KECK: For Purple Martins’ Majesties

Posted on August 4, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

By Jay Keck, Habitat Education Manager for Chapin Magazine

“Wanna go see the Martins?” That’s a question I loved to hear my dad ask during the summer while growing up on the south side of Lake Murray. It reminds me of all the small things you don’t know are special when you’re young, like taking the folding chairs out to the boat (the only permanent chair on our pontoon boat, which we named “Tin Can,” was my father’s “Captain’s” chair.) It reminds me of mom’s snack mix loaded with nuts and those slightly burnt bits of rice Chex that were lucky enough to soak up some of the butter in which they were cooked. It reminds me of boat-created summer breezes, orange Chek soda, and those unforgettable and unbeatable Lake Murray Sunsets (which are indeed, fyi, totally worthy of capital letters.) And then, of course, I’m reminded of the frenetic bird tornado the Purple Martins create when they congregate each evening at Bomb Island. What a sight! Isn’t it amazing that all those memories were created because of a bird? That is just one example of the power of nature, and our much-needed connection to it.

Photo of Purple Martins at Bomb Island, by Zach Steinhauser

But the Purple Martin isn’t just any bird. It’s a fast flying, insect eating, cavity nesting, transcontinental migrating, purple-fighter-jet of a bird. Visually, the male Purple Martin is a stunning bluish-purple, but you’ll need a good pair of binoculars to pull out the vibrant colors of the bird, which are at their brightest when reflecting the sun’s light. The female and young males are brown, though young males can have purple feathers on their chest and belly. Purple Martins are the largest member of the swallow family here in North America, and measure about 7.5 inches in length, have a 15–16-inch wingspan, and an average weight of 1.97 ounces.

Banner image by Vance Solseth

Conservation Corner: Earth is a living classroom

Posted on July 28, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

by April Rodgers, SCWF member and volunteer

The changing Earth is a living classroom that should compel next the generations to be better stewards of our planet’s natural resources. As a parent, I enjoy sharing knowledge with my children about how our Earth works.

It’s important for the next generation of scientists and engineers — and frankly, all human beings — to recognize how our planet works, and how the actions we take affect our air, our waters, our lands, and our lives. What we do now, and how effective we are in educating today’s students, will have a significant impact on climate challenges now and in the future.

Some climate change impacts are more visible than others. We’ve all seen the sad images of polar bears whose ice-laden habitats are melting away. We see glaciers breaking apart and melting into the warming and acidifying sea. After big hurricanes, we see shorelines erode, bringing water further inland as the tide comes in; threatening wildlife habitat, and affecting recreation and eco-tourism.

Those are important visible and unfortunate symptoms of a changing climate. But symptoms that may not be as easy to spot are having detrimental impacts as well.

It’s no surprise to anyone that air temperatures are getting warmer. Last year, NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) reported that 2019 had the hottest summer on record. 2020 turned out to be even hotter.

We all feel the sauna-like heat when we step outside on a hot summer day and our wallets feel it too, as our power bills jump sharply when air conditioners are cranked up around the clock.

But atmospheric temperatures affect Earth’s water cycle as well, causing changes to clouds and precipitation and increasing water evaporation, resulting in more frequent and stronger storms, including more major hurricanes that contribute to widespread floods and severely impact South Carolina’s diverse ecosystems, personal property, infrastructure, and quality of life. Flooding also has more immediate consequences, including blocking roads and impeding access to emergency services during storms.

Rising air temperatures affect agriculture as well; hotter air increases evaporation from soil, leading to droughts and bare fields — when the rain finally does come, the stronger and more powerful downpours that we see due to increased ocean temperatures wind up creating severe erosion and run-off of nutrient-rich topsoil. This can be disastrous for farmers who count on healthy land for their livelihoods, as well as the communities who depend on those crops.

These changes to our weather patterns and water cycles are a difficult reality that are consequences, at least in part, of human actions. To counter all that we do in our daily lives that accelerates and intensifies climate change, we have to commit ourselves to elect policymakers who will take actions to reduce the pollution that’s contributing to this problem.

Our energy and transportation sectors are the most significant contributors to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, so we must accelerate our transition to clean energy sources like solar and wind. We must also support efforts to replace traditional vehicles with electric and low emission varieties, as well as modify and improve infrastructure to support the transition.

