INTERVIEW WITH WINSLOW HASTIE

We couldn’t wait to shine a very deserving spotlight on the talented and smart Winslow Hastie who has advocated for Charleston and its Waterways his entire life. Winslow is a leader in Charleston, maintaining a critical balance of thoughtful growth and historic preservation. We’ve loved spending time with him and his family cleaning up along the Ashley River at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens over the years and it’s clear that their shared commitment to conservation and stewardship is strong. 

HP: Why do you choose to support Charleston Waterkeeper?

WH: It’s an incredible mission and protecting our land and water is an important part of why Charleston is so special. We have so much water that needs to be cared for and protected. Particularly at Magnolia, we have a lot of riverfront along the Ashley River and the protection of that waterway is critical for us. The mission of Charleston Waterkeeper is important to me personally but also to the broader community of Charleston. We are surrounded by water and our entire landscape is so inextricably tied to water, and the health of our water systems are so important. It embodies what makes Charleston such a special community because people deeply care about the landscape, the water, the health, and the environment of the Lowcountry. That love for the landscape then directly ties in to caring for it as well. We are world-renowned now for our preservation and conservation ethic here in the Lowcountry and to me, what Waterkeeper is doing just embodies that so completely.

HP: What is your favorite way to enjoy clean water?

WH: We have a house out at Magnolia so I spend a lot of weekends there throughout the year, and I like to paddleboard on the Ashley River so I spend a lot of time exploring the river near Magnolia and the tributaries around it. 

HP: What is your favorite waterway in Charleston?

WH: I’m biased, but probably the Ashley River because my family has been connected to Magnolia since 1679, so we’ve had 13 generations of being there along that river and it’s such a key part of the history of Charleston. As we like to say, the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet right here to form the Atlantic Ocean. 

HP: Tell us about a volunteer opportunity or event that you participated in with Charleston Waterkeeper that was impactful to you and why. 

WH: One of my favorite things are the clean up days that Charleston Waterkeeper hosts that are a great way for people to both give back to the community, but also get to know the environment around Charleston in a deeper, more fundamental way. Annually, we do a river sweep at Magnolia with CWK thanks to you all and your connections with the volunteers. But it’s a really cool way for the community to gather and work together on a common goal to clean up trash. We have a couple of miles of riverfront along the Ashley River so that marsh and those riverbanks attract so much trash and plastic unfortunately. It’s a fun way to gather together, get to know each other, and give back. But also people get to enjoy Magnolia in a different way and get to know the Lowcountry on a deeper level. 

HP: Tell us about what you have been working on or a recent project that you are excited to share.

WH: Out at Magnolia, we have really tried to step up over the last 6-7 years in our stewardship practices as it relates to our impoundments. We have a large number of swamp lands, interior swamp lands that feed into what historically were rice fields and rice impoundments that then feed into the Ashley River. So we’ve been working with different groups to make sure we are managing those impoundments and the flow of water throughout the property in the most productive and sustainable way. 

The most important thing for us is habitat restoration and creation. Bird life and birdwatching is a favorite pastime for my family – we have a lot of waterfowl, wading birds, songbirds so creating habitat to attract those species is very important to us. We’ve been doing controlled burns in our impoundments, and moving forward we’re taking that land stewardship model to the woods at Magnolia, so we’re going to actually start taking out all invasive species and loblolly pines that were planted in the  20th century and restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem, so that’s an exciting new project that we’re doing out there starting in 2026.

HP: Tell us something interesting about yourself that we might not know.

WH: My son is a junior in college, and he was doing an abroad program in New Zealand and I recently flew over. He and I spent two weeks exploring the south island doing what we called the crazy eco-adventure. We were hiking and backpacking, and we went to seven different national parks in New Zealand and it was an absolutely amazing place. The landscapes are shockingly beautiful and it was an incredible experience. 

Winslow Hastie is the President and CEO of Historic Charleston Foundation here in Charleston, South Carolina, and serves as the Chair of the Board of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.