Protect the Little Pee Dee River!

Little Pee Dee River in South Carolina — Little Pee Dee River, SC | Becky Ryon

The Little Pee Dee River has meaningful ecological, cultural, and scenic value for all those connected to it, from the Indigenous communities who have long-standing cultural ties, to the many who hunt, fish, and paddle its waters. The river offers a source of connectivity through its numerous surrounding wetlands, oxbow lakes, and cypress swamps, which are not only significant to humans for protection from floods but also to the wildlife that relies on this critical habitat.

But the river and its watershed are under threat from the exponential growth of the region, which is only projected to increase. The consequences of rapid development have already led to negative impacts for both people and nature. Continued development that fails to consider these impacts will cause the loss of significant ecosystems and cultural landscapes. A new interstate, I-73, is proposed to cross hundreds of acres of wetlands, streams, and the river itself through state-owned and protected lands in the Little Pee Dee Heritage Preserve.

With this threat looming, we must tell the South Carolina legislature to prioritize conservation of this blackwater system by denying funding for the construction of I-73 and passing legislation to protect wetlands no longer covered under the Clean Water Act, starting with Carolina bays.

** This action alert is only for South Carolina residents

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Dear {contact_data~salutation}{contact_data~lastName},

I write today to urge you to oppose funding for the proposed I-73 and to protect our wetlands. By taking these steps, we can conserve one of our state’s priceless treasures – the Little Pee Dee River. The Little Pee Dee is a blackwater system so unique and characteristic of South Carolina and the Southeast. Though it may look brown, it is far from muddy and serves as an important habitat for many of South Carolina’s threatened and endangered species. The Little Pee Dee and its surrounding wetlands also offer crucial flood protections for our communities.

But our wetlands are under threat from unrestrained development. No longer protected under the Clean Water Act, our Carolina bays need protection at the state level and our other freshwater wetlands need to be studied in the hopes of finding solutions to balance growth and conservation. I urge you to support legislation to ensure our Carolina bays, these enigmatic and essential features on the landscape, are protected for generations to come.

In addition, I-73 poses a serious threat to the health of the Little Pee Dee watershed unnecessarily. This interstate is unneeded and would destroy hundreds of acres of streams and wetlands. We must prioritize improvements to our existing roads and bridges over new ill-advised interstate projects.

Please work to save our Little Pee Dee River. Thank you for your time and consideration of these comments.

Sincerely,

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