Waties Island

Until recently, Waties Island, near the bustling shore of North Myrtle Beach, was one of the Southeast’s last unprotected barrier islands. A rare undeveloped landscape of windswept trees and high sand dunes, the property appears like an oasis among the shoulder-to-shoulder beachfront high-rises of the Grand Strand. Here, the Open Space Institute was instrumental in working with landowner Olivia Boyce-Abel to protect 260 acres of critical property, a beloved landscape for birders and horseback riders that also provides critical protection to mainland communities by acting as a natural buffer against strong storms. Boyce-Abel sold her land to OSI at a considerable discount, and for good reason: her family has owned the land for generations, and today, she and her siblings are working to conserve the island acre by acre. OSI is holding the property until it can be transferred to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a Heritage Trust Reserve.

Images: Peter Houlihan