Keep South Carolina Wild

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SCWF Highlighted in NWF Magazine

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National Wildlife Magazine – Working for Wildlife

December 2018-January 2019

by Mark Wexler

AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT: SOUTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE FEDERATION

Sport and nature advocates

From hunters and anglers to birders and gardeners, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) has represented generations of outdoor enthusiasts on conservation issues since its start 87 years ago. “We are continuing our legacy of insisting that science, not politics, remains at the forefront in decisions affecting our wildlife,” says SCWF Executive Director Ben Gregg.

This NWF affiliate works with organizations fighting against proposed energy exploration along the state’s fragile coast. In central South Carolina, with support from partners, SCWF is putting up dozens of nest boxes to help restore the region’s wood duck population. It is also working with 30 of the state’s largest industries to convert their lands to sustainable habitats.

Committed to education, SCWF trains volunteers for citizen-science projects, provides courses in fishing and other outdoor skills for women, encourages homeowners to grow native plants to help wildlife, and helps schools create wildlife habitats where students can study nature. “We’re especially focusing on teaching kids about the roles pollinators play in our lives,” says SCWF Director of Education Sara Green. “What youngsters learn today will help build the next generation of South Carolina conservationists.”

https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2019/Dec-Jan/Conservation/Working-For-Wildlife

Create wildlife habitat at home

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Disappearing habitat is a problem worldwide. Most endangered species have that status because of habitat loss. Two thirds of the world’s forests are already gone.

Most people feel helpless when it comes to saving the forests around the world, but there are so many things you can do right in your own backyard and community to create wildlife habitat and make a big difference. The S.C. Wildlife Federation (SCWF) partners with the National Wildlife Federation to provide recommendations for creating and enhancing wildlife habitat in backyards as well as at schools, businesses, parks and throughout entire communities.

There are some small changes a homeowner can make that will make a big difference for wildlife. One of the best things you can do is plant native plants and trees — this re-establishes the local ecosystem. Native plants have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over thousands of years and therefore offer the most sustainable habitat.

A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem or habitat without human introduction. Exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world, or were cultivated by humans into forms that don’t exist in nature, do not support wildlife as well as native plants. Occasionally, they can even escape into the wild and become invasive exotics that destroy natural habitat.

Native plants help the environment the most when planted in places that match their growing requirements. They will thrive in the soils, moisture and weather of your region, which means less supplemental watering and chemicals are needed. Native plants also assist in managing rainwater runoff and maintaining healthy soil as their root systems are deep and keep soil from being compacted.

Discovering the native plants where you live can also define a unique sense of place and heritage for your garden habitat while preserving the natural history of the flora and fauna of your region.

In designing your habitat garden and choosing plants, strive for an “edge habitat,” which is a smooth transition area between two adjacent habitats. For example, smaller trees and shrubs create an edge between a mature forest and a meadow. You will have a higher number and diversity of wildlife in this transition zone because species from each of the different habitats overlap in the “edge.”

The SCWF has a list of native plants with a high wildlife value on its website at www.scwf.org. These plants either provide berries, seeds, nuts or nectar for birds, insects and other backyard wildlife, or they provide evergreen cover and nesting sites.

You can add supplemental cover by leaving hollow trees standing, or with the addition of a brush pile. Nesting sites can be added with a variety of styles of bird boxes available from the SCWF or from your local garden center.

In addition to planting a variety of native plants, it is essential to provide a source of fresh water year-round for wildlife. You can provide this habitat component in a variety of ways, from a simple birdbath or shallow dish of water to a water garden or pond. The sound of running or dripping water will attract a great diversity of wildlife to your yard.

By providing food, water, cover and places to raise young, your yard can become certified as an official wildlife habitat. You can also go beyond your backyard and create wildlife habitat at your local park, library, church, school or business. The SCWF also certifies industry sites, and you can even have your whole community certified by the National Wildlife Federation.

South Carolina currently leads the nation in the number of certified wildlife habitats per capita! You can help us maintain our lead by enhancing wildlife habitat in your own yard, having it certified, and then sharing this information with others in your community and encouraging them to also make a positive impact for wildlife in their own yard.

The mission of the S.C. Wildlife Federation is to conserve and restore South Carolina’s wildlife and wildlife habitat through education and advocacy. For more information, please visit our website at www.scwf.org.

Sara K. Green is director of education with the S.C. Wildlife Federation.

Article published 11/25/18 in Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

SCWF To Partner With Recreational Anglers to Reduce Fish Mortality.