The increasingly visible signs of climate change turning our surroundings into a living classroom experiment, of sorts, that our children can see, learn from and impact. We need to help them learn to make positive changes to avoid further negative impacts and reverse the damage that has been done.

It’s sad that we are raising the next generation during a time when these detrimental impacts to our waters and lands are so evident, but with the right education and information, hopefully these signs will compel them and us to make different, better choices. With the right actions, we can set policies and practices in place to slow these alarming changes, and allow us to be better stewards of our world’s natural resources moving forward.

April Rodgers is a South Carolina Wildlife Federation member. Visit www.scwf.org for more information.

Banner image by: Kate Levasseur

Published in:

Spartanburg Herald-Journal – https://www.goupstate.com/story/opinion/2021/07/28/south-carolina-wildlife-federation-member-education-climate-change-energy-resources-weather-policy/8067336002/

Greenville News – https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/2021/08/01/south-carolina-wildlife-federation-member-education-climate-change-energy-resources-weather-policy/5400391001/

We can create jobs and prevent extinctions

Posted on June 30, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

Published in Post & Courier 06/29/21

We can create jobs and prevent extinctions

BY SARA GREEN AND COLLIN O’MARA

FILE/GRACE BEAHM ALFORD/STAFF

A monarch butterfly hangs onto its chrysalis after hatching in the butterfly house at Cypress Gardens in September.

Over the past year or so, South Carolinians have headed for the outdoors in greater numbers than ever before, exploring the Palmetto State from the Lowcountry to Sassafras Mountain. But even those of us who coped with the stress of the pandemic by spending time in nature may not be fully aware of the wildlife crisis quietly unfolding all around us. Scientists estimate that roughly one-third of America’s wildlife species are at an elevated risk of extinction. Here in South Carolina, the Department of Natural Resources has identified about 800 species of wildlife and plants in need of conservation action. The species at risk are found in every habitat and among all major groups of wildlife — from horseshoe crabs to wood storks.

The good news is that Congress is considering a bold, bipartisan bill that would go a long way to addressing the wildlife crisis while creating jobs in every state and bridging the political divide. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 2773) — led by Debbie Dingell, DMich., and Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb. — would direct $1.4 billion of existing federal revenue toward proactive, voluntary, locally led efforts to help fish and wildlife species in decline.

More than 180 representatives from both sides of the aisle cosponsored the bill in the last session.

If passed, the bill would send more than $14 million annually to South Carolina, which would use the money to help the 800 at-risk species by restoring habitat, removing invasive species, addressing wildlife diseases and improving water quality. The bill would also fund wildlife conservation efforts led by tribes, such as the ongoing efforts by the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina to restore habitat for the monarch butterfly and reintroduce the federally endangered Schweinitz’s sunflower to their tribal lands.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act provides additional funding for federally listed endangered species such as gopher tortoises and red-cockaded woodpeckers. But the main thrust of the bill is intended to prevent wildlife from needing the Endangered Species Act’s federal protections in the first place.

This type of proactive wildlife restoration can make a difference for people and wildlife. The diamondback terrapin was decimated by exploitation for turtle soup in the early 1900s. Threats today now include road mortality, drowning in crab traps and loss of nesting habitat. Coastal residents have a vested interest in restoring robust populations of diamondback terrapins, as they help maintain healthy marshes by feeding on periwinkle snails that can overgraze the marsh. Additionally, healthy marshes protect coastal communities from hurricane storm surges, and provide nursery grounds for shrimp, blue crabs and numerous fish. The diamondback terrapin is just one example of how proactive conservation is good for wildlife, good for taxpayers and good for business by maintaining a healthy ecosystem that feeds us and is crucial to our ecotourism industry.

A terrapin turtle is held by a volunteer as it prepares to be measured, weighed and examined during a Department of Natural Resources survey and tracking project in 2016.

The work funded by the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will be guided by the state’s Wildlife Action Plan, which outlines the actions needed and describes the science behind these recommendations.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would create high-quality jobs today while protecting our state’s wildlife heritage for tomorrow.

This session, we hope all of South Carolina’s congressional delegation from both sides of the aisle — including Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott — will champion this groundbreaking bill and help it become the law of the land.

