Home / Environment / South Carolina Governor Receives Conservation Champion Award
South Carolina Governor Receives Conservation Champion Award
3 Nov
Summary
- S.C. Governor Henry McMaster honored for conservation efforts
- Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary celebrates 50 years of protecting wildlife
- McMaster aims to preserve 10 million acres in South Carolina
Last week, on November 1, 2025, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was honored with the Audubon Society's Conservation Champion Award during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary. The sanctuary, located about 30 minutes from Aiken, spans 3,400 acres along the Savannah River and provides vital habitat for over 200 bird species.
The sanctuary was gifted to the Audubon Society in 1975 by the estate of Philadelphia investment banker and avid outdoorsman Floyd Star, who had purchased the land in the 1930s. Over the past 50 years, the Audubon Society has worked to restore the land, transitioning it from agricultural and forestry uses to a thriving wildlife habitat.
In his acceptance speech, Governor McMaster praised the Audubon Society's conservation efforts and announced his ambitious goal to preserve 10 million acres of land in South Carolina, more than tripling the current 3 million acres that have been protected. He emphasized that economic development and environmental protection can coexist, stating, "We do not have to pave and concrete the whole state. It's not necessary."