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South Carolina Wildlife Federation was recently awarded a federal grant to work with recreational anglers in four states. We will be partnering closely with the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council in its efforts to decrease mortality of snapper and grouper. This project is particularly important for the health of red snapper as regulators are in the early stages of re-opening the red snapper fishery for recreationists.


Mortality is due largely to a condition known as barotrauma (swim bladder expansion with pressure change) that affects hooked deep-water fish as they are reeled in to the surface. Fish released in this condition have a very poor chance or survival. Best practices to reduce such mortality include use of a descending device that allows a controlled return to the bottom and release once the fish equalizes to bottom pressure.

SCWF will focus on education and outreach for recreational anglers through developing and posting an online tutorial; making presentations to anglers and distributing 500 SeaQualizer devices. Our marine biologist, Steve Gilbert, will be coordinating these important efforts.

Click here to access the tutorial now!

Keowee Key Certified as Community Wildlife Habitat

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Keowee Key Becomes the 112th Certified Community Wildlife Habitat in the Nation

Leading a nationwide trend in community concern for habitat loss, Keowee Key has been officially designated an NWF Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). A Community Wildlife Habitat project creates multiple habitat areas in backyards, schoolyards, corporate properties, community gardens, parkland and other spaces. Keowee Key is the 112th community in the country and the 5th community in South Carolina to receive this honor.  The other certified communities in SC are: Callawassie Island & Fripp Island in Beaufort County, Kiawah Island in Charleston County, and Briarcliffe Acres in Myrtle Beach.

NWF commends the dedicated residents of Keowee Key and the Lake and Hills Garden Club team for their wildlife conservation efforts and for coming together for a common purpose – to create a community where people and wildlife can flourish.  At a time when communities are faced with the problems of losing habitat to development, Keowee Key stands out as a model for other communities to emulate.

Keowee Key certified 88 individual – owned properties and 4 common areas to complete the required points for certification.

“We are so proud to be the only certified community in the Upstate of South Carolina!  This award shows the dedication of individuals in our community to conservation and preservation of their natural surroundings,” said Alice Guzick, Keowee Key Garden Club member and community property owner.

A Community Wildlife Habitat benefits the entire community of plants, wildlife, and people through the creation of sustainable landscapes that require little or no pesticides, fertilizers, and excess watering. These landscapes help keep water and air resources clean. They are healthier for people and the environment, and they are less resource-dependent than conventional landscapes. Habitat landscapes can serve to beautify our urban areas and give residents pride in their neighborhoods.

Sara Green, SCWF Director of Education, presents the certificate to Alice Guzick who spearheaded the application for the community.

Keowee Key held a Certification Celebration on October 3, 2018, when Sara Green, Director of Education of the SC Wildlife Federation, presented the certificate to Alice and the Habitat Team. “The team at Keowee Key has sparked great momentum in creating Certified Wildlife Habitats, with more than 45 individual habitats certified since starting the program,” said Green during the celebration. “But one of the most impressive things about this community is the longevity of certified habitats – more than 20 residents had created Certified Wildlife Habitats over 15 years ago, and still maintain them! This longstanding love of wildlife throughout the community has helped Keowee Key certify much more quickly than other communities, in only 8 months!”

Click here for more information on Gardening for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitats.





Alice Guzick with members of the Garden Club.







The National Wildlife Federation sent NWF Field Guide books for each member of the project’s Habitat Team.

Increasing Focus on Wildlife Habitats

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The South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) has named Jay Keck as their new Habitat Education Manager. In this role, he will plan, coordinate, implement and oversee education programs designed to encourage the creation or enhancement of wildlife habitat in backyards, parks, schoolyards, and business property.


Growing up on Lake Murray, Jay has always enjoyed wildlife and the outdoors. After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2000, he worked in the private sector but always maintained a connection to the outdoors. His life took an unexpected turn in the summer of 2012 when he saw a Baltimore oriole for the first time. Since then, he spends most of his free time birding, learning about birds, and studying their various habitat needs. During the spring of 2014, he attended his first SCWF event. Being inspired by SCWF’s mission, he earned his Palmetto Pro Birder certification, and has led bird walks for SCWF as well as Saluda Shoals Park, Columbia Audubon, and private organizations. He has a passion and love for wildlife and hopes to inspire others to take a look at the life within our amazing planet.

Jay will be working with homeowners to enhance wildlife habitat, as well as partners at other places throughout SC communities including schools, churches, libraries, parks and businesses. There are four basic ingredients to turn any landscape into a productive wildlife habitat: year-round food source; water, especially during periods of droughts and hard freezes; cover where animals can hide from weather and predators; and safe places to raise young. The SCWF has certified more than 8,500 Certified Wildlife Habitats in South Carolina making it one of the top states in the nation in the number of certified sites per capita.