Sara Green is the executive director of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. Collin O’Mara is the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

Published in Post & Courier 06/29/21

SC State Budget Update 2021

Posted on June 25, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

SCWF Government Relations Manager, Trip King

The House-Senate Conference Committee on H.4100, the state appropriations bill, met on June 17 to finalized the Conference Report on the FY 2021-2022 state budget. The Conference Report was adopted by the General Assembly on Monday, June 21, by a vote of 39-5 in Senate and 108-6 in the House. The bill was ratified and sent to the Governor for his consideration. The state’s fiscal year begins July 1. Two items in the budget of particular interest to SCWF were funding for the newly created Office of Resilience and SC Conservation Bank. SCWF advocated for the establishment of the Office of Resilience, which was created in 2021 after a two year push, and we successfully advocated for adequate first-year funding for the agency and the two resilience accounts within the agency during this session’s budget debate. And, SCWF has always advocated for additional funding for the Conservation Bank and we are thankful that the Legislature significantly increased the Bank’s ability to award land conservation and protection grants in the upcoming year’s budget.

Here is a breakdown in specific funding for those two state agencies:

Office of Resilience

$ 2,036,700 Program Administration and Operations

$44,000,000 Resilience Reserve Fund (hazard mitigation, statewide resilience planning, disaster recovery, etc…)

$ 6,000,000 Resilience Revolving Loan Fund (voluntary buyout program of repetitively flooded properties)

$ 80,000 IT and Furniture

___________

$52,116,700 Total

In addition, $100M in federal funds allocated for current disaster recovery efforts was transferred from the Department of Administration to the OOR which will now administer those programs.

Conservation Bank

$ 9,070,134 Agency FY21-22 Baseline (recurring)

$ 9,000,000 Non-recurring funds per proviso

$ 2,564,400 Other Funds (Carry Forward)

$ 2,435,600 Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (Mitigation)

$10,000,000 Other Funds (National Coastal Wetland Conservation Funds)

__________

$33,070,134

By comparison, in the FY 2019-2020 appropriations bill (the last budget passed by the General Assembly since FY 2020-2021 was by continuing resolution) the Conservation Bank’s funding from state revenue was $11,620,319. For FY 2021-2022 that number, less federal funds, is $20,634,534, which represents a significant increase of recent budgets.

Milkweed for Monarchs Project Update

Posted on June 22, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

By Hannah Nybo, SCWF community outreach intern

With support from people all over South Carolina and deep appreciation for generous donors and volunteers, this year’s native milkweed seed distribution program was a huge success!

Over the past twenty years, there has been a sharp decline in the monarch butterfly population along their normal migration routes from Canada to Mexico. In fact, these important pollinators have dwindled by almost 97 percent! Native milkweed plants, however, are the key to helping these beautiful butterflies continue to thrive in North America.

This year, the SC Wildlife Federation was able to assist in increasing crucial habitat for our fluttering friends by distributing nearly 5,000 milkweed packets throughout the state! Native milkweed seed varieties were purchased in bulk from Ernst Conservation Seeds, then packaged and shipped by interns and generous volunteers. These seed packets were paired with informational cards that we created for recipients to learn how to successfully raise the plants, and how essential the plant is to the monarch species.

South Carolina residents were excited by the opportunity to support the butterflies, and it showed through their participation. The project was advertised just once on social media, and we received 4,000 requests in two months! One recipient, Sherry Lawrence of Sumter, shared that she was “looking forward to new little babies that will turn into beautiful butterflies!” This energized support from those who requested the seeds is part of what made this project so successful! We also asked recipients to consider donating to offset program costs, and many of you did. Thank you!

Because of this project, thousands of migrating monarchs will now have places to lay their eggs and food for their caterpillars before they become butterflies and begin their journey to Central Mexico. Hopefully, we will see an increase in monarchs in the coming years!

Through this program, the SCWF was also able to educate, advocate, and build our network with 4,000 new supporters, and to connect them with the wildlife in their own backyards. Recipients like Pam Sarratt of Anderson are excited to learn about and support the butterflies, and “can’t wait to see monarch butterflies on the flowers” in their own yards. Dozens of requests have already come in for next spring’s distribution, and we are so excited to continue supporting the monarch butterfly!

