The Francis Beidler Forest, located in the Four Holes Swamp near Harleyville, SC is the second largest wildlife sanctuary operated by Audubon. Established in 1969 through the purchase of 3,415 acres and opened to the public in 1977, Beidler Forest has grown to almost 18,000 acres through purchase, gifts and mitigation-funded acquisition. The gem of the Sanctuary is 1,700 acres of old growth cypres
s/tupelo forest. With many trees over 1,000 years old, it has the distinction of being the oldest old-growth stand of cypress-tupelo in the United States and the largest remaining virgin stand of cypress tupelo forest in the world. In November of 1997, Francis Beidler Forest was selected as one of the first 15 Charter Audubon Centers. It is also part of the National Trail System, is listed by the Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark, and has been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Sites. On May 30, 2008, the Francis Beidler Forest was added to the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance. Adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands provides a framework for international cooperation for conservation of globally significant wetlands. The Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary is the 23rd site in the USA, the first ever in South Carolina and the only privately owned and managed Ramsar Site in the world. This outstanding recognition is helping reshape some of National Audubon’s priorities, elevating the status of our project state and region-wide and engaging new partners which only adds momentum to our ever strengthening program. For almost 40 years, Audubon South Carolina (ASC) staff has worked in the Four Holes watershed of the Edisto River Basin, leading the community, initiating broad-reaching education programs, and directing a successful habitat acquisition campaign. ASC has served as a national model for wetlands protection. Beidler is one of the largest wetland sanctuaries and provides some of the highest quality breeding habitats for birds on the East coast. It provides habitat for more than 140 bird species, providing breeding and nesting habitat for 52 species. Many of these birds need large patches of intact swamp forest, with the ideal configuration of at least 20,000 acres to thrive. Four Holes Swamp drains into the Edisto River, which is the largest fresh-water source to the ACE (Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto) Basin.
