On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Horry County leaders, elected officials and the public gathered to celebrate the ceremonial unveiling of the Independent Republic Heritage Preserve Wetland Mitigation Bank.
| WATCH VIDEO FROM THE UNVEILING CEREMONY HERE |
The roughly 3,700-acre property, which borders the southern side of International Drive across from the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, has deep roots in Horry County’s history.
It once served as farmland, as a mining site, and even as an artillery range for military members during WWII.
The land has faced wildfires throughout its history, most recently the Covington Fire earlier this year.
The ceremonial unveiling marked the beginning of a new chapter.
“This land has more stories to tell and I look forward to what stories we will hear in the future,” said Horry County Administrator Barry Spivey. “It’s a heritage that will last for generations to come.”
Horry County purchased the land in 2018 with funds from the RIDE Program. Recently, it entered a permanent conservation easement restricting future development and improving the unique Carolina Bay and wet pine savanna ecotypes of the Coastal Plain.
Among many environmental benefits, the natural land also provides wetland mitigation credits required to offset any unavoidable impacts associated with future projects included in the RIDE Program.
Environmental restoration work on the mitigation bank will continue over the next 7-10 years. This will include, among other activities, the installation of several miles of fire breaks as well as prescribed burns, which will reduce wildfire potential in the surrounding areas.
The video below provides more information from Spivey on the property’s history and how it’s expected to help preserve Horry County’s future.