Location: The coastal region of northern Charleston County and southern Georgetown County is a magical place rich in environmental beauty and nestled among several amazing natural resources including the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Francis Marion National Forest, Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area, and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve. The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge contains over 66,000 acres of beaches, barrier islands, and salt marches. This 22-mile stretch of federally protected coastline is the longest on the Eastern coast of the United States. Another beautiful resource, the FrancisMarion National Forest contains almost 259,000 acres of cypress swamps and pine forests.
Although these ecological treasures have been preserved for future generations, much of our coastal environment has been
degraded by extensive development. As Aldo Leopold said, “We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
With easy access to so many nature preserves, McClellanville is an ideal location for an environmentally-based charter school. Research has shown that most attitudes are formed very early in life. The CREECS Planning Committee feels it is vital that our students begin to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be cognizant of local environmental problems and work individually and collaboratively toward effective solutions at the very beginning of their ‘formal’ education, starting
in kindergarten and continuing throughout their school years.
The Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, CREECS, will open its doors for the first time in August of 2012 at 1011 Cemetery Road in McClellanville, SC.
