Keep South Carolina Wild

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Women’s Spring Hike at Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve

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The 2nd annual Women’s Spring Hike at Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve was a great success! This special area in Lancaster County, managed by SCDNR, contains an abundance of unique native flora and fauna, as well as an impressive 14-acre granite rock with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Master Naturalists Tara Boone and April Rodgers led the group of 20 hikers, and shared their knowledge of native plants and flowers as well as the geology of the area. The group explored two areas of the preserve, ending the hike at the giant granite outcroppings. Everyone was very involved, and enjoyed sharing knowledge and spending time outdoors with other like-minded women.




Pictured L to R; Southern Nodding Trillium, Common Violet; Mayapple, Wild Geranium, Wild Ginger/Little Brown Jug.











Grant from Richland County helps Irmo library go bird-friendly

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Published at: https://whosonthemove.com/grant-from-richland-county-helps-irmo-library-go-bird-friendly/

A new project that balances wildlife preservation with art will make the area around Richland Library Ballentine safer for local and visiting birds.

Thanks to grant funding from the Richland County Conservation Commission (RCCC), the S.C. Wildlife Federation (SCWF) recently applied a material to the library’s windows to eliminate reflections on the outside of the building, making it easier for birds to avoid colliding with the structure.

A Texas-based company, CollidEscape, developed the material to prevent incidences of birds flying into glass, which can stun or kill them. Richland Library commissioned local artist Nell Warthen to design CollidEscape treatments that feature renderings of birds native to South Carolina. Warthen’s display is called “Birds of Ballentine.”

The S.C. Wildlife Federation recently installed bird-safe window coverings at Richland Library Ballentine. The project was funded via a grant from the Richland County Conservation Commission.

“This project really exemplifies what we want to do with Community Conservation Grant awards,” said John McKenzie, conservation program analyst for Richland County Community Planning & Development.

“It combines the priorities of public benefit in a community space with conservation of our threatened bird populations, and it serves as a great example to others. It also provides energy savings as well as protection of the library’s books and furnishings,” McKenzie said.

CollidEscape was installed on the outside windows of Richland Library Ballentine to reduce reflections and prevent birds from colliding with the windows. The windows feature work by local artist Nell Warthen.

Designing with Safety in Mind
A 2014 study by the Smithsonian Institution estimated that each year, as many as 1 billion birds perish from window collisions in the United States.

Richland Library Ballentine, located in Irmo, features nearly 700 square feet of continuous windows that directly face a forest. Before SCWF installed CollidEscape, the outside windows reflected that forest, a natural habitat for birds, posing a hazard to native and migratory bird populations.

Richland Library Ballentine visitors look out at the forest through the library’s 700 square feet of windows. Though CollidEscape was installed to eliminate reflections on the building’s outside, visitors’ view from inside is unimpeded.

With CollidEscape now covering the outside windows, the library’s glass surfaces, featuring Warthen’s renderings, become a work of art. From inside, the window coverings retain their transparency, allowing patrons to enjoy the view of the forest and its inhabitants as they use the library.

Along with the window installation, SCWF worked with Richland Library staff to design educational materials highlighting the dangers that window strikes pose to bird populations and how the new wall coverings help prevent such collisions. While bird strikes were once a regular occurrence at the library, zero strikes have been recorded since the installation five weeks ago.

Richland Library Ballentine visitors look out at the forest through the library’s 700 square feet of windows. Though CollidEscape was installed to eliminate reflections on the building’s outside, visitors’ view from inside is unimpeded.

Jay Keck, habitat education manager for SCWF, is hopeful that his organization’s partnership with RCCC and Richland Library encourages other public and private building owners to take similar measures to help protect local wildlife.

“It’s the first commercial (CollidEscape) install in South Carolina,” Keck said of the project. “There’s all sorts of places we can apply this.”

Richland Library Ballentine will feature the Birds of Ballentine effort during an Earth Day celebration 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. Visitors can learn more about the project and local birds.

Thanking Senator Graham for backing bipartisan wildlife bill

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  • by Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation

Fifteen local and national conservation groups have taken out a half-page print and digital ad buy in the Sunday Post and Courier thanking Senator Lindsey Graham for cosponsoring the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will prevent extinctions by dedicating $1.4 billion annually for collaborative efforts on behalf of at-risk wildlife species. South Carolina will receive $14 million each year to help hundreds of species in need, including bobwhite quail, gopher tortoises, black rails and loggerhead sea turtles.

“America’s wildlife are in crisis and this groundbreaking legislation tackles the problem at the magnitude that is necessary,” said Sara Green, executive director of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. “We thank Senator Graham for cosponsoring this fiscally responsible effort to help at-risk wildlife with collaborative, voluntary measures across every state, territory, and Tribal nation.”

