COASTLINES VOLUME 22 // ISSUE 1 // Spring 2022
The Wild, Wonderful Waccamaw — Is it Any Wonder We’re Smitten? By Carla Burgess For the Coastal Land Trust
T
he Waccamaw River is an ecological puzzle of sorts. With its stately cypress trees and often sleepyflowing, tea-colored waters, the river looks a lot like its swampy, blackwater cousins in the coastal plain. But the watershed’s unusual limestone geology and associated neutral water chemistry have given existence to uncommon creatures that live only here. The Waccamaw silverside, Waccamaw darter, and Waccamaw fatmucket mussel live only in Lake Waccamaw, from which the river spills, and at isolated locations in the upper Waccamaw watershed. The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust has been wild about the Waccamaw watershed—including its wonderful swamps, woodlands and tributaries—since obtaining its first 300-acre conservation easement in 2008. To date, we have conserved more than 4,700 acres along the Waccamaw, including more than 10 miles of riverfront. For organizations like ours, land conservation is yet another kind of puzzle. Even the fitting of seemingly
The entire Waccamaw has been designated a “Blue Trail” to promote water recreation and encourage conservation. Photo by Walker Golder
small parcels can have meaningful impact. The 197 acres we gave to expand Lake Waccamaw State Park provided additional public access to the river. Last summer we purchased a 91-acre tract that tucks nicely into one of our existing preserves.
The largest Waccamaw transaction, in 2018, had particular cumulative impact. This nearly 3,000-acre acquisition connects to more than 20,000 acres of existing state game lands and portions Waccamaw, continued on page 5
The Bell Shall Ring Again By Stephanie Wert Borrett, Director of Donor Relations
O
n a sunny morning in November, neighbors and friends gathered along Cedar Hill Road in Navassa, NC, on the lawn of Reaves Chapel.
This was the day the community had been working toward for years; today the restoration of Reaves Chapel began. From its inception in the 1860s through the early 2000s, Reaves Chapel served the community as a place of worship, service, faith, and history. Many community members have stories of the chapel central to their memories growing up nearby. The steeple bell would ring out for miles to mark time (especially, remembers Jacki Davis, the bell meant “start running” so she wasn’t late to Sunday School!). The bell rang out to mark the birth of a baby or the passing of a neighbor.
Partners gather at Reaves Chapel to celebrate the groundbreaking and beginning of restoration.
Staff photo
CoastalLandTrust.org
George Beatty remembers attending a choral concert at Reaves Chapel and the group sang Didn’t it Rain, a spiritual made famous by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The choir’s rendition very Reaves, continued on page 5
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