Ernest F. Hollings

ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 848

Hollywood, SC 29449

843/889 3084

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1 800/344 WILD

http://acebasin.fws.gov

August 2005
Ernest F. Hollings

ACE Basin

National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The ACE Basin represents

one of the largest

undeveloped wetland

ecosystems remaining on

the Atlantic Coast. The

refuge is part of an overall

ACE Basin habitat

protection and

enhancement plan

implemented by a

coalition consisting of the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, South Carolina

Department of Natural

Resources, Ducks

Unlimited, The Nature

Conservancy, Low

Country Open Land

Trust, Mead Westvaco

Corporation, and private

landowners of the ACE

Basin.
This blue goose,

designed by Ding

Darling, has

become a symbol

of the National

Wildlife Refuge

System, a

network of over

537 refuges

protected and

managed for

wildlife, habitat

and people.

History of the ACE Basin

From the early 1700s to mid 1800s,

much of the ACE Basin was home to

large plantations owned by a small

number of individuals who managed

their wetlands primarily to grow rice.

After the rice culture declined in the

late 1800s, wealthy sportsmen

purchased many of these plantations

as hunting retreats. The new owners

successfully managed the former rice

fields and adjacent upland estates for

a wide range of wildlife.

The enormous natural values found on

the refuge today are still here because

past private landowners tended the

area so wisely. Undeveloped and

unpolluted, the habitat remains

diverse and extremely productive.

There are two separate units to the

refuge, one along the Edisto River and

the other along the Combahee River.

Presently at 11,815 acres, the refuge

may encompass 19,500 acres upon

completion of additional purchases.

Part of the historical values of the

ACE Basin were also protected. The

refuge office, a former rice plantation

house built in 1828, is one of only

three antebellum mansions that

survived the civil war in the ACE

Basin area. Former owners ensured

it would be preserved by placing it on

the National Register of Historical

Places.

USFWS
Wildlife

The Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin

has long been known for its

tremendous diversity of wildlife. The

intricate network of marshes, tidal

creeks, uplands and wetlands has

supported a myriad of plants and

animals. ACE Basin has long been

home to a vast array of waterfowl,

songbirds, fish, shellfish, and upland

animals.

Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin

National Wildlife Refuge lies along

the Atlantic Flyway—the “highway

in the sky.” Vast numbers of

waterfowl, shorebirds, neotropical

songbirds, and birds of prey migrate

from their nesting grounds to

wintering areas throughout eastern

North America. Beginning in late fall

and through early spring, the refuge

is a haven for wood ducks, pintails,

shovelers, mallards and widgeon, to

name a few of the approximately 20

species that winter here.

During the spring, summer, and early

fall, neotropical songbirds call the

refuge their home. These small,

colorful birds venture thousands of

miles from their wintering areas in

Central and South America.

Prothonotary warblers, painted

buntings, and ruby-throated

hummingbirds are just a few that use

the refuge to replenish their energy

reserves.

Migratory Birds

USFWS Cherie Pittillo ©
ACE Basin is crucial to the survival

of many threatened or endangered

species. Endangered wood storks are

slowly leaving their historic south

Florida home due to loss of habitat.

They are moving north to places such

as ACE Basin to nest. The

threatened bald eagle can be seen

using the refuge as a feeding ground

throughout the year. Not all

endangered or

threatened

species at ACE

Basin are birds.

Endangered

shortnose

sturgeon breed

and feed in the

clean waters of

the estuarine

wetlands of the

south Edisto and

Combahee

Rivers. American

Alligators, a

threatened

species, are also

found on the

refuge.

A vast

assortment of

other wildlife call

the refuge home.

Wading birds

such as egrets,

herons, and ibis

live in large, active rookeries and

forage the impoundments for food.

Wetlands provide nesting and feeding

sites for sandpipers, plovers,

yellowlegs, and black-necked stilts.

The uplands are a home to whitetailed deer, raccoons bobcats, river

otters, gray fox, rabbits, and

squirrels, all of which can be seen

year-round.

Managing for Wildlife

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

manages the Ernest F. Hollings ACE

Basin National Wildlife Refuge to

Endangered

and Threatened

Wildlife

Other Wildlife

USFWS Cherie Pittillo ©
Combahee River

174

33

55

38

95

17A

Combahee Unit

Edisto Unit

Edisto River

Seaboard

Airline

Seaboard

Airline

Fishing Creek

Dawho River

Jehossee Island

Little

Edisto

Island

Whooping

Island

Sampson

Island

North Creek

Intracoastal

Waterway

0 Miles 1

0 Kilo 1

346
N

0 Miles 1

0 Kilo 1

Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin

National Wildlife Refuge

Adams

Run

Hollywood

Walterboro 

Beaufort

COMBAHEE UNIT

Hendersonville

Point

 South Gardens Corner

Cottageville

Ravenel

Edisto

Island Edisto

Beach

St.

