trust, and will be shuttled through the property to and from our meeting location via an open bench trailer (think hay-ride w/o the hay). Tony Mills may also join us for part of the day. We’ll be in the field all day, so be prepared to take everything you’ll need with you.

A map of the trails on Spring Island can be found in the April newsletter. More information about Spring Island can be found on their website:
https://www.springislandtrust.org/

There are some ground rules for the property for us all to keep in mind. For our herpers in the group, snake hooks, logging flipping, and all that jazz is allowed. However, we are not allowed to manipulate/handle any venomous snakes we spy. We are also not allowed to flip any of the cover-boards found on the property, as these are part of an active research project. More generally, we may all need to sign a waiver before we depart and the Spring Island folks are still working out if that will be needed. If you arrive early, please head straight to the meeting location and please don’t wander the Island by yourself either before or after we meet. And as always, be mindful of private property lines and be courteous to any residents we meet.

Directions to Spring Island:
From Bluffton/Hilton Head – From HWY-278, turn right on HWY-170 towards Beaufort. Follow HWY-170 for about 8 miles until you reach the stoplight at Snake Road (Callawassie General Store, a gas station, will be to your right). Turn right and head 1.2 miles to the Callawassie Island entrance.

From Beaufort: Head south on HWY-170 towards Bluffton. Continue on HWY-170 for 6.8 miles, crossing the Broad River and Chechessee River bridges. At the stoplight for Snake Road (Callawassie
General Store, a gas station, is on the left) turn left and head 1.2 miles to the Callawassie Island entrance.

From the Callawassie Island Entrance: At the gate, tell the security guard you are attending the SCAN event with the Spring Island Trust. Cross over the causeway and take the first left on Spring Island Drive for 1.7 miles. This will take you over another bridge and onto Spring Island. At the first stop sign, take a left to stay on Spring Island Drive. At the second stop sign, turn left onto Mobley Oaks Lane. Once you’ve passed the horse pastures, take a right on Barksdale Lane. The Spring Island Trust’s barn is at the second right.

We will meet at the Spring Island Trust’s barn at 10:30am. The barn is located at 14 Barksdale Ln, Hilton Head Island, SC or (32.3456, -80.8349). It’s tucked back off the road a little ways.

Spring Island is a gated community. So tell the security guard at the front gate that you’re going to the SCAN Event with the Spring Island Trust, they may also require a photo ID before they issue you a pass onto the island.