Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve

Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve is a nature preserve in the US State of South Carolina. It is managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. It covers 434 acres (1.76 km2) in McCormick County and Edgefield County, and was established to protect rare animal and plant species. Webster's Salamander and Miccosukee gooseberry are among the species which have few populations outside the preserve. The nearest population center is Clarks Hill, about two road miles (3-4 km) to the southwest. The site was identified in 1957 by Albert E. Radford of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He noticed exceptional diversity in the tree, shrub and herb layers on the bluffs overlooking Steven's Creek, and documented six plant species which had been unknown in South Carolina up to that time. Another five species were known from only one other South Carolina location. Many of these rare species were plentiful at the site, and remain prominent there today. A remarkable feature of this plant community is that a palmetto, Sabal minor, occurs near northern inland wildflowers such as Asarum canadense. Four trillium species are also present. Soils of the bluffs were found to be atypical for South Carolina. Most of the state's soils are acidic with pH near or below 5. However, some topsoils in the preserve had pH readings near 7 -- neutral on the scale.