Stem Cell Injections in Sea Island, SC

Tucked off a dirt road on the edge of Coosaw Island, the stretch of salt marsh looks unassuming at first glance. But upon closer inspection, visitors can see a well ordered grid dug into the earth. These structures make up the remains of a sea island cotton field, worked and created by enslaved labor from the late 1700s until the Civil War.

The 123-acre site is now permanently protected. Through a collaboration between The Open Land Trust and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the property, now known as the Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve, is one of few sites in the Southeast that contains visible markers of sea island cotton production. In addition to preserving open space and habitat, the preserve also holds great significance for the Gullah community.

“It was a good thing to stand where my ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears, literally, is in the sand,” Queen Quet, chiefess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, said during the dedication ceremony Tuesday.

The former cotton fields were first noticed by Beekman Webb, a local naturalist and musician, and his wife Kathy they explored the islands during the early months of the pandemic. Understanding that the structure was not of natural origin, Webb enlisted researchers to take a closer look at the property and they confirmed his suspicions.

The remaining beds and rows of drainage ditches on the property were created and maintained by enslaved people who cultivated sea island cotton, a strain with extra-long fibers that made it particularly valuable. Enslaved people created similar structures across the Lowcountry, though few remain visible today.

“It’s an engineering masterpiece,” Queen Quet said. “African people don’t often get credit for their intellectual prowess that was brought here and planted in Sea Island soil.”

The Open Land Trust initially acquired the land for the preserve from three separate families. The land trust had the right of first refusal should one of those families ever get an offer, said Kate Schaefer, director of land protection at The Open Land Trust. They decided to purchase the parcels, along with two other pieces of land from separate families.

A local land trust is able to move faster to purchase these properties than a state agency, Schaefer said. So they held onto the land for a while, but ultimately the goal was always to hand it over to the DNR Heritage Trust Program, which purchased the land for a little more than $500,000.

“But that was the whole point, from the beginning, to make sure this resource could be enjoyed by the public, “ Schaefer said. “A DNR Heritage Trust Preserve was the best way to make sure that could happen in a respectful way.”

At the moment, there are no amenities on the site beyond two benches. Before any other infrastructure can be added, DNR needs to conduct an archaeological survey and create a management plan. Going forward, the site could also be a good candidate for prescribed burns, Brain Long, cultural heritage preserves manager with the department, said.

Jodi Barnes, the DNR heritage preserves archaeologist, said that it’s possible to find remnants of early Native American presence in the area, along with signs of early colonial trade and the Civil War and plantation era.

When plantation owners fled the region following the Civil War, Gullah/Geechee families cultivated the land, earning a living from truck farms and other businesses. Records show that on Coosaw Island, four of those landowners fought during the war in the United States Colored Troops, regiments composed largely of African Americans.

A number Gullah/Geechee farmers owned portions of the preserve up through the beginning of the 20th century as well. Barnes said they hope to learn about their lives across time.

Beyond the historical significance, the preserve is also near Morgan Island and other protected lands, so it helps to create a habitat corridor across the area.

“Now that they are protected forever, they provide a really special, rural place for all of us to come and enjoy the solace of nature on the edge of a growing community,” Schaefer said.

The Island Packet

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Lydia Larsen covers climate and environmental issues along South Carolina’s coast. Before trading the lab bench for journalism, she studied how copepods (tiny crustaceans) adapt to temperature and salinity shifts caused by climate change. A Wisconsin native, Lydia covered climate science and Midwest environmental issues before making the move to South Carolina.

Despite being one of the smaller states in the country, South Carolina has plenty of distinct golf destinations: Myrtle Beach, Kiawah Island and Charleston are all worth their own trips. And then there’s Hilton Head Island, which in many ways is a fusion of all the other Palmetto State golf destinations.

The island is best known for the historic Sea Pines Resort, with its three top courses including Harbour Town, host of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage. You can also find courses with decent value on the island and just off, in the neighboring town of Bluffton. Combine the solid golf with the island’s relaxing vibe, great seafood and miles of beaches, and it's one of the best destinations for a golf trip.

Scroll on for the complete list of the best public golf courses in Hilton Head, and be sure to click through to each individual course page for bonus photography and reviews from our course panelists. We also encourage you to leave your own ratings on the courses you’ve played … so you can make your case for why a course should be higher or lower on our rankings.

The best public golf courses in Hilton Head Island

Explore Golf Digest's new Course Reviews section where you can submit a star rating and evaluation on all the courses you’ve played. We've collected tens of thousands of reviews from our course-ranking panelists to deliver a premium experience, which includes course rankings, experts' opinions, bonus course photography, videos and much more. Check it out here!

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The Sea Island ReStore is celebrating more than 25 years supporting Habitat for Humanity homes.

One million dollars is brought in annually to support the broader mission of building and restoring Habitat for Humanity homes.

