“More Access to Hidden Treasure”

Charleston’s Post & Courier Highlights Local Access Efforts on the Ashley River

What it’s like to see decades of work come to fruition? This story from the front page of Charleston’s newspaper, The Post and Courier, gives a clue. It’s about people — young and old, individuals, families and friends — now enjoying the treasure that is the upper Ashley River, and it’s a must-read for anyone who cares about preserving and enjoying the natural wonders that exist in their own backyard.

When I came to Drayton Hall in 1989, I soon went out in the river in my jon boat with my two young boys, and we fell in love with it. My good friend Scott Ellsworth remembers to this day, I bet, our encounter with a huge gator that slid from the bank into the river just as my Boykin pup jumped off the bow. The ending was a good one, but a close call.

I also engaged in planning and preservation of the Ashley via work with my own institution, Drayton Hall, and with the cities — Charleston, North Charleston, and Summerville — and for our counties, Charleston and Dorchester. Decades taught me lessons. For example, George Neil, assistant director at Drayton Hall at the time, and I, though Vietnam vets, were called communists and fascists at public hearings in Dorchester County when we first proposed vegetative buffers along the river’s banks. We lost, but learned. We returned for another round and succeeded in securing buffers in Dorchester County and also from all the  city and county governments through which the river passes in order to protect it from run-off and enhance its scenic quality. Later, against opposition from ideologues we won approval of a Special Area Management Plan and then of the Ashley becoming a State Scenic River, which called into being the Ashley Scenic River Advisory Council to serve as its “spokesperson.”  I’m now its chairman.  Over the last two decade, we’ve included in all of our planning, preserving, and promoting the push for  canoe/kayak access and enjoyment — exactly what this story describes.

What it’s like to read this story? It feels good. 

“The Ashley River Blue Trail winds its way through 30 miles of a tidally influenced ecosystem from the Great Cypress Swamp in upper Dorchester to Charleston Harbor. Its banks include settlements dating back centuries, including Colonial Dorchester State Park, Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place and Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. – Brenda Rindge for the Post & Courier

The Ashley River seen from Drayton Hall historic site. Photo credit: Kellie Thorne, National Scenic Byways

To learn more about our recent efforts, including links to media coverage: “Deck The Hulls” and Ashley River Clean-Up.

Header Image:  “Alexis Morrison and Mike McCreary take out after kayaking the Ashley River from Jessen Landing in Summerville on a sunny June 2, 2018. Jervon Lucas (left) keeps an eye on sons Roary and Maddux Morris while waiting to put in. The area is part of the Ashley River Blue Trail, comprised of  ‘access sites, cultural and historical sites, and public lands.’ ” Photo credit: Wade Spees/Staff – From “Paddlers to get more access to Dorchester’s hidden treasure” by Brenda Rindge brindge@postandcourier.com – Jun 6, 2018