 Helena

 Sound

ALT

17

ALT

17

95

63

17

174

64

68

21

165

162

21

170 278

17

61

Charleston

Little 

Salkehatchie

River

Coosawhatchie

River Atlantic

Ocean

N

Yemassee

Salkehatchie

River Jacksonboro

EDISTO UNIT

Combahee River

111

17

119

66

66

Folly Creek

Cuckolds

Creek

Refuge Boundary

Refuge Headquarters

Parking

Highways

State Roads

Unpaved Roads

Trails

0 Miles 12
provide a complex of habitats for a

diverse wildlife population. The

natural marsh is protected under

Federal and South Carolina law.

Impoundments, converted from rice

fields, are managed for specific foods

favored by various wildlife species.

Forest management includes

selective thinning of trees, cleaning

to create edge zones, hardwood and

shrub planting, and burning of some

forest understories. Abandoned

fields will undergo disking and

burning to control overgrowth and

encourage habitat diversity.

Water levels in refuge impoundments

(managed wetland units) are

controlled to stimulate growth of

natural plant species and an

abundance of insects, crustaceans,

and small fish. “Moist soil

management,” as this technique is

called, has proven to be a highly

successful method of producing

nutritious food that is beneficial to

waterfowl and other wildlife.

No other tool is more important in

this type management than the rice

field trunks which control water flow

between the tidal creeks or rivers

and the impoundments. First used in

the 1700s on rice plantations, trunks

remain the most efficient,

economical water control structure

in tidal situations. Trunks operate

on tidal surge and consist of wooden

culverts with flap gates.

Impoundment

Management

USFWS USFWS
To flood an impoundment, the gate

on the river or tidal creek side is

raised while the inner gate remains

down; as the tide rises, water flows

through the culvert beneath the dike

pushing open the inner gate.

To drain an impoundment, the inner

gate is raised while the outer gate

remains down; as the tide falls, water

from the impoundment flows toward

the river or tidal creek, pushing open

the outer gate.

To maintain a constant water level in

an impoundment, both gates are

lowered. The stop-log riser, or hole,

on the inner side of the structure is

used to “fine tune” water

levels and provide for

circulation of water within

the impoundment.

Approximately 20 species

of waterfowl such as

pintail, mallard, wood

duck, etc., as well as bald

eagles, wood storks,

alligators, herons, egrets,

ibis, and numerous other

wildlife species utilize the refuge

impoundments.

Visitors to the refuge will see remnants

of fire in both the upland and

impoundment areas. These areas have

been purposely burned to improve

wildlife habitat. Undesirable plants,

ground litter (leaves, branches, pine

needles), thick shrubs and vines are

removed through the use of fire. In the

impoundments, fire removes dead

vegetation and releases seeds eaten by

many wildlife species. After a burn in

the forested area, quick growing herbs

and grasses sprout to provide food for

deer, turkey, and other birds.

Each year several fallow fields are

cleared by prescribed burning. Soon

after a field is burned, wildflowers

and grasses begin to grow. They

USFWS

Prescribed

Burning
produce seed crops which are sought

by quail, turkey, mourning doves, and

numerous species of songbirds

including the painted bunting.

Over 40% of the Ernest F. Hollings

ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge

is comprised of tidal marsh and small

islands called hummocks. These

natural wetlands were created when

water-tolerant plants colonized

muddy flats of silt that were

deposited by nearby rivers. The tidal

marsh is flooded twice daily by tides

of up to seven feet. Tidal marshes, if

unpolluted, are one of the most

productive types of natural wildlife

habitat. During the time of high tide,

a myriad of fish, crabs, crustaceans,

birds, and other animals can be

found.

During the ebb (receding) tide is the

time to watch for raccoons, otters,

mink and water birds. At low tide

shallow creeks and mudflats expose

an abundance of invertebrate food

for herons, egrets, ibises, and

sandpipers.

Tidal Marsh

USFWS
Enjoy the Refuge

Visiting hours at the Grove Plantation

(refuge headquarters) are from

7:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday-Friday.

Refuge lands are open seven days a

week during daylight hours. During

the weekend the refuge is unstaffed,

but you can visit the refuge on your

own during daylight hours. State

Road 346 leads to the Edisto Unit,

where the refuge office is located and

where grass trails wind through the

refuge. State Road 33 leads to the

Combahee Unit.

Hunting of white-tailed deer and

waterfowl is allowed in designated

areas and at certain times. Hunt

regulations are available from the

refuge office or online at

Acebasin.fws.gov, showing open areas

and regulations. Sport fishing is

permitted in the tidal creeks and

fresh water streams, and designated

impoundments on the Combahee

Unit. Access to tidal waters by boat is

permitted throughout the year.

On occasion, for safety or

management reasons, portions of the

refuge will be closed. Some of the

impoundment dikes and sensitive

nesting areas will be closed

seasonally to protect endangered

species and other wildlife. For safety

reasons, the upland areas (Edisto

Unit) will be closed on hunt days to

those not hunting.

Dogs are permitted on leash only.

Picking or cutting vegetation, and

antique and artifact collecting are not

allowed.

Shop and maintenance areas are

closed to the public.

Hunting and

Fishing

Refuge

Regulations

USFWS