This 24,000-acre reserve is a Wildlife Management Area that includes two barrier islands accessible only by boat, several marked trails and a boardwalk into a freshwater swamp.

The Santee Coastal Reserve is a large undeveloped coastal ecosytem hosting a diverse avifauna at all seasons. Several endangered and threatened species either breed or forage here. This list includes the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Wood Stork, Bald Eagle and many WatchList species such as the Painted Bunting, Bachman's Sparrow, and Brown-headed Nuthatch. The Santee Coastal Reserve is an important coastal migration corridor in the fall and large numbers of waterfowl winter on the property.