Jay has a special interest in expanding the SCWF’s Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program. WAIT is designed to encourage corporate landowners to integrate wildlife habitat needs into corporate land management decisions. As South Carolina becomes increasingly developed, there is less land available for wildlife. Corporate landowners can offset habitat loss by devoting their under-utilized lands to wildlife. Lonza-Capsugel in Greenwood recently joined the SCWF’s list of WAIT partners, which also includes industries such as BMW Manufacturing, Michelin, Honda South Carolina, 3M, and many others. In total, there are 30 WAIT certified properties across the state that are benefiting wildlife in SC – that’s 30 sites providing a habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, while at the same time producing oxygen and stabilizing the soil! Our focus on promoting the use of native plants on these properties will help create a network of areas that can be used by pollinators, including butterflies, and many other insects that support the ecosystem and biodiversity of the property.

“Jay’s experience and passion will be a great asset to our team,” said Sara Green, SCWF Director of Education. “He looks forward to connecting people of all ages with SC’s wildlife and finding ways we can all work together for wildlife conservation.”

You can contact Jay to find out more about how you can attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your yard and your community, at: mail@scwf.org or (803) 256-0670.

16th Annual Photo Contest Open

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COLUMBIA – Calling all amateur photographers! The SCWF is holding their 16th Annual Wildlife Photography Contest. Send us your best pictures capturing the beauty of South Carolina’s nature – in your own backyard or our backyard – that being South Carolina’s natural landscapes and creatures.

You may submit entries in three categories:

Carolina Critters:

Did you catch that bird sifting through the upstate snow to find its meal on film? How about the shy deer venturing out in the Pee Dee field to graze? A turkey? Or that Great Blue Heron wading through the swamps of the Lowcountry? Enter any of these pictures (or something of the sort) in the Carolina Critters category.

Scenes of South Carolina:

Maybe you’re more into capturing those gorgeous SC sunrises on the ocean or sunsets in the mountains? Or perhaps you find the early morning dew on an open field worth photographing. You might find the placement of rocks in one of SC’s many rivers to be the best photographic moment you’ve ever seen. These scenes (and many others) found in the beauty of SC’s landscapes can be entered in the Scenes of South Carolina category.

Backyard Habitat:

Some of the most beautiful and unique wildlife in South Carolina can be found in your own backyard. Now’s your chance to show off the hard work you’ve put into turning your backyard into a haven for wildlife. No two habitats are created equally, and we want to see photos of the various habitats, native plants, and wildlife that enjoy all the fruits of your labor. You put in the work to provide the food, water, cover, and places to raise young in your own backyard, and we want to see your creations.

Entry fee is $15, and the deadline for entries is October 31st. Click here for more information, contest rules and to submit your photos.

Help Support Shorebird Nesting

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SCWF is one of many organizations supporting a new SCDNR S.C. Coastal Bird Conservation Program to protect and restore rapidly disappearing coastal bird habitat.  The pilot project is to raise approximately $2 million for the cost share needed for the restoration of Crab Bank with dredged material from the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project. Crab Bank, an island created in Charleston Harbor with dredged material and former home to thousands of nesting coastal birds, has eroded to the point that it is unsuitable for bird use.  For more information on this effort and/or to make a donation for coastal bird habitat please go to this site: https://www.sccoastalbirds.org/crab-bank-project

A short explanatory video on Crab Bank is available at:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4kW55CfRQEk

SCWF Wood Duck Box Program

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Once threatened with near extinction from habitat destruction and overharvesting, wood duck populations are now steady or increasing. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is partnering with Duke Energy, SCDNR and the Lake Wateree Association to increase wood duck populations by constructing and erecting 80 wood duck nesting boxes in the on the shorelines of Lake Wateree, Fishing Creek Reservoir, Rocky Creek, Cedar Creek Reservoirs, the Wateree River, and smaller ponds in between.

SCWF will coordinate with property owners, volunteers, biologists, and rangers to determine suitable sites for wood ducks. The goal is to install boxes prior to the start of the 2019 nesting season. Wood ducks begin to pair with each other starting mid-October. Once a nest box is used, it will likely help raise many broods over the years to come. Boxes will be placed in locations that are convenient for monitoring and maintenance.

Volunteer involvement is integral in helping to foster community-wide awareness and appreciation for the project. The wood duck 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 the wood duck.

