OUR SECRET DELTA

AN EPIC STORY ABOUT POWER, BEAUTY AND HOW ONE OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S LAST GREAT PLACES FACES NEW THREATS.

Written by Tony Bartelme and Glenn Smith with photography by Lauren Petracca, “Our Secret Delta” detailed the history and increasing vulnerability of South Carolina’s storied Santee Delta watershed amid sea rise and threats from man.

The story brought new scrutiny to a state lawmaker’s effort to open the area to hunting, a legislative effort that failed, along with a plan to string power lines through the fragile area.

It also exposed a dilapidated but historically important plantation home owned by the University of South Carolina.

Awards: The story earned first place national awards from the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Features Journalism.