The Senate bill has 32 bipartisan cosponsors — 16 of them Republicans, including Senator Graham. Senator Graham sits on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which will vote on the bill next week. Nearly 170 representatives have signed onto the House version of the legislation.

“Saving the thousands of at-risk wildlife species will require bold, bipartisan leadership and unprecedented collaboration,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We are so grateful to Senator Graham for leading the way on the historic Recovering America’s Wildlife Act that will have an immediate impact – saving species and creating jobs in South Carolina and all across the country.”

Nationwide, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act dedicates funding to collaborative wildlife restoration efforts, largely led by the states and Tribes. Federally recognized tribal nations, such as the Catawba in South Carolina, would share $97.5 million annually to fund wildlife conservation efforts on their lands.

A recent nationwide poll of nearly 1,199 likely voters found that 87 percent of likely voters supported the bill, with only 7 percent opposed.

“Wildlife conservation is an issue that unites all South Carolinians. We hope to see this bill make it to the President’s desk this year,” said Green.

The ad was paid for by the National Wildlife Federation. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Hampton Wildlife Fund, Midlands Striper Club, Audubon South Carolina, South Carolina Waterfowl Association, Wildlife Action, South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Trout Unlimited, National Deer Alliance, and Ducks Unlimited joined the effort.

SCWF Upstate Nest Box Program

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Arthur Robinson next to his new Wood Duck Nest Box on Lake Wateree.

To restore habitat for two bird species in the Upstate, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation is partnering with Duke Energy to construct and install 40 Wood Duck nesting boxes and 40 Eastern Screech-Owl nesting boxes in the Keowee-Toxaway watershed.

SCWF will coordinate with property owners, volunteers, biologists, and rangers to determine suitable sites for the boxes. The goal is to install boxes prior to the start of the 2023 nesting season. Boxes will be placed in locations that are convenient for monitoring and maintenance.

Species-specific information:

  • Wood Ducks: Once threatened with near extinction from habitat destruction and overharvesting, wood duck populations are now steady or increasing.  Wood ducks begin to pair with each other starting mid-October. The ideal box placement is either in water (3 feet above the high-water mark) or within 100 feet of water, with the box facing the water. There should be no branches or other obstructions in front of the entrance hole so they have a clear flight path into the box.  Once a nest box is used, it will likely help raise many broods over the years to come.
  • Eastern Screech-Owls: Eastern Screech-Owls heavily rely on adequate habitat and nesting sites for survival. They are found throughout a range of sites including, but not limited to, farmland, suburban landscapes, and city parks. Although they are currently listed as a species of Least Concern, Eastern Screech-Owl populations are declining due to habitat fragmentation and deforestation. Providing suitable habitat, such as a nesting box, is integral to the success of this species. Nest boxes should be placed at a woodland’s edge with adjacent fields and/or wetlands. It is helpful if a branch, or something equivalent is installed below the entrance hole, or is located on the post or tree on which the box is attached. There should be no obstructions in front of the entrance hole so the owl has a clear flight path into the cavity.Volunteer involvement is integral in helping to foster community-wide awareness and appreciation for the project. The nest box project aims to engage the community in long-term and sustained conservation actions. This project is great for people of all ages. SCWF is actively searching to recruit volunteers to assist in all facets of the project, including nest monitoring, data recording, and witnessing first hand the life cycle of these birds.
ALL BOXES FROM THIS PROJECT HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. Complete this form to volunteer to help MONITOR NESTS IN THE UPSTATE:
Photo by Richard Sasnett

Palmetto Pro Birders at ACE Basin

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Thanks to all of the bird lovers that joined us for this winter’s Palmetto Pro-Birder walk at Bear Island WMA! Thanks also to Jessica Kinsella, Stewardship Coordinator for ACE Basin, which is managed in partnership with SC DNR, for teaching us about the property and showing us how a rice trunk works!  We viewed 85 species total, including a Black Skimmer that was chasing Tundra Swans and ducks.
We also viewed trees filled with dozens of Roseate Spoonbills, and saw a cute little rail called a Sora weaving in and out of the marsh grass. SCWF loves sharing special places like this with you, and we hope to see you at our next nature adventure!
Here is the list of the 85 species we saw and/or heard!

