Upper Savannah Land Trust

AS A PARTNER IN THIS PROJECT, USLTS GOAL IS TO ENHANCE HEELSPLITTER HABITAT IN AND ALONG THE WATERWAYS OF THE STEVENS CREEK WATERSHED, ESPECIALLY TURKEY CREEK, CUFFEYTOWN CREEK, AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES WHERE THE HEELSPLITTER HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED TO OCCUR, WHICH COMPLEMENTS OUR PRIMARY MISSION TO CONSERVE NATURAL, HISTORIC, AND SCENIC LANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINAS WESTERN PIEDMONT. FUNDING REQUESTED FOR THIS PROJECT WOULD BE SPECIFICALLY USED TO REPLACE AN INADEQUATE ROAD CROSSING ON FLINT HILL CHURCH ROAD AND HORSEPEN BRANCH, ABOUT ONE-HALF MILE UPSTREAM FROM CUFFEYTOWN CREEK. THE PLAN IS TO REPLACE A PARALLEL SERIES OF UNDERSIZED CULVERTS WITH A NATURAL BOTTOM ARCH CULVERT ALLOWING THE WATERS OF HORSEPEN BRANCH TO FLOW FREELY DOWNSTREAM TO CUFFEYTOWN CREEK WITHOUT THE BLOCKAGE, CONSTRICTION, EROSION, IMPOUNDMENT, AND FLOODING WHICH FREQUENTLY AFFECT THIS STREAM CROSSING, NOT ONLY CREATING A BARRIER TO AQUATIC LIFE, BUT ALSO CREATING HUMAN ACCESS AND SAFETY ISSUES BY FLOODING AND OR WASHING OUT FLINT HILL CHURCH ROAD, WHICH SERVES THE NEARBY CHURCH OF THAT NAME, AS WELL AS THE HOMES OF SEVERAL RESIDENTS IN THIS HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED RURAL COMMUNITY.

UPPER SAVANNAH LAND TRUST (USLT) IS REQUESTING FUNDING FROM THE USFWS PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAM TO BE USED TO BUILD ON THE PREVIOUS AND ONGOING EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE THE HEELSPLITTER IN THE STEVENS CREEK WATERSHED. USLT HAS OVER 22 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE AREA WITH EXTENSIVE CONTACTS IN THE LANDOWNER AND LAND MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY. AS PARTNER IN THIS PROJECT, USLTS GOAL IS TO ENHANCE HEELSPLITTER HABITAT IN AND ALONG THE WATERWAYS OF THE STEVENS CREEK WATERSHED, ESPECIALLY TURKEY CREEK, CUFFEYTOWN CREEK, AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES WHERE THE HEELSPLITTER HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED TO OCCUR. THIS WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESTORATION ACTIVITIES AND OR INCREASING PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND AWARENESS OF THE CAROLINA HEELSPLITTER AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN WATER, ALL OF WHICH COMPLEMENTS OUR PRIMARY MISSION TO CONSERVE NATURAL, HISTORIC, AND SCENIC LANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINAS WESTERN PIEDMONT. ACTIVITIES WOULD INCLUDE, BUT WOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO, STREAM BANK CONTOURING, STREAM CHANNEL MODIFICATIONS, IMPROVED ROAD CROSSINGS, REMOVAL OR MITIGATION OF IMPOUNDMENTS, NATIVE PLANT ESTABLISHMENT, CONTROL OF INVASIVE SPECIES, BETTER MANAGEMENT OF DOMESTIC AND FERAL LIVESTOCK INTRUSION INTO STREAMS AND STREAMBANKS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS TO DISSEMINATE THROUGH USLTS LANDOWNER NETWORK AND COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS. THIS FUNDING WILL ALSO BENEFIT DOWNSTREAM ROBUST REDHORSE (MOXOSTOMA ROBUSTUM) BREEDING HABITAT BY REDUCING SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN THE UPSTREAM TRIBUTARIES THAT FEED INTO THE SAVANNAH RIVER, AS WELL AS OVERALL ECOSYSTEM AND WATERSHED HEALTH ASSOCIATED WITH PROJECT SITES.

UPPER SAVANNAH LAND TRUST CAROLINA HEELSPLITTER INITIATIVE FY20

UPPER SAVANNAH LAND TRUST, CAROLINA HEELSPLITTER HABITAT RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT