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This article, by Willard Strong, was originally published in the Summer 2007 edition of "PowerSource," a publication of Santee Cooper Corporate Communications. It is reprinted with permission.
Way back in 1968, a group of progressive-minded state legislators sponsored a bill in the General Assembly that resulted in the creation of a public body whose job is to promote:
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South Carolina's largest freshwater resource.
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The home of the world's first striped bass fishery, one of the greatest fish stories of all time.
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Golf opportunities where getting a tee time is easy -- year round.
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A place far from novelist Thomas Hardy's "madding crowds."
All this just begins to describe the five-county area that surrounds lakes Marion and Moultrie, touted for almost three decades now by the Santee Cooper Counties Promotion Commission. Most folks refer to the organization by its well-known nickname, "Santee Cooper Country."
Its headquarters for the last 10 years is an inviting building a mile or so east of Santee on S.C. Highway 6, right off Interstate 95. Inside you'll find the "smiling faces" those state tourism ads talk about. Mary Shriner, Santee Cooper Country's executive director, and her two full-time staff members offer a plethora of information about where to go, what to do and where to stay in the five-county region: Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter counties.
Before visitors set out to explore the region, they stop by the office. Approximately 600 "walk-ins" a month, usually coming off I-95, take advantage of the brochures, maps and Southern hospitality.
"We are sort of a 'mini PRT,'" says Shriner, referring to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, which helps fund the organization's $350,000 annual budget. State-owned utility Santee Cooper also contributes to the Santee Cooper Country budget, and the utility has representation on the Commission's governing body. With state accommodations tax funding and annual appropriations from county government, Santee Cooper Country's mission in the 21st century has gone far beyond promoting two lakes created by Santee Cooper.
"Of course, at first it was primarily fishing to promote," Shriner says. "That will always be the region's original claim to fame." The lakes, with their 156,000 acres of surface water, were completed in 1942. After World War II ended in 1945, Americans greatly benefited from post-war prosperity and increased leisure time. The phrase "I'm going fishing at Santee" reverberated throughout the state and soon, the nation, because of one species of fish.
This highly prized game fish, the striped bass or rockfish, got trapped in the lakes after the Santee Dam on Lake Marion and the Pinopolis Dam on Lake Moultrie were completed. Biologists surmised these trapped fish, which must leave the ocean and swim upriver to spawn in freshwater, would simply die off.
But Mother Nature had other ideas. To the astonishment of fishery experts worldwide, the striped bass in the Santee Cooper Lakes began reproducing -- and anglers began producing record catches in record numbers in the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, the lakes hold state records for largemouth bass, black crappie, shellcracker, redbreast, chain pickerel, Arkansas blue catfish and flathead catfish. At 58 pounds, the channel catfish is a world record holder.
"The striper fishing got the lakes established as a world-class fishing destination," Shriner says. "But through the decades we've seen a decline in bass fishing, while the catfish fishing has experienced a tremendous increase."
Some fun-seekers combine business with pleasure. Bob Jacques is president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of South Carolina. Each spring, he arranges a golfing and fishing outing for about 80 people. It's a two-day weekend stay in Santee, where most of his group plays golf at several area courses. Some forego golf, excited about heading out in search of big catfish with a guide.
"I've been coming here for about 20 years," the Greenville native says. "What's attractive to me is that it's an economical, affordable package for what I do with the association. It's kind of rustic, like Key West."
Jacques says he routinely turns to Shriner and her staff for advice. "They do a great job here," he says.
Visitors like Jacques reflect the evolution of Santee Cooper Country.
"Today, approximately 60 fishing guides work the lakes, but through the years we've seen an impressive golf scene emerge that rivals many courses along the coast," Shriner says. "If it's a course the public has access to, then Santee Cooper Country can promote it."
Eco-tourism, restaurants, real estate, too
There's also the emerging eco-tourism scene, as canoeing and kayaking have come into vogue. Paddling opportunities abound in this region, from the unique blackwater stream of the Edisto River in Orangeburg County to the Wadboo Creek tributary of the Cooper River in Berkeley County. A recently opened paddling trail project in that county, called Berkeley Blueways, offers unprecedented water sports opportunities unavailable only a few years ago.
Office walk-ins routinely seek literature on lifestyles, recommendations on local eateries and directions to nearby attractions, such as Santee State Park. Lisa Lytton, a resident of Charlottesville, Va., who stopped by the office recently, says she likes "the small-town Southern feel and lifestyle" she finds vacationing in Santee Cooper Country.
"I enjoy the slower pace here," she says. "You're near Charleston and Savannah, and you have the mountains not too far away." She and her traveling companion ask Marilyn Thompson about the best local barbecue restaurant. Several options are discussed, and they leave happy in anticipation of a good meal on the road.
Just after World War II, Santee Cooper began leasing lots on the lakes and managing subdivisions. Some of the walk-in visitors seeking information are potential "half-backs," established Florida retirees originally from the Northeast seeking to relocate from the Sunshine State for various reasons. They want to move about halfway back North. They want to talk property.
"About 50 percent of the folks who walk through the door are looking for real estate," Shriner says. "People everywhere are looking to live near water. And besides the lakes, what we have to sell is our climate, our quality of life, and relatively low cost of living. We're only a few hours from the mountains and close to Charleston and the Grand Strand."
The nearby Santee State Park is leased by Santee Cooper to S.C. PRT. The Santee National Wildlife Refuge, which has limited public access, draws hikers, bikers and bird-watchers to its thousands of acres. The bikers are typically not of the motorized variety.
"You never used to see cars pull up with their bicycles or kayaks on top of their cars," Shriner says. "But now, we see it a lot, and it's not just 20- or 30-somethings. It's baby boomers, too."
One example of working with S.C. PRT is the familiarization trips Santee Cooper Country arranges for personnel who work at the Welcome Centers. "Fam trips," as they're called, involve traveling around to the destinations to get a firsthand look at what they're promoting. Shriner accompanies participants, and they recently visited the Old Santee Canal Park and the Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center, both Moncks Corner attractions.
Santee Cooper Country routinely works with chambers of commerce and business associations, which, of course, share the mutual goals of advancing economic development and enhancing an area's quality of life. Shriner also works with the S.C. Nature Based Tourism Association.
Every year, the organization publishes the Santee Cooper Country Official Visitor's Guide, and this year it will distribute 75,000 copies of the 74-page booklet. On a fold-out map, the publication's centerpiece, 46 marinas, campgrounds and other lakeside facilities are listed that note such amenities as lodging, launch ramps and swimming areas.
Santee Cooper Country hits the road at various times during the year, attending up to 13 trade shows as far away as Ontario, Canada. With an attractively designed booth in tow, they target Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Charleston -- that's Charleston, W.Va. In state, they do make it to the Holy City for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Columbia's annual Palmetto Sportsman Classic and Summerville's Flowertown Festival. In North Carolina, they can be found at the Bassmaster Classic in Greensboro, N.C.
Santee Cooper Country's economic impact
Santee Cooper Country is one of 11 regional tourism commissions in the state. Shriner, a past president of the S.C. Association of Tourism regions, says each commission tries to do what she calls "whole-state selling."
"We know that the coast, whether it's the Grand Strand, Charleston or Hilton Head Island, is the goose that laid the golden egg. But we believe in selling the whole state," Shriner says. "For example, even if visitors don't spend their money in Santee Cooper Country, we want them to at least spend their money in South Carolina, wherever that may be. Keeping those tourism dollars in-state benefits all of us. Tourists don't see county borders."
According to the latest statistics from S.C. PRT on the impact of tourism from 2004 in Santee Cooper Country:
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Annual expenditures amounted to $262.76 million, with a payroll of $50.46 million representing a work force of 3,410.
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More than 3.45 million tourists visited the region.
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Santee Cooper Country alone accounted for about one-third of the nearly 24,000 non-resident fishing licenses sold in 2005-06.
The Santee Cooper Country office is located at 9302 Old S.C. Highway 6, Santee. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For more information, call 803-854-2131 or toll free 1-800-227-8510. Visit Santee Cooper Country online at www.santeecoopercountry.org.