  1. Tundra Swan
  2. Gadwall
  3. Wood Duck
  4. Blue-winged Teal
  5. Green-winged Teal
  6. Northern Pintail (photos of a high-flying flock captured by Zach)
  7. Mottled Duck
  8. Northern Shoveler
  9. Bufflehead
  10. Hooded Merganser
  11. Pied Billed Grebe
  12. Sora
  13. American Avocet (one seen flying in and then landing in the far end of Mary’s Pond)
  14. Common Gallinule
  15. American Coot
  16. Bonaparte’s Gull
  17. Ring-billed Gull (two flyover birds at Bear Island)
  18. Forster’s Tern
  19. Caspian Tern
  20. Black Skimmer
  21. Double-crested Cormorant
  22. Anhinga
  23. Green Heron
  24. Great Blue Heron
  25. Little Blue Heron
  26. Tri-colored Heron
  27. Snowy Egret
  28. Great Egret
  29. Black-crowned Night Heron
  30. White Ibis
  31. Glossy Ibis
  32. Wood Stork
  33. American White Pelican
  34. Roseate Spoonbill
  35. Greater Yellowlegs
  36. Lesser Yellowlegs
  37. Killdeer
  38. Mourning Dove
  39. Eurasion Collared Dove
  40. Turkey Vulture
  41. Black Vulture
  42. Northern Harrier
  43. Red-tailed Hawk
  44. Red-shouldered Hawk
  45. Bald Eagle
  46. Barn Owl(In the nesting box on Bear Island)
  47. Belted Kingfisher
  48. Fish Crow
  49. American Crow
  50. Blue Jay
  51. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  52. Red-headed Woodpecker
  53. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  54. Pileated Woodpecker
  55. Downy Woodpecker
  56. Northern Flicker
  57. Red-cockaded Woodpecker
  58. Carolina Chickadee
  59. Tufted Titmouse
  60. Tree Swallow
  61. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  62. Carolina Wren
  63. Marsh Wren
  64. Eastern Bluebird
  65. American Robin
  66. Swamp Sparrow
  67. Song Sparrow
  68. Chipping Sparrow
  69. Eastern Towhee
  70. Red-winged Blackbird
  71. Common Grackle
  72. Boat-tailed Grackle
  73. Eastern Phoebe
  74. White-breasted Nuthatch
  75. Brown-headed Nuthatch
  76. Northern Mockingbird
  77. Gray Catbird
  78. Eastern Meadowlark
  79. Blue-gray gnatcatcher
  80. White-eyed Vireo
  81. Northern Cardinal
  82. Pine Warbler
  83. Palm Warbler
  84. Common Yellowthroat (A cute warbler that we heard at both places).
  85. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Educator Certification in Project Learning Tree & Project WILD

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This past Friday, February 11, early childhood educators from around the state gathered at the Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens to become certified in two complementary national curricula— Project Learning Tree: Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood and Project WILD: Growing Up WILD.

BeBe Dalton Harrison, SCWF’s Director of Education, led the instruction in Growing Up WILD, whose mission is to “provide wildlife-based conservation and environmental education that fosters responsible actions toward wildlife and related natural resources.” In essence, the program is designed to help students learn how to think and not what to think about natural resources and conservation. Matt Schnabel, the Environmental Education Coordinator at the SC Forestry Commission, led the training for Project Learning Tree: Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, which teaches students how to think about environmental issues through the lens of trees and forests.

“Helping to foster a child’s natural curiosity about the outdoors is very rewarding. Some teachers may not feel comfortable with outdoor-themed lessons, and these programs make it easy and fun to teach what can sometimes be a challenging topic with a hands-on and exciting lesson”, says Harrison. Whether teaching indoors or out, Project Learning Tree and Project WILD make it easy for teachers and students alike to learn about their own backyards and schoolyards. After this day of interactive, hands-on instruction, 14 teachers were certified in both of these curricula, and will be able to share the exciting lessons from Project Learning Tree and Project WILD with their students!















Pee Dee Tree Planting Project Update!

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This past Saturday, February 5th, Britton’s Neck residents were joined by Sara Green, SCWF’s executive director, volunteers, and partner organizations, New Alpha Community Development Corporation, Environmental Action Club (SC State University), and The Dogwood Alliance, for a kickoff event celebrating the start of a project to plant 1,000 trees in the rural community of Britton’s Neck to reduce flooding.  This first tree-planting was a success!  Not only were 500 Dogwoods and Eastern Redbuds planted in the areas most affected by flooding, but residents also received trees to plant in their own yards. All 1,000 trees were paid for by the National Wildlife Federation.
The community of Brittons Neck has seen serious flooding issues over the last several years after the Flood of 2015 and Hurricanes Matthew & Florence.  As a result, schools and businesses have closed and residents have been forced to evacuate away from their homes that had been in their families for generations.
Community residents and partner organizations are joining together to make some changes before the next storm.  1000 trees which are native to our area and help to soak up water and provide drainage are being planted to improve the quality of life for residents, combat climate change, and make the community more resilient from flooding.  Natural infrastructure, or green space, is critical for storage and drainage of water during major storm events.

