Yawkey Foundation Conservation & Wildlife Support

Tom and Jean Yawkey had a deep appreciation for nature and a passionate desire to protect our natural resources. The Yawkeys’ gift of more than 20,000 acres of shorefront land to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is their most enduring legacy in conservation.

In 1914, Tom Yawkey’s uncle purchased a small amount of land along the shoreline in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Tom inherited the land from his uncle and went on to purchase additional parcels until the area totaled over 20,000 acres. Upon his death in 1977, Tom bequeathed the land to the State of South Carolina.

Today, the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center is considered one of the most outstanding grants to wildlife conservation efforts in North America; the world’s longest alligator study started there over 40 years ago and the area remains one of the premier nesting locations for endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles and is home to hundreds of species of migratory birds. Over the years, the Yawkey Foundation has developed collaborative research partnerships with institutions such as Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Horry-Georgetown Technical College and many others using the Wildlife Center as a research laboratory for important wildlife conservation efforts.

Featured Projects

Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

In 1914, Tom Yawkey’s uncle, William Yawkey, purchased a small amount of land along the shoreline in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Upon his uncle’s death, Tom inherited this land and in 1925, bought out the surrounding owners for the purposes of preserving the land as a wildlife refuge. Upon his death in 1977, Tom donated all of his land to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Now encompassing more than 24,000 acres, the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center is considered to be one of the most outstanding grants to wildlife conservation efforts in North America, providing world-renowned research and education programs through its marshes, marine wetlands, forests, and sandy beaches, which play host to hundreds of species of coastal wildlife and serve as an undisturbed habitat for migratory birds, eagles, alligators, and many other endangered species. The Wildlife Center has partnered on world-renowned research studies with Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute – all focused on perpetuating Tom Yawkey’s legacy of protecting the land and wildlife in this region.

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Zoo New England

With a long history in sea turtle conservation, the Yawkey Foundation was pleased to play a role in bringing turtles into urban classrooms as a part of Zoo New England’s HATCH Program. This unique program, funded in part by the Yawkey Foundation, gives Boston Public School children the opportunity to get outdoors and to learn about the ecology of freshwater wetlands in Boston. Participating schools give tiny snapping turtle hatchlings, a keystone wetland species that is relatively rare in Boston, a “headstart” on life. Students raise the hatchlings in a protected classroom environment until turtles are bigger, stronger, and better prepared for survival in the wild.

Blue Hills Observatory

Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center received a $100,000 Program & Small Capital from the Yawkey Foundation to support its initiative designed to educate and inspire youth and adults to preserve the environment and navigate climate change. This funding will support the participation of 400 middle-school youth from under-served communities in Greater Boston who will be brought to Blue Hill—many for the first time—while supporting their teachers with complimentary online coursework.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

In 2022, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) announced that the Yawkey Foundation donated 269 acres of protected wilderness in Georgetown County, consisting of upland pine and wetlands that serve as habitats for numerous bird species, to the people and communities of South Carolina. The parcel was added to Georgetown County’s existing Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, a 24,000-acre protected natural preserve that was originally donated to SCDNR by Tom Yawkey in 1977, and funded in perpetuity by the Yawkey Foundation.