If you or your company are interested in sponsoring this program in 2022, please contact Angi Fuller Wildt at mail@scwf.org or 803-256-0670, or use the Donate button on our home page.

We would like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to our interns Brantley Bissette & Hannah Nybo for all their work on this program! THANK YOU ALSO to volunteers Barbara & Jimmy Watson for MANY hours dedicated to processing the seed packet requests, as well as volunteers Kathy Resener, Jean Prothro, and Becky Mace. We couldn’t have done this without you all helping us out!

Banner photo: Monarch Butterfly by Teri Carter

KECK: Birds of a Feather

Posted on June 18, 2021December 3, 2024 by admin

By Jay Keck, Habitat Education Manager for Chapin Magazine

Bird. Say it out loud. It’s not the most exciting word in our dictionary, but it represents one of the most extraordinary classes of animals inhabiting our amazing planet. Birds are capable of filling our lives with an overwhelming amount of joy, wonder, and beauty. They quite literally shine as brightly as flames when reflecting the sun’s rays, and (figuratively) shine while singing their sweet melodies during our springs and early summers.

Did you know that birds are a direct descendant of a group of dinosaurs that includes the Tyrannosaurus Rex? The next time you see a Great Blue Heron methodically hunting reptiles, birds, fish, or mammals on Lake Murray, a pond, or one of our beautiful rivers, allow your mind to wander and consider its link to the dinosaurs and earth’s rich past. If that’s not exciting enough, you may one day find yourself witnessing the fastest animal on the planet, a Peregrine Falcon, right here in Chapin, racing at speeds in excess of 240mph towards a raft of coots on the lake. The excitement and beauty also comes in tiny avian packages. The Ruby Throated Hummingbird, whose wings beat at an incredible 53 times per second, and weighs only 5 grams (two pennies), will be energetically and noisily feeding at our sugar water containers in just a month, giving us the opportunity to watch this spectacular bird that travels to the U.S. from its distant wintering grounds in Central America.

Ruby-throated hummingbird, by Cameron Foster

Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the dazzling and dizzying variety of birds we have in our state, or even in our small community. EBird, a website used by “birders” from around the world to record their sightings, reveals over 400 bird species recorded in SC, and 258 species in Lexington county alone.

Legislative Update 2021

Posted on May 28, 2021September 8, 2025 by admin

SCWF Government Relations Manager, Trip King

The SC General Assembly convened on January 12 and adjourned on Thursday, May 13. SCWF Government Relations Manager, Trip King, has provided this detailed update on some of the bills we have been following and advocating for this year.

Santee Cooper Reform: Santee Cooper reform bills were filed in both the House and the Senate this year. SCWF, along with other conservation organizations and solar advocates, were successful in having the Senate reform package amended to include language that includes: 1) a stipulation that the utility must utilize a competitive and transparent procurement process for renewable energy resources; 2) a call for a just transition from coal; 3) Santee Cooper agrees to decommission their Winyah coal plant by 2028; 4) Santee Cooper must weigh the benefits, and lower costs, of renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuel when transitioning from coal; 5) Santee Cooper’s Integrated Resource Plan must be reviewed and approved by the PSC; and 6) Santee Cooper agrees to a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Senate bill passed overwhelmingly, and was sent to the House where they amended the bill further. The legislation is now in a conference committee to reconcile the differences in the two versions.

Resilience Bill: SCWF, along with several other conservation organizations, worked hard last session to secure passage of S.259, a comprehensive resilience bill. The legislation called for the appointment of a Chief Resilience Office as well as establishing Resilience Reserve Fund to fund statewide resilience planning, hazard mitigation, and disaster recovery efforts, and a State Resilience Revolving Loan Fund to facilitate a voluntary buyout program of repetitively flooded properties. This year, the goal was to fund the Office of Resilience, including the two trust funds, and name a Chief Resilience Officer. Thankfully, the Legislature stepped up to the plate and provided roughly $2M to fund the Office of Resilience and between $46M-$50M to fund the two trust funds mentioned above. The Governor also nominated the current head of the state Disaster Recovery Office, Ben Duncan, as the new Chief Resilience Officer for the state and the Senate confirmed his appointment. Because of slight differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget, the final funding for the Office of Resilience will be determined by a post-session conference committee when budget negotiators meet in June. This legislation and the funding for an Office of Resilience has been a top priority for SCWF and our advocacy partner, Audubon SC, for a number of years.