See news reports and more info on the project here:

There will be subsequent tree plantings each weekend in February until 1,000 trees are planted in this community.  Please use the link below to sign up to be a part of this project!














Volunteer to help with future tree-planting events here:

Volunteer Day! Camp Discovery, Blythewood SC

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Did you know it’s important to clean out bird boxes so Eastern Bluebirds and other cavity nesters, like the Carolina Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse, will return the following year to build a new nest?

On Friday, January 28, SCWF staff members, Jay Keck and Bev Roberts, were joined by volunteers who cleaned out and collected data from over 30 bird boxes at Camp Discovery in Blythewood, SC.  Camp Discovery’s mission is engaging and inspiring through discovery in science and nature.  This 116-acre outdoor learning environment is a perfect home for Eastern Bluebirds, Woodpeckers, and other cavity nesters!  SCWF’s volunteers removed old nests from last year’s season to make space for the creation of new nests for this year’s breeding season.  In addition to cleaning out dormant wasp nests and other debris, repairs were made to damaged boxes, and four were replaced with brand new boxes.  They also collected data about the contents of each box, which will be used to help educate the hundreds of students that will visit Camp Discovery in 2022.

Thank you to all of the enthusiastic and helpful volunteers that spent time with us on Friday! We hope to have an even bigger volunteer day next year, during which, we plan to replace around 20 of the boxes with new ones. Hope to see you there next year!
If you would like a bluebird box for your yard, they are available to purchase in SCWF’s office.  https://www.scwf.org/merchandise











Academics Afield Fall 2021

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Our first group of Academics Afield students from Clemson University participated in a hunt at the Jocassee Gorges property, hosted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) this week. This group consisted of students not only participating in the program, but students also serving as hunting mentors.

After completing the hunter safety class with SCDNR Officer Ray Lewis, a hands-on class to shoot rifles and shotguns with Clemson’s Rick Willey, and learning about how conservation and hunting are deeply connected with SCDNR’s Kenny Forrester and SC Wildlife Federation’s BeBe Dalton Harrison, participants set out in the woods.

After returning, they were able to enjoy tasting wild game including squirrel, snow goose, and venison donated and prepared by Morgan Harrell and SCWF staff. A special thank you to our Clemson intern, Abby Dwelle, for her hard work recruiting and organizing this fall.

This program began with the Georgia Wildlife Federation in 2019 and we were awarded a grant to expand it to South Carolina this year. Look for more opportunities to see this crew and a few new faces join in the Academics Afield program this spring.














SCWF 90th Anniversary Celebration

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SCWF was thrilled to celebrate our 90th Anniversary last week with many longtime friends and new ones too! Being able to get together again to toast SCWF’s many impactful accomplishments was gratifying and inspiring!

In looking through old photos, Out of Doors newsletters, and historical files in preparation for the event, we were in awe of ALL of the passionate people who came before us and made tremendous strides to protect wildlife and the natural beauty of South Carolina that we all love. The amazing work of so many has protected our forests and waters, and allowed us the opportunity to enjoy seeing the birds and deer, fish and alligators, bears and butterflies.

Success over 90 years is due to many dedicated folks coming together, along with so many partners, many of whom were represented at our event: National Wildlife Federation, SCDNR, Garden Clubs, Forestry Commission, SC Environmental Law Project, and so many others!

As we celebrate 90 years, we also look toward the future. We hope you will all join us as we work to conserve habitat, reach new audiences, and educate future conservationists. JOIN US for a webinar or in-person classes and events, STAY TUNED to our newsletters and website for information on policy affecting wildlife, and DONATE to help increase our impact for wildlife.

Thank you to our special guest, Rudy Mancke – we were proud to present him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for all of his inspiring conservation education work over the last several decades.

Thank you also to the vendors and volunteers, whose teams did a fantastic job for our 90th Anniversary Celebration: Central Energy, Loosh Culinaire/Central Table, Twist Bartending, Party Reflections, and the Sunday Dinner band.  We were thrilled to be able to recycle the oyster shells after the event and contribute them to SCDNR’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program (thanks to SCDNR and volunteers who made that possible!)

We also greatly appreciate and value the support of our event sponsors and W.A.I.T. partners!

Whether you are a longtime ally or a new friend, we look forward to continuing to educate and advocate for the conservation and restoration of wildlife and their habitat – please consider a donation to increase our impact for wildlife.

Read more about SCWF’s history here, and you can watch a slideshow of historic photos that were compiled for the event on our YouTube channel.

Selected photos from the 90th Anniversary celebration event are below. More photos are available to view (prints can be purchased from the photographer, Taylor Main) here: https://taylormainphotography.client-gallery.com/gallery/scwf-90th-anniversary