Island Green is a gated community located in the Burgess area of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The entrance to the community is partially lined with flowering Bradford Pear trees giving one the sense of a quaint, peaceful sanctuary.  In the Spring, the canopy of white blooms makes it feel like

a magical drive through the area.  There are several different kinds of trees and many ponds and creeks that invite one to sit for a while and watch the resident wildlife.  Several different species of birds can be heard, singing through the area from morning into the night.  One never knows what nature will reveal from one day to the next as there is a plethora of amazing wildlife around.

Different seasons bring a different life to Island Green, just one of the reasons many of our residents have enjoyed living here for more than thirty years.

 

 

 

 

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Island Green residents are very concerned about protecting our wildlife and the natural habitat but are equally concerned about our personal safety.  Our community is located next to the Waccamaw Wildlife Refuge which is mostly wetlands.  Wetlands exist throughout our community as well.  According to FEMA's flood zone maps, a little more than 1/3 of Island Green is considered to be in a flood plain.  Of course, this means flooding in our community, not just because of a hurricane

or major storm.  Light to heavy rain has made our ponds and creeks rise to the point of flooding many homes.

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In addition to flooding, our community is extremely worried about the number of new homes about to be added to the former golf course.  Currently Island Green has approximately 1250 homes, with a developer planning on building an additional 440 plus homes.  According to the National Fire Protection Agency, a gated community with only one entrance/exit is limited to 35 homes.  Island Green has only one entrance/exit, we are well over the limit.  Imagine this if you will...An emergency

evacuation is mandated due to a hurricane, fire or other natural disaster and Island Green residents of approximately 1700 plus homes attempt to leave through one exit. Now we have an entirely new disaster, a man-made one.  Suppose, for one reason or another, we experience a blockage at our one entrance/exit.  Residents would not be able to leave and emergency personnel would be unable to enter.  It is irresponsible and unacceptable for Horry County Planning Commissioners and developers to place our residents in such peril.

 

When land is bulldozed and established trees are removed, our natural wildlife is seriously impacted.  With their habitat gone, they must seek refuge and adapt to new surroundings.  Over the past year, we have had multiple sightings of Wood Stork birds in our community.  The Wood

Stork is on the endangered species list as "threatened". It is possible they are nesting nearby.

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Also because established trees are a safeguard against flooding, areas that never flooded before begin to flood.  We have witnessed this at Island Green and in other Horry County communities.  Developers tend to replace the well established trees with palm trees which although pretty enough do not have the root structure necessary to absorb the rain.  The slab footprint of new homes and new asphalt roads seriously affect the runoff of rainwater.  Where is this rainwater going?  New "fill and build" homes now sit higher than already established neighborhoods. Older communities in our area are already seeing this runoff in their homes.

 

With the impending new development, we as a community have four major issues:  the destruction of our wildlife and their natural habitats, the safety of our residents, the lack of road infrastructure to accommodate additional homes and the probability of increased flooding.

 

 

MISSION STATEMENT

We are a diverse volunteer group, consisting of Island Green and surrounding community residents, committed to protecting, conserving and restoring the wildlife habitat of Island Green through public awareness of the urgent need for responsible land development and management by Horry County.

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