Sandy Island is the name of a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Georgetown County,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, United States, and a larger island between the

Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, an Indigenous tribe historically inhabiting the region. History The ...

and

Waccamaw River The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1,110 square miles (2886 km2) in the coastal pla ...

s that has been preserved as a refuge and nature center. The island is about 9,000 acres (36 km) of a prehistoric sand dune. It is bounded east and west by the rivers, on the north by Bull Creek, and on the south by Thoroughfare Creek. The northern part of the island is higher and is mostly a longleaf pine forest, which provides a refuge for the endangered

red-cockaded woodpecker The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States. It is a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Description The red-cockaded woodpecker is small- to mi ...

and numerous other species of plants and animals. About 9,000 acres (36 km) of the island has been purchased by

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

for permanent protection from development. On the southern, lower end of the island are the remnants of old rice

plantations Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobacco ...

, with the watergates and earthwork canals, built by African enslaved people who were skilled in rice culture. Such development was used to manage the water supply for irrigating the rice fields. A small community in the south is made up of a few families who are descendants of former slaves. The island is only accessible by boat, and workers and school children commute to the mainland daily for work and school. Because of its resources, the island is regularly visited by naturalists, planters, archaeologists and geologists.

Brookgreen Gardens Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens featuring American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zo ...

runs daily "scenic" boat rides close to the island. Tours of the southern end are available by private tour company.

External links

"Sandy Island"
Nature Conservancy
"Saving Sandy Island"
ETV film {{authority control Unincorporated communities in South Carolina Islands of South Carolina Unincorporated communities in Georgetown County, South Carolina Nature reserves in South Carolina Protected areas of Georgetown County, South Carolina Nature Conservancy preserves Landforms of Georgetown County, South Carolina