Lowcountry outdoors: 2022 Port Royal Sound Foundation

Sunday, February 13, 2022

2022 Port Royal Sound Foundation - Nature Trail

Wood Podium found along Nature Trail

Activities at the Port Royal Sound Foundation usually deal with the saltwater surging into the local waterways twice daily. But on this day, the Nature Trail dealt with Terra Firma, as a group on hikers left the Maritime Center and hiked into a protected pine forest adjacent to their property. The Foundation owns a piece of the acreage and Beaufort County owns the rest, and together they have spared it from future development. This hiking path is not open to the public, and is guarded with a locked gate and a network of trial cameras that capture lots of wildlife activities.

The local Eagle Scout Troop has created a small gathering area with benches and a podium, and they have engaged in volunteer activities such as cutting Chinese Tallow trees when they occur on the property. One trail leads to an expansive slat flat in the spartina marsh, and the other path leads to a secret pond surrounded by pine tree regeneration. Not much wildlife was spotted on this day at either locale, but they both have the hallmarks of potential birding hot spots. A plethora of wildlife tracks found in the marsh mud hint at the nocturnal life that also occurs here.