DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
November 3, 2015Rainbow Ranch Tract: Now part of Forty Acre Rock
The Rainbow Ranch addition to Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve in Lancaster County was recently acquired by the S.C. Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) as required mitigation for environmental impacts from activities of Haile Gold Mine. The 698-acre tract is now
part of Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve (HP), bringing the total acreage of the preserve to 2,965 acres.
Forty Acre Rock HP was formed in 1981, mainly through the work of Lindsay Pettus and the
Katawba Valley Land Trust. DNR has
worked with the Trust, as well as The Nature Conservancy and others, to add tracts to the preserve over the years. Through the efforts
of Mr. Pettus, the preserve was designated one of the National Park Services' first National Natural Landmarks.
Rainbow Ranch helps protect 1.5 miles of the floodplain of Flat Creek, which is the critical habitat for the Carolina Heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata), a federally-endangered mussel that is one of the rarest animals in the world. Only about 154 Heelsplitters
remain in the wild, many of them in Flat Creek. The biggest threat to the Heelsplitter is loss and degradation of its freshwater habitat.
The mussel requires clean water and DNR will help provide that by managing Rainbow Ranch to prevent erosion and sedimentation into Flat
Creek. Rainbow Ranch will protect more than 8,500 feet of riparian corridor along Flat Creek, designated critical habitat for the Carolina
Heelsplitter. The department will also work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other landowners to conduct surveys of existing
populations and carry out propagation and other restoration activities.
Rainbow Ranch will provide the public benefits outlined in the Heritage Trust Act, including recreational activities such as hiking,
hunting, nature watching and photography, and serve as an outdoor classroom and laboratory as well as a site for scientific research.
Haile Gold Mine worked with DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a permittee responsible mitigation plan to offset
impacts to aquatic resources resulting from the development of their facility. The mitigation plan includes the preservation of Cook's
Mountain (1,132 acres), Goodwill Plantation (2,545 acres) and Rainbow Ranch and an endowment of $9.4 million from Haile Gold Mine to DNR.
The endowment provides for sound management of these sites, science-based restoration and further research and management. The Cook's
Mountain and Goodwill Plantation properties, now the Wateree Heritage Preserve, will preserve unique habitats along the Wateree River in
Richland County and provide public outdoor recreation opportunities consistent with protecting the conservation values of the tracts.
Find out more about Endangered Mussel Restoration.
More News
- DNR assists in stocking endangered freshwater mussel
- Rainbow Ranch Tract: Now part of Forty Acre Rock
- DNR youth deer clinic in Marion County on Nov. 25
- State wildlife, fisheries group meets Nov. 10 in Columbia
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- Motorists need to watch for deer on state roads
- Flooded property owners should consult local floodplain manager before rebuilding
- 2015 a successful seabird nesting season
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- Wood Storks had a successful nesting season in 2015
- Venison is not only source of toxoplasmosis parasite
- Lake Paul Wallace emptied for inspection
- Freshwater fishing trends
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- S.C. weekly tidetable
- DNR video
- Archived news releases
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