Caring for Newhall

For more than 50 years, Audubon Newhall Preserve has been a special place on Hilton Head Island, a 54-acre forest where residents and visitors can walk among towering pines, discover birds and other wildlife, and experience a piece of the Lowcountry.

Hilton Head Audubon, or HHA, is committed to preserving Newhall for generations to come. But preserving a natural area does not always mean leaving it untouched.

After careful study and planning, HHA is moving from primarily passive stewardship to active land management at Newhall. Our goal is not simply to maintain the preserve as it is today, but to restore and enhance its natural ecosystems, increase habitat diversity and create an even more rewarding place to experience Lowcountry nature.

Newhall’s pine forest is part of a fire-dependent ecosystem. Historically, periodic natural fires helped maintain open pine forests, healthy understory vegetation and a diversity of habitats. Without those natural processes, forests can gradually become denser and less diverse, changing the balance of plants and wildlife they support.

HHA has engaged Folk Land Management to develop a comprehensive land management plan for the preserve and assist in its implementation. The plan provides a roadmap for restoring and enhancing Newhall while protecting the natural character that makes it special.

The first phases will include selective timber harvesting and prescribed burning in appropriate areas. These are tools for reducing wildfire risk and restoring the conditions in which healthy Lowcountry ecosystems can thrive. Prescribed fire, conducted by trained professionals under carefully selected conditions, can encourage native plants and create varied habitat for birds, pollinators and other wildlife.

A more diverse Newhall

The work is about much more than managing trees. Newhall will be improved, not simply maintained. This approach to habitat enhancement and ongoing active management is similar to that of the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

As restoration progresses, HHA plans to enhance trails and create and showcase distinctive Lowcountry habitats, including pine savanna and maritime forest. Different habitats support different plants, wildlife and birds, giving visitors more opportunities to discover the diversity of the Lowcountry in one preserve.

We also see the restoration itself as an opportunity for education. The process can help explain each stage and why it matters, from selective timber harvesting and prescribed fire to planting and nurturing native vegetation that will establish and strengthen new habitats.

20,000 visitors each year. We want visitors not only to enjoy the preserve, but also to understand how natural ecosystems work and why responsible stewardship sometimes requires intervention.
Doing the work thoughtfully

HHA recognizes that changes to a familiar landscape can raise questions, particularly for our neighbors. We believe the public deserves to understand what is being done, why it is necessary and what to expect.

HHA is moving forward with appropriate permits and approvals from relevant authorities before work begins and will work with qualified professionals throughout the process.

We will also work directly with neighboring communities to provide timely information about upcoming activities, including advance notice of significant work such as logging and prescribed burns.

Active land management is not about turning Newhall into something different. It is about helping Newhall become a healthier, more diverse expression of the Lowcountry landscape.

By restoring natural processes, improving habitat diversity, showcasing native ecosystems and creating new opportunities to experience and learn about nature, Hilton Head Audubon is investing in Newhall’s future.

We invite the community to come along with us as this next chapter begins.

Kay Grinnell is President of Hilton Head Audubon.