Green Space Sales Tax Act: S.152, sponsored by Senators Tom Davis and Chip Campsen, will allow counties to institute a 1% sale and use tax, subject to a successful county-wide referendum, to be earmarked for the purchase of land preservation procurements and green space enhancements. This legislation was sought to give local governments a significant tool and the financial ability to protect and preserve threatened lands within their borders as a result of burgeoning growth and development. The bill overwhelmingly passed the Senate and will be taken up by the House early next year. If passed, interested counties could have ballot initiatives ready for consideration by voters in the 2022 general elections.

Solar Property Tax Exemption: This bill would prohibit counties from using the value of installed renewable energy resources, such as solar, as a basis to increase the property tax assessment of a residence. Basically, if you install solar at your residence, the investment you make will not, and cannot, trigger an increase in your property taxes. SCWF and our partner Audubon SC strongly advocated for this measure which was approved by the General Assembly and has been signed by the Governor.

Tegu Lizards and other Invasive Species: The Legislature passed legislation this year that would put in place strict regulations regarding the possession, ownership and sale of Tegu Lizards as well as approved regulations promulgated by SCDNR that identifies and regulates other non-native and invasive species.

Mining/Landfills: Legislation was introduced this session that would prohibit SC DHEC from issuing permits for solid waste landfills and mining activities within 2 miles of green spaces, parks and other preserved or protected lands. The bill is still pending in the House but we will be advocating in both chambers in 2022 to have this legislation passed and signed by the Governor.

30×30 Land Protection Bill: This would task state agencies to work together to find ways to preserve 30% of our state’s land by the year 2030. This would add another 3 million acres of protected land (roughly double what is already protected) to our state’s portfolio. Regrettably, S.220, the bill we were advocating for, got sidelined, while some members of the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office considered a larger, more comprehensive effort to accomplish the same goal and seek funding for such an initiative. Hopefully, the summer off-session will allow all the parties to come together and agree on a strategy for 2022.

Conservation Bank: The Conservation Bank has been approved for a higher level of funding than it has seen in recent years. There were difference in the Senate and House approved amounts and this will be resolved when budget conferees meet again in early June.

Senate Bill S.2 – Introduced by Senator Harvey Peeler, President of the State Senate, S.2 would split the current SC Department of Health & Environmental Control (SCDHEC) into two separate entities, spinning off the environmental permitting and oversight functions to a new Environmental Services Agency. Numerous hearings were held in the Senate on Peeler’s bill but it has not advanced out of the subcommittee stage. Peeler hopes to continue to reach out to stakeholders over the summer with an additional hearing, and have an amended bill ready for consideration next year.

SC State House Photo by Sara Green, SCWF.

WAIT Partners Installing Wood Duck Boxes

Posted on May 27, 2021March 7, 2025 by admin

The Brian Knight Insurance Agency donated five wood duck boxes this winter, which were then installed by our Wildlife And Industry Together (W.A.I.T.) partners at Spartanburg Water on one of their reservoirs that did not have any wood duck boxes previously. Over the next several years, these boxes have the potential to produce hundreds of Wood Duck offspring in the area, ensuring this species will continue to thrive in the upstate of SC. Spartanburg Water has been a certified W.A.I.T. site for many years, and we greatly appreciate their love of wildlife, as well as their support of our mission. It always makes us smile when businesses, resources, and the love of wildlife meet to create conservation stories such as this.

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. This is achieved by matching site employees who are interested in wildlife with community partners to develop habitat plans. The W.A.I.T. program assists corporations, employees, facility neighbors, and other groups who desire to develop environmental projects in partnership with each other. To learn more about the W.A.I.T. program, and how your company can become involved, visit this page on our website.

Belser Arboretum celebrates Earth Day

Posted on April 26, 2021May 15, 2025 by admin

Sharing from Columbia Star:
https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/belser-arboretum-celebrates-earth-day/

April 22, 2021

By Arlene Marturano SCGardenLearning on Facebook

In recognition of Earth Day, the W. Gordon Belser Arboretum in Sherwood Forest celebrated receiving certification as a Palmetto Wildlife Habitat. In the outdoor classroom Sara Green, director of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, commended former director Dr. Pat DeCoursey for her restoration of the arboretum and the current director, Dr. Trey Franklin, co-managers Hollis Beach, Gail Wojtowicz, Lynn Yenkey, and the thousands of volunteers who make it possible to maintain a wildlife preserve in the city, an outdoor field laboratory and lecture site for UofSC students and faculty, and a conservation outreach center for visitors.

