SCDNR and Conservation Partners Dedicate Woodcock Woods and Spence Pond Additions to Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve

November 7, 2025

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program, and conservation partners celebrated the permanent protection of two significant additions to the Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve today. Together, the Woodcock Woods and Spence Pond additions protect more than 65 acres of critical habitat for the federally endangered bunched arrowhead (Sagittaria fasciculata) and the hydrology of the rare Piedmont seepage forest habitat it depends on.

Located within the Enoree River Corridor, the Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve Complex now consists of seven tracts totaling 353 acres. These lands were acquired and are managed specifically to protect wetland seepage habitat essential to the survival of the bunched arrowhead. In the United States, this plant is known to occur naturally only in Greenville County, South Carolina, and Henderson County, North Carolina, making conservation of these sites significant.

With population growth and land development increasing rapidly in northern Greenville County, state and federal biologists have emphasized the urgency of securing the remaining Piedmont seepage forest habitat while opportunities still exist. The new Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust acquisitions contribute directly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery strategy for the bunched arrowhead, which identifies habitat conservation as the most critical action needed for its long-term survival.

Additionally, the newly protected acreage also secures a stream corridor that flows into the nearby Blackwell Heritage Preserve, further advancing landscape-scale conservation, a major goal in protection.

The additions provide expanded public access for outdoor recreation, including birding, wildlife viewing, photography and nature walks. Visitors are encouraged to explore the preserve’s 1.25-mile hiking trail, which winds through grassy fields, pine and hardwood uplands, and bottomland wetlands supporting a diversity of wildlife such as grasshopper sparrows, blue grosbeaks, indigo buntings, eastern bluebirds, northern cardinals and bobwhite quail. Hunting is not permitted on any of the tracts within the Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve Complex at any time.

Meaningful conservation in South Carolina happens through strong partnerships and the dedication of private landowners who choose to work alongside those partners to protect land for future generations. The Woodcock Woods and Spence Pond additions were made possible thanks to Naturaland Trust and critical funding support from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the Upstate Land Conservation Fund, Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust and the Broad River Mitigation Fund.

For more than 50 years, the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program has worked to protect the state’s most significant natural and cultural resources. Today, more than 100,000 acres statewide are permanently protected as Heritage Preserves, preserving rare landscapes, archaeological sites, important wildlife habitat and cherished outdoor spaces for current and future generations.