SRS Watch and friends visited the Crackerneck Wildlife Management Area and Ecological Reserve, which is located on the Savannah River Site and only open a few times a year (like Saturdays in March 2023), on March 4, 2023.
“The 10,600-acre Crackerneck Wildlife Management Area and Ecological Reserve is owned by the U. S Department of Energy and managed for them by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The area is open only during designated dates and times and public access is tightly controlled. The area offers diverse recreational opportunities for hunting, fishing and non-consumptive uses.”
“Habitat: The 10,600 acres that comprise Crackerneck contain a diverse mixture of habitats. A 3,000-acre road-less section of the Savannah River swamp is noteworthy. Characterized by old-growth timber, this area is bounded on the west by 5 miles of the Savannah River, on the south by pristine Upper Three Runs Creek and by the multiple-braided channels of Island Creek on the east. Private land forms the north boundary. Drier portions of this unit are characterized by swamp chestnut, cherry-bark, over-cup, willow and water oaks. The wetter portions of the swamp are primarily bald cypress and water tupelo. This area contains ox-bow lakes, sloughs and beaver ponds.”
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website for Crackerneck:
https://www2.dnr.sc.gov/ManagedLands/ManagedLand/ManagedLand/69
On March 4, SRS Watch also visited the nearby Audubon Silver Bluff Sanctuary, which is open to the public: https://sc.audubon.org/visit/silver-bluff
Photos owned by Tom Clements, director, SRS Watch, on March 4, 2023 visit to the Cracknerneck & Audubon Silver Bluff nature reserve; previous visit to the two sites was in September 2022