Photo by Richard Sasnett

Update on Public Lands

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A year ago this week, War was declared on America’s lands when President Trump signed Executive Order 13792. This unprecedented action put 26 National Monuments on the chopping block for review and possible reduction in size. The President had already appointed Ryan Zinke as Interior Department Secretary, and he became the point person for carrying out the executive order. Over the past year, Secretary Zinke has expanded the war on numerous fronts through his political appointments, his department re-organization fumbling, his shunning of wildlife management and sound science and his devotion to energy conglomerates and large-scale agriculture.

And we haven’t even mentioned the Secretary’s  personal ethical challenges and his oversized ego.  Try this on for size: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/03/19/6ba3b4e4-2bba-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.bfa3c8c3bb31.

The principal “party line” for executing the executive order was that past presidents named these national monuments without public input: an Interior press release justifying the Order stated: “Secretary Zinke and President Trump both strongly believe that local input is a critical component of federal land management.”

And there was more about how important the public is: “The Department of the Interior is the steward of America’s greatest treasures and the manager of one-fifth of our land. Part of being a good steward is being a good neighbor and listening to the American people who we represent,” said Secretary Zinke. “Today’s action, initiating a formal public comment process finally gives a voice to local communities and states when it comes to Antiquities Act monument designations.”

So for 60 days, local communities, outdoor businesses and citizens responded, and at the end of the day there were almost 3 million comments and over 99% opposed changing any of the National Monument boundaries. National Parks and Monuments are often called “America’s Best Idea”, and almost unanimously millions of Americans from across the nation agreed.

Although Zinke and his closest political aides had no doubt intended to make large rollbacks in most if not all of the 26 monuments, the only opening they saw to take action was in Utah where some of that state’s federal and state officials were marching to a different drum than the vast majority (time will tell at the ballot box whether Utah voters were in lockstep with those officials). Large parts of Grand Escalante and Bears Ears Monuments were named for development by Interior, but lawsuits closely followed alleging the executive order and the reductions in Utah are against the law.

And thanks to recent Freedom of Information requests, we now know the real motivation for the ill-fated executive order – internal documents confirm the potential for oil, gas and uranium development within the monument borders was paramount (as if we didn’t intuitively know before!).

Americans want to be a part of these lands that belong to them, and after the beauty and amazing geology of the Utah monuments received glowing reviews in numerous articles last year, thousands more Americans are now vacationing in Utah to see Escalante and Bears Ears.

Meanwhile, the executive order was the first volley in a war that continues on numerous fronts led by Zinke and his newly-appointed Interior officials who are fresh from lobbying and lawyering for fossil fuel, petrochemical and mining interests.  Conflict of interest is a forgotten prohibition these days.  Meanwhile, a majority of Congress simply provides a nod and a blink during committee hearings when these matters are raised.  For more details check out this from the Wilderness Society: https://wilderness.org/zinke-year-one-14-misdeeds-show-why-hes-worst-interior-secretary-ever.

This War pits lots of money and generals against an overwhelming super-majority of citizens. It’s David vs. Goliath, and I believe from the bottom of my heart that David will be victorious.

The good news is Americans now realize they can’t take their own public outdoor experiences for granted any longer. More and more folks in South Carolina and around the nation are seeking out public lands for inspiration, refuge, health and pure enjoyment in U.S. parks, forests, monuments and wildlife refuges. Can you believe that over 2% of the entire US economy is from the out-of-doors? And guess what – that figure is larger than the entire US mining industry and it’s growing by leaps and bounds!

We will continue to keep you posted.

Ben Gregg, SCWF Executive Director

Horseshoe Crabs & Shorebirds

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SCWF had a wonderful event at Harbor Island on April 29 & 30, 2018 to observe and learn about Horseshoe Crabs & their spawning cycles, and the shorebirds that depend on the Horseshoe Crabs! HUGE THANK YOU to Dr. Al Segars (retired veterinarian & wildlife biologist with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources) and Nick Wallover (veteran shorebird biologist with SCDNR) for sharing their expertise with our group!



Photo by Ben Gregg



Photo by Ben Gregg



Photo by Ben Gregg



Photo by Ben Gregg

A note from Ben Gregg about the Sunday evening portion of the class: “We had a four-ring circus about 7:45. Sun setting in the West, moon rising in the east, hundreds of red knots grouped on a sand bar for the night and Al Segars tagging and measuring horseshoe crabs with assistance from his followers!”

Here’s a slow-motion video of the Red Knots flying over our group Monday morning…video taken by Dennis Sellers.