Saving the ACE Basin

Things worth fighting for.

The Oysterman by Mark Kelvin Horton of Charleston. Horton Hayes Fine Art

Just a short drive north of Beaufort, SC, takes us to Hwy 17 in the ACE Basin, 350,000 acres of Lowcountry landscape and some two hundred miles of beaches, estuaries, natural harbors, and maritime forests—a true blessing to the state. Year-round, vacationers bathe in the sun and surf, fill hotels, condominiums, campgrounds, and beachfront homes, and plan to return often to this American Cote d’Azur.

The growth has been financially dynamic for developers and entrepreneurs as well as a source of jobs. However, it also has damaged or destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands, homes to many species of wildlife, and the spawning grounds for marine life. Every marina, fairway, and cul-de-sac brings jobs while destroying the ecosystems that nurture our treasured coastline. Losing the ACE Basin to development would be more than losing a way of life, along with it we would lose our identity.