The wildlife refuge spans from near Plantersville in Georgetown County to the city of Conway and has grown from 134 to more than 37,000 acres since the refuge was established in 1997.
The National Weather Service lifted the tropical storm and storm surge warnings for much of the South Carolina coastline, including Charleston and communities farther south, around 2 a.m. But as
Chief Harold âBusterâ Hatcher of the Waccamaw Indian People sends up prayers during a Winter Solstice fire ceremony Saturday Dec. 19, 2020, in Aynor. He has spent 30 years trying to gain official federal acknowledgment of his tribe. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com
Chief Harold âBusterâ Hatcher of the Waccamaw Indian People is a friendly and determined man. Heâs happy to talk about the history and status of the Waccamaw, and about Native American traditions, cultures and challenges in South Carolina.
But heâs wont to insert a few epithets and some profanity into the conversation. After 30 years trying to gain official federal acknowledgment of his tribe, the 71-year-old Aynor resident said he continues to encounter obstacles, some of which donât entirely make sense.