When residents of Murrells Inlet learned of plans to remove a beloved 200-year-old Virginia live oak tree, they took to social media to rally others to their cause and save the tree.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation planned to cut down the historic oak tree during construction to improve safety at the intersection of Tadlock Drive and the Highway 17 interchange. However, some residents argued that while traffic safety improvements are necessary, the tree does not need to be cut down.

“I was concerned because the tree is huge and beautiful and it makes a huge presence in Murrells Inlet, which I think should be protected. And of course the more trees we lose, the bigger the flooding problem here,” said local resident Pamela Mills Talbert. “… and so I kind of started a campaign.”

Talbert learned of the decision to remove the tree through Facebook and began reaching out to environmental groups to raise the alarm.

When a local citizen group called Preserve Murrells Inlet, which focuses on land use and environmental issues, started posting about the tree on the Sustainable Murrells Inlet Facebook page, people took notice.

“For a small community like Murrells Inlet, this whole issue has just gone viral,” said Gary Weinreich, one of the directors of Preserve Murrells Inlet. “I think we’ve had close to 40,000 views on these different posts.”

Weinrich believes the outcry on social media changed the oak’s fate. One of the supporters who commented on a post by Sustainable Murrells Inlet urging people to contact state Rep. Lee Hewitt, state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch and SCDOT Chairman Tony Cox was Goldfinch himself.

“The tree will not be cut down. They will trim it and that will be it,” commented Goldfinch.

A spokesman told The Sun News that in discussions with Hewitt and Goldfinch about the best way to complete construction, plans had been made to change course and save the oak tree.

“This is a project that is still in the very early stages. So we’re going through the design phase and working on it, and so it’s a constant dialogue. It’s not that we had it a certain way and stuck with it, but we were kind of trying to figure out what works best,” said Hannah Robinson, SCDOT media relations manager. “So it wasn’t set in stone and now it’s set in stone.”

Robinson confirmed that the Virginia live oak will not be removed, but will be trimmed by a certified arborist to eliminate the overhang on the road. SCDOT does not currently know if and how the decision to keep the tree will affect construction, but Robinson said it will not have “a major impact on the project.”

“It’s not just one voice in the wilderness,” Talbert said. “I hate to use cliches, but it really does take a village. It takes a lot of people getting involved. And you should never think that one voice isn’t enough. Everyone has a voice and everyone should be able to use it.”