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CenterS7. Preserving Southern Bottomland Forestdevelopment pressures loom over South Carolina’s few remaining acres of bottomland forests,with potentially grim implications not only for priority bird species like prothonotary Warblers,Swallow-tailed Kites, and Wood Storks but for the region’s distinctive way of life. Fortunately,Audubon South Carolina’s Francis Beidler Forest provides an oasis for both wildlife and humanvisitors. during the past 37 years, this Audubon Center has welcomed hundreds of thousands ofpeople as they experience the surrounding virgin forest and unique ecosystem, often on Beidler’sfamous 1.75-mile boardwalk. Originally established to preserve 1,800 acres of old-growth swampforest—one of only two such stands left in the state—Beidler now encompasses 17,000 acres ofdiverse habitats, and has become an education resource for surrounding communities. By protectingthese wetlands and forests, Audubon South Carolina is also protecting the region’s watershed.AuduBON 2012 A NNu A l RepORT 45