South Carolina has over 10,000 certified habitats in backyards, schoolyards, parks, churches, libraries, businesses, and agencies. In 2019, the city of Columbia became a certified wildlife community.

Creating a wildlife habitat on your property involves providing the following components: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. The arboretum’s native plants offer nectar, pollen, berries, seeds, nuts, and foliage for wildlife.

Each layer of plants in a habitat is a home to and a protective shelter for insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The floor of the arboretum is where accumulated organic matter decomposes by fungi, bacteria, earthworms, insects, other arthropods, and mammals. The humus formed enriches the soil for groundcovers like partridgeberry and the herbaceous layer of nectar and host plants for butterflies.

The shrub layer of hydrangea, Virginia sweetspire, and sweet shrub provides cover and shelter as well as foliage, seeds, and berries to sustain wildlife. Understory trees like dogwood, redbud, and pawpaw cater to wildlife for food and shelter.

The canopy of the arboretum is the layer where the top of the trees brushes the sky. Pines, black gum, oaks, and yellow poplar are canopy trees in the arboretum and receive the most direct sunlight. Animals inhabiting the canopy include squirrels, raccoons, numerous birds, micro-invertebrates, spiders, katydids, and walking sticks.

Water draws wildlife to it, especially the sound of running water. The arboretum’s streams, wetlands, and waterfall support the hydration of animals. Wetlands are important habitat for frogs, salamanders, and aquatic insects to breed and develop in safety. A birdbath and shallow saucer of fresh water are important water sources also.

Since property management affects the health of the soil, air, water, and habitat for native wildlife and humans, certified habitats must follow sustainable gardening practices including eliminating pesticide use, composting, mulching, capturing rainwater to irrigate, selecting a native plant palette, and controlling invasive species.

To investigate certifying your property as a wildlife habitat, visit www.scwf.org. The process is an educational adventure for the family, classroom, neighborhood or organization.

####

Learn more about the Belser Aboretum:

https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/biological_sciences/research/resources_facilities/arboretum/index.php

https://www.facebook.com/uofscarboretum/

Photos by Brantley Bissette., SCWF Education Outreach Intern

2020 Scholarship Winners Announced

Posted on April 19, 2021December 6, 2024 by admin

The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is honored to be in a position to distribute educational grants to full-time students pursuing environmental education at South Carolina schools of higher education. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible, based on their performance in academia and in related community activities.

The winners of the 2020-2021 SCWF Scholarships are:

Jennifer Linscott – 2nd year PhD student at the University of South Carolina

Jennifer wants to be a biologist at a state or federal agency when she graduates, organizing targeted conservation projects for shorebirds, which are experiencing population declines in South Carolina and across the US. As a PhD student, she studies the migration of a threatened shorebird: the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), using small satellite tracking devices to follow godwits as they fly from southern Chile to Alaska (and back!) every year. By looking at the places where they decide to stop along the way, Jennifer can draw conclusions about the resources they need to successfully complete migration — and, ultimately, inform landscape-level conservation plans to better support migratory shorebirds as they travel through the continental United States. In the past, Jennifer was a research technician studying mixed-species bird flocks in the Peruvian Amazon; spent a summer working as a surveyor for the Bureau of Reclamation, looking for endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) and declining Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico; and spent another summer working as a surveyor for the Center for Conservation Biology, looking for endangered Black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) in coastal North Carolina. She has also volunteered for bird banding and educational outreach with the Louisiana Bird Observatory, and for Audubon Louisiana as a Coastal Bird Surveyor. Since moving here, she has volunteered with the bird banding project at Fort Jackson. This experience is all in addition to teaching and mentoring USC undergrads, and teaching free English as a Second Language community classes for Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

In Jennifer’s two years at USC, she has already been named a finalist for the inaugural Lanyon Award from the American Ornithological Society recognizing the most promising early career scientists in the field of ornithology, submitted a first-authored paper to the ornithological journal with the highest impact factor worldwide (Condor), been awarded two nationally competitive external research grants, undertaken three stints in the field during which she has outfitted more than 40 long-distance migratory birds with satellite transmitters, and begun supervising two undergraduate students on their own field research project along the South Carolina coast. To say that she has already accomplished a lot is an understatement!