Regular shoppers at the ReStore help contribute to that money weekly and sometimes even daily, according to the executive director of the Sea Island store.

“I would love to come here twice a week because it’s kind of far from my house,” Renee Jones, of Mount Pleasant, said.

Jones’ mother, Colette Roasti, is visiting from out of town, and the ReStore is one of their first stops.

“We come here every trip, I don’t think we miss. It’s part of the plan,” said Rosati.

When what’s bought doesn’t fit into the plan as expected, it can get recycled instead of going to the landfill.

“I try and support it. I mean if I buy something and it doesn’t work then I bring it back to them,” shopper James G Reed Jr. said.

That way, his trade could become your treasure.

“The money that we make every year, we typically have enough that we pay completely for the building materials for four houses every year,” Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Executive Director John Rhoden said.

While the Georgetown ReStore announced they would be closing their doors permanently in May due to a lack of funding, the Sea Island staff say their ReStore has been going strong since 1999.

“We had years and years of success, and actually we continue to have record years after record years, which is great. Got a lot of families moving to Johns Island, James Island, Wadmalaw, and I think as they are buying these houses, they want something new and they might sell us what’s in that house. But we’ve been here so long and people know about us, so our reputation and people know we have a lot of really neat things here,” Rhoden said.

In part because of community support, and those who benefit from the work, future recipients of the homes have to put in 300 hours of work with Habitat for Humanity, and some of the time is spent right at this Restore, according to staff member Todd Kelly.

“It’s nice to see these folks come in here. They have smiles on their faces, they’re happy to be here. It just kind of rubs off on everybody and kind of gives you a sense of why you’re here,” Kelly said.

“It definitely encourages me to buy more things here because I know it’s going to a good cause,” Jones said.

Aside from shopping there, you can support their effort by donating items, which the store will pick up for you, or you can volunteer your time. To find out how, click here.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Heritage Trust Program recently acquired a 122.6-acre tract of land located on Coosaw Island in Beaufort County. This is the 19th Cultural Heritage Preserve acquired for protection under the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program.

The SCDNR Heritage Trust Program purchased the land for $505,000 from the Beaufort County Open Land Trust (OLT) to establish what will be known as Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve. The preserve is comprised of parcels formerly owned by the Stangel, Battey and Attaway families. Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve will be formally dedicated during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at the preserve at 250 Coosaw River Drive in Beaufort.

Gullah Geechee people cultivated and harvested Sea Island Cotton in South Carolina from the late 1700s until the American Civil War, with very few sites still visible on the landscape. This property contains visible remnant beds and drainage ditches of Sea Island cotton fields, cultivated prior to the American Civil War.

During Reconstruction, Gullah Geechee men and women acquired the land and operated truck farms and other businesses into the turn of the 20th century. The cotton field ridges, furrows, surrounding edges and road shoulders will provide important places to reestablish the culturally significant sweetgrass within the preserve.

While designated a Cultural Heritage Preserve, the property also protects abundant plant and animal species. Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve includes hummock and marsh islands bounded by intertidal marsh and tributaries of Boatswain Pond Creek and Duck Pond Creek, draining into the Morgan River and St. Helena Sound in the ACE Basin. The preserve looks out onto Morgan Island, another SCDNR owned and managed property, and creates a habitat corridor with nearby protected lands. On the wetland portions of the property, there are extant ridges, furrows and water control earthworks from sea island cotton production that provide habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species.

“Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve represents an overlooked conservation gem right beneath our feet – literally!” Open Land Trust Executive Director Kristin Williams said in a news release. “During the pandemic, OLT staff and board walked on Coosaw Island for solace in nature and knew this property needed to be protected forever. Thanks to the previous landowners and lenders, we were able to take quick action and purchase the property. We are thrilled to partner with SCDNR on its protection forever for everyone to enjoy as a Heritage Trust Preserve.”

Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation said: “The discovery of this area of Coosaw that appeared to be captured in time and held for the appropriate use in the way that foods are when we preserve them in the Gullah/Geechee Nation is not only significant to us but is a blessing. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s leaders are pleased that we can continue our ongoing collaboration with the South Carolina Department of the Natural Resources through assisting with the research, interpretation and the sustainability plan for the historic site. We look forward to being able to honor our ancestors that toiled on that land and bring their voices to life again.”

“SCDNR looks forward to providing support and stewardship for this property that has significant habitat and cultural history,” said Ken Rentiers, deputy director for SCDNR Land, Water and Conservation Division. “We thank all of our partners that collaborated on this important project.”

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust program was created between 1974-1976, the first such program in the nation, to help stem the tide of habitat loss by protecting critical natural habitats and significant cultural sites. Enabling legislation directed the state natural resources agency, in concert with other state agencies, to set aside a portion of the state’s rich natural and cultural heritage in a system of heritage preserves to be protected for the benefit of present and future generations. For more information, visit heritagetrust.dnr.sc.gov.