Litter Trashes Everyone!

Four Holes Swamp is a wonderously beautiful place. Within Four Holes Swamp, the Francis Beidler Forest is literally a place unlike any in the world. Its 1800 acres of old-growth forest have NEVER been cut. It is part of the mission of Audubon South Carolina to ensure the protection of both. Therefore, while checking our water level gauge, it was discouraging to see the disrespectful way some in our state treat this place and our other natural areas.

The litter shown in the images is but a sample of the human garbage strewn along the banks from Bridge Lake at the US Hwy 78 crossing to the swamp's terminus at the Edisto River upstream from Givhans Ferry State Park. In the swamp, the majority of the litter appears to be generated by those who have come to the swamp to enjoy the peace and solitude one finds when connecting with nature through fishing. And yet, they repay the resource for the pleasurable experience by leaving their worm tubs, fishing line, beverage containers, food wrappers, and cigarette debris.

The natural resources in our state belong to us all and we should all be offended by the poor treatment some citizens inflict upon us. Us because, as students learn when they visit the Francis Beidler Forest, the litter is visually offensive to visitors and residents alike and because litter in the swamp seldom remains in one place. High water will eventually take it downstream to the Edisto River, into the ACE Basin and out into the Atlantic Ocean to be washed upon the shores of community beaches and high-priced real estate.

Litter Trashes Everyone!