Restoration complete on Crab Bank bird sanctuary - Live 5 News WCSC

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say a restoration project of a seabird sanctuary on Crab Bank is finished.

Officials with both groups toured the project with contractor Norfolk Dredging Company on Nov. 16.

The project placed 660,000 cubic yards of material from the Charleston Harbor deepening project to create approximately 32 acres of nesting habitat for birds.

“We are delighted to see this project come to completion,” SCDNR Director Robert Boyles said. “It is a testament to what can be done for conservation if we work together and get creative. The restored Crab Bank is a huge win for birds, but also boats, boxes and business in South Carolina, as this restoration was a result of the deepening of Charleston Harbor.”

Planning and fundraising for the project began in 2018. Officials say funding was provided by non-profits, businesses and private citizens.

Crab Bank is located in Charleston Harbor between the tip of Sullivan’s Island and Patriots Point. According to officials, the Crab Bank was once home to thousands of nests for brown pelicans, royal terns, sandwich terns, and other birds, but decades of erosion and damage from Hurricane Irma essentially destroyed it.

SCDNR biologists say they expect nesting birds to return to the area and Crab Bank will once again provide critical habitat for migrating birds that are experiencing a population decline.

“We look forward to the breeding season and once again having a safe place for seabirds and shorebirds to nest in Charleston Harbor,” Janet Thibault, SCDNR coastal bird biologist, said. “We hope that with the restoration of Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, everyone will be able to observe and enjoy these species, both now and in the years to come.”

SCDNR says public landing on Crab Bank is not allowed between March 15 and Oct. 16 due to breeding season. Public access is allowed from Oct. 16 through March 14 in the intertidal zone between low and high tide waterlines.

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