The Port Royal Sound Foundation wants to return the favor. The wetlands also buffer us from the effects of storms, erosion, and floodwaters, providing an estimated $363 million in coastal protection and $64.7 million in water quality protection a year. And the Sound’s live oyster reefs and tidal mudflats support the state’s $159 million commercial fishing industry as a nursery habitat. Beaufort County is the third most popular tourist destination in the state, with 3 million visitors in the region annually generating a $1.48 billion economic impact, according to a 2019 study. Our waterways offer not only scenic beauty but also create a lifestyle for those who live and visit here - at the same time, fueling the economy through fishing, boat and dock businesses, tourism, and higher property values. The next campus addition will be a new covered pavilion to expand educational opportunities with a pandemic friendly, outdoor meeting space. Programs include animal encounters, art contests, scavenger hunts, crafts, storytime, and more, and is a favorite destination for experiential learning on school field trips. Hayward says the Center connects with visitors in five areas: ecology, history, culture, recreation, and art.

to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. The Center is a museum with aquariums and docks on the Chechessee River open to the public at no charge 10 a.m. That’s why the PRSF’s Maritime Center on Okatie Highway focuses on education for kids and adults. That reaction - and the understanding, appreciation, and love it triggers - is a first step in protecting the Sound. They become more connected to their unique environment.” “When they see their first dolphin or a bald eagle or get their feet stuck in pluff mud the first time, it’s life-changing. “A lot of kids take our eco-boat tours and say they’ve never been on the water before,” Hayward said. That means the Broad, Beaufort, and Chechessee River aren’t rivers at all but extensions of the Atlantic Ocean, with the same saltwater and the same animals: sharks, stingrays, dolphins, and loggerhead turtles. “It’s unique because unlike areas with freshwater rivers that originate in the mountains or coastal plains, the tributaries of the Sound are actually tidal inlets fed by the Atlantic Ocean,” she explained. “Beaufort County surrounds the Port Royal Sound - it’s like our bathtub,” said Jody Hayward, executive director of the Port Royal Sound Foundation (PRSF), an organization created to preserve the Sound for the environmental, cultural, and economic well-being of the area. Thankfully, the upland watershed that includes Jasper, Hampton, and Allendale counties, is modest in size, which means there are very few polluters upstream negatively impacting the Sound. Its watershed contains more than 2,000 miles of tidal creek and salt marsh shoreline, compared to 2,876 miles for the state’s entire outer coastline. It covers more than half the county and includes 200,000 acres of salt marsh - that’s nearly half the marshland in the entire state. The Port Royal Sound is a dynamic ocean channel between Beaufort and Hilton Head Island.

No wonder because water is what makes Beaufort so wonderful. No marshes, no creeks, no beaches, no rivers (or what most of us call rivers - more on that later), no waterfront parks, no docks, no boats, no salty breezes. Now, try to imagine Beaufort without water. Story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by SUSAN DELOACH Port Royal Sound Foundation Protects Beaufort’s Largest Resource

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