The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is seeking public input on the proposed ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Management Plan for 2026–2031. Created in partnership between SCDNR and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this plan serves as a framework to guide authorizations, approvals, funding and other actions for the ACE Basin NERR over the course of its five-year cycle.
The ACE Basin NERR was created in 1992 as a community hub for coastal science, education and collaboration in the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Located 45 minutes south of Charleston, South Carolina, the Reserve encompasses over 120,000 acres of pine and hardwood uplands, cypress swamps, winding rivers, tidal marshes, oyster reefs and barrier islands, as well as important cultural sites, such as the Pockoy Island Shell Ring Complex. The ACE Basin serves as part of a national system of 30 such reserves dedicated to science-based protection of coastlines and estuaries.
Through long-term research, education and training, staff and partners promote stewardship and enjoyment of the ACE Basin’s natural and cultural resources by current and future generations. Estuaries, like the ACE Basin’s confluence of the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers with the St. Helena Sound, are vital to coastal communities and quality of life and have been for thousands of years. They provide habitats for countless fish, oysters, crustaceans and other wildlife species, while also helping to protect human health by improving water quality and reducing flooding and erosion. Reserves play a critical role in helping communities live in balance with these places of both natural and cultural significance.
Federal regulations require reserves to maintain a NOAA-approved management plan that serves as the foundation for reserve activities and describes its history, assets, programs and administrative structure. Every five years, NOAA works with each reserve to ensure compliance with federal regulations and alignment with national priorities.
SCDNR welcomes participation by reviewing and providing comments on the draft plan in the next 30 days via this form.
To learn more about the ACE Basin NERR as a whole, click here.
