Keep South Carolina Wild

Month: June 2020

Help protect wildlife by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp!

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Did you know you can support wildlife by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp? 98% of each purchase goes directly into protecting wetland habitat through conservation easements, leases, and purchasing of critical habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

SCWF Jay Keck keeps his duck stamps on his backpack!

Plus, you don’t have to be a hunter to purchase a stamp! Birders, hikers, fisherman, and all other outdoor enthusiasts can purchase a stamp online or at their local post office beginning June 26th, 2020. The more people buying Federal Duck Stamps, the better off wildlife and wildlife habitat will be!

Did you know, almost 38,000 acres at five refuges in SC have been conserved through funds received from Federal Duck Stamp sales? Since 1934 six million acres of mostly wetland, bottomland, and grassland habitat have been acquired through duck stamp sales nationally. Wetlands acquired help purify water, aid in flood control, reduce soil erosion and sedimentation, and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities.

To learn more about the Federal Duck Stamp and the wildlife it protects please go to https://www.friendsofthestamp.org and https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php.

2019 Federal Duck Stamp

Great American Outdoors Act passes US Senate

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A Victory for Wildlife, Public Lands, Outdoor Recreation, and Job Creation

For Immediate Release, from NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 17, 2020) — The Senate’s passage of the Great American Outdoors Act is a victory for all Americans. The U.S. House of Representatives should quickly follow suit to help protect wildlife, restore national parks and other public lands, expand outdoor recreation opportunities, and create jobs to boost our economy. The act will permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provide up to $9.5 billion over five years to address badly needed repairs and maintenance on America’s public lands.

“The passage of the Great American Outdoors Act is a truly historic conservation victory that will ensure that America’s public lands and treasured landscapes endure for future generations. It will also accelerate our economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis by creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs, while expanding outdoor recreational opportunities for every community in the country,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colo), Joe Manchin (D-WVa), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Steve Daines (R-MT), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to pass this legislation. We urge the House to act swiftly to pass the bill and send it to the President’s desk.”

For over five decades, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped create and maintain parks, hiking and biking trails, ballfields, hunting access and much more in nearly every county in America. It is funded from offshore oil revenues and is entitled to $900 million a year. Unfortunately, only twice in its history has it ever received the full amount. Permanent funding will allow LWCF to reach its full potential in creating access to national, state and local parks; forests and wildlife refuges, and many other recreation areas.

Funding for deferred maintenance at the nation’s national parks and other public lands will be used to repair deteriorating roads, visitor centers and facilities. Each year hundreds of millions of people travel to national parks, forests and refuges. Visits to these places help fuel the outdoor recreation economy which supports over 7.6 million jobs and over $887 billion in annual consumer spending.

June News & Updates from SCWF

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We’re almost halfway through 2020 and every month seems to meet us with a new twist and turn. Because of coronavirus, we shifted our classes online with great success. The events surrounding the #BlackLivesMatter movement have challenged us to take a necessary look at our own diversity practices, leading to a new diversity statement and a shift in numerous internal procedures. We still do not know how the rest of the year will unfold, but we know that nature is resilient and provides peace in challenging times. As the oldest conservation nonprofit in South Carolina, we vow to continue our work to sustain South Carolina’s natural resources and make the outdoors a place for everyone to enjoy.

-Sara Green, SCWF Executive Director

Join us for Free Zoom Learning!

Want to learn about the life of bees, how to fish in Charleston, or how to manage large property for wildlife? Check out our upcoming webinars!

Bees: Let’s Get Social
June 18th at 12pm
Register Here!

Managing Large Land for Wildlife
June 24th at 2pm
Register Here!

Saltwater Family Fishing Clinic (with DNR)
*Limited Space, must be Charleston based*
June 30th at 10am
Register Here!

Catch up on Past Classes! 

Did you miss one of our zoom classes? Check out these links to catch up on some of our classes (and a few we enjoyed from partner organizations too)!

Wild Summer Silent Auction


Our Wild Summer’s Night Auction has grown to be one of our favorite annual events and fundraisers, but it is not an event we can safely host during the summer of 2020. While we can’t enjoy wild game, drinks, and live music with 400 of our closest supporters, we can still support SCWF’s classes, advocacy efforts, restoration projects and more through an online auction. Plus, with exciting new auction items and the opportunity for more of our supporters all over the state to participate, we know it will be an amazing Wild Summer Silent Auction!

Save the Date:  July 16 at 6pm for a Kickoff Zoom Party!

Register Here!

Do you want to sponsor or provide an item for our auction? Reach out to Shannon Keenan here!

Women’s Outdoor Retreat Update

At this time, we are making preliminary plans to hold the Women’s Outdoor Retreat this fall.  Registration will be delayed as we follow the latest guidelines and determine feasibility for our event. We will be sure to update you as soon as we able! You can also stay tuned to our website here.

245 New Certified Wildlife Habitats in SC!

We are so proud of South Carolinians! Between January and April of this year, 245 individuals took a step to make their yards more friendly for wildlife! You too can recognize your commitment to wildlife and certify your yard, balcony container garden, church grounds, schoolyard, work landscape, or any greenspace into a Certified Wildlife Habitat®. To learn more about this program, visit our website here.

If you already certified your yard, make sure to check out the wildlife habitat signs we sell on our website!

Image Credits from top of email to bottom: Ashley Medlin, Busy Bees Pollinating Away by Parker Gibbons, Joanne Wuori, Laura Hendrick, Cameron Foster.