specific areas of land and associated aquatic habitats 
delineated on maps adopted by Congress. 
(2) The System was expanded by amendments 
adopted in 1990 and currently contains 856 units 
and areas consisting of approximately 3.1 million 
acres of undeveloped coastal land and associated 
aquatic habitat. 
(3) The original non-digital System maps were 
based on information that is now between 18 and 26 
years old and were drawn without precision. Since 
1990, to avoid inequities and to correct mapping er-
rors, Congress has enacted 17 public laws to modify 
43 units. 
(4) The State of South Carolina has a well-es-
tablished and respected coastal management pro-
gram to manage beachfront development. The 
State’s program is designed to protect sensitive and 
fragile areas from inappropriate development and to 
provide adequate environmental safeguards with re-
spect to the construction of facilities in the coastal 
zone. 
(5) Between 1988 and 1999, State and local 
regulations did not authorize development of the 
western end of Kiawah Island. However, in 1999, 
South Carolina established a setback line that rep-
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resents a detailed analysis of long-term accretion 
trends in the area. Establishment of the setback line 
authorized development of a portion of Captain 
Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 that was previously not au-
thorized for development. In 2005, the Town of 
Kiawah Island’s Town Council adopted a Develop-
ment Agreement to authorize and regulate develop-
ment of the area. 
(6) Kiawah Island is a world-renowned, envi-
ronmental award winning community known for re-
sponsible and sound development. 
(7) Kiawah Island and the associated beach, 
dune, and hummock habitats provide a range of op-
portunities to increase the ecological health and 
value to numerous native plant and animal species. 
(8) To maintain the integrity of the System, the 
modification of Captain Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 de-
scribed in section 3 and the habitat enhancement ac-
tions described in section 4 will increase the fish and 
wildlife habitat value of the Unit and areas in prox-
imity to the Unit. 
(b) PURPOSE.—Congress declares that it is the pur-
pose of this Act to enhance the ecological value of Captain 
Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 and areas in proximity to the Unit 
by modifying the Unit in a manner that adds 178 acres 
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and removes approximately 61.5 acres which will soon be 
developed using a very low density approach, and by en-
couraging implementation of voluntary, supplemental eco-
logical enhancement projects. The Unit modification will 
enable all residents of the area to be treated comparably. 
SEC. 2. DESCRIPTION OF CAPTAIN SAM’S INLET UNIT M08. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Captain Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 in-
cludes the area along Captain Sam’s Inlet at Kiawah Is-
land’s western end. It was created in 1982 and expanded 
in 1990. The Unit currently includes the western end of 
Kiawah Island, neighboring fast land to the north and as-
sociated aquatic habitat. Current acreage of the Unit is 
approximately 1,182 acres, including roughly 200 acres of 
fast land and 982 acres of associated aquatic habitat. 
(b) UNIT M07/M07P OR BIRD KEY.—A separate, 
much larger System unit covers the eastern portion of 
Kiawah Island. That Unit, known as Unit M07/M07P or 
Bird Key, is approximately 7,094 total acres, including 
roughly 687 acres of fast land and 6,407 acres of associ-
ated aquatic habitat. 
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF CAPTAIN SAM’S INLET UNIT M08. 
(a) NET EXPANSION.—The replacement map ref-
erenced in section 5 expands Unit M08 by 116 acres. The 
modified Unit increases in size from approximately 1,182 
total acres to approximately 1,299 total acres (roughly 
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164 fast land and 1,135 associated aquatic habitat). The 
modification represents a ratio of approximately 3 acres 
added:1 acre removed. 
(b) SPECIFIC CHANGES.—The replacement map ref-
erenced in section 5— 
(1) adds 178 acres to the Unit—25 acres of 
land in the northeastern corner of the Unit and 153 
acres of associated aquatic habitat; and 
(2) removes 61.5 acres from the Unit—39 acres 
authorized for development by the State in 1999 and 
rezoned by the Town of Kiawah in 2005, and 22.5 
acres on two adjacent islands. 
SEC. 4. SUPPLEMENTAL PROJECTS TO ENHANCE ECOLOGI-
CAL VALUE. 
(a) DENSITY
REDUCTIONS
AND
CONSERVATION 
EASEMENTS.— 
(1) There are existing entitlements for 44 
dwelling units on the 25 acres of fast land that are 
being added to the Unit. To increase the habitat 
value of the modified Captain Sam’s Inlet Unit M08, 
the owners of this land have indicated a willingness 
on a voluntary basis to reduce substantially these 
entitlements and grant conservation easements to an 
appropriate conservation organization. 
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(2) There are existing entitlements for 460 
dwelling units on the 61.5 acres that are being re-
moved from the Unit. To increase the habitat value 
of the modified Captain Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 and 
the area being removed from the Unit, the owners 
of this land have indicated a willingness on a vol-
untary basis to reduce substantially these entitle-
ments and, as a result, reduce allowable density. 
(b) ECOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT.— 
(1) A privately funded project is being devel-
oped to increase the ecological health and habitat 
value of the modified Captain Sam’s Inlet Unit M08 
and related habitat in and around Kiawah Island. 
The South Carolina Department of Natural Re-
sources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and re-
gional and local officials and interested conservation 
groups are being consulted about project design and 
implementation. 
(2) The project is being designed as a valuable 
public-private partnership project to increase the 
overall ecological value of habitats for a diversity of 
native fauna and flora. Species likely to benefit will 
range from culturally and ecologically significant 
plant species such as sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia 
filipes), to indicator mammalian species such as the 
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