SCWF is proud to award Jennifer Linscott with the Nicole Chadwick Memorial Fund Scholarship.

Katie Maddox – Masters student at Coastal Carolina University studying Coastal, Marine, and Wetland Studies

Katie’s professional goal is to become a field biologist for a governmental agency or a non-profit. Since graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology from the University of Georgia, Katie has worked a wide variety of environmental jobs including: field technician at the Luquillo LTER in Puerto Rico, studying the various effects of increased hurricane occurrence on the stream dynamics within El Yunque National Forest; environmental educator in upstate New York, educating over one thousand students from the greater New York City area; and a naturalist and deckhand aboard a whale watching boat in Seward, Alaska. Currently, Katie is employed by Coastal Carolina University as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Marine Biology undergraduate program. She has also held a variety of volunteer positions including: research assistant in a marine ecology lab; two summers immersing (quite literally) herself in the ecology of Georgia’s intertidal ecosystems assisting on projects studying oysters, mangroves, seagrasses, sharks, and multiple invasive species; member of Turtle Patrol at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center; research hand assisting the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Alaska; and has helped on three ornithology related projects studying five different sparrow species from Georgia’s coast to the coast of Virginia.

Her masters project at Coastal Carolina University investigates the population biology differences between urban and rural Loggerhead Shrikes in Horry County, SC. Loggerhead Shrikes, as are most other grassland birds, have been steadily declining over the past thirty years. It is widely unknown as to why, but overwintering survival and recruitment have been posed as potential causes. She has been studying urban shrikes, and now plans to use this scholarship money to begin to expand the study to include rural shrikes and investigate the various causes of their population decline in contrast to urban shrikes.

SCWF is proud to award Katie Maddox with a Conservation Education Foundation Scholarship.

Sharon Kendrick – Senior at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Marine Science

Sharon is a first-generation, non-traditional student balancing a military family life and three children with her work toward her Bachelor’s degree. Her career goal is to work in the Marine field in research. Her conservation ethic was formed at a young age when working with animals that the family raised and in various jobs including pet stores, animal shelters and museums. As part of a military family serving around the world, she has continued to care for and educate herself about animals and conservation efforts.

For the last 2 years, Sharon has also been the co-director for the Black Families Down Syndrome Network, which she founded as a subgroup of DSDN (Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network) the national organization.

In her application, Sharon said, “The position that I am in to finally aggressively pursue the remainder of this degree allows me a confidence and joy that is irreplaceable. I strive to show my children that regardless of what life throws at you it is possible to achieve your goals.”

SCWF is proud to award Sharon Kendrick with a Conservation Education Foundation Scholarship.

SCWF Scholarship Program:

The SCWF receives contributions from our members; however, a large portion of the funds for these scholarships are received from these three funders:

Nicole Chadwick Memorial Scholarship Fund – honoring the legacy of an endangered species biologist who made a long-lasting impact on wildlife conservation in South Carolina, this fund was created in 2019 out of a desire by community members to honor the long-lasting impact of Nicole Chadwick’s work for wildlife conservation. The new scholarship fund will specifically be awarded to female students studying environmental fields in South Carolina.

D. L. Scurry Foundation – In 1969, Mr. D. L. Scurry and his CPA, Mr. J. F. Burgess, created a non-profit foundation which emphasized providing educational scholarship funds for individuals attending colleges, universities and technical schools in South Carolina. Since that time, the D. L. Scurry Foundation has helped further the educational goals of thousands of students and many organizations within the state.
The Riverbanks Conservation Support Fund (CSF) – This Fund was created to provide financial assistance for conservation oriented projects/programs worldwide that promote preservation of the Earth’s biodiversity.

Knowledge lays the groundwork for analyzing environmental problems, resolving conflicts, and preventing new problems from arising. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is committed to supporting future leaders by helping to provide the financial resources necessary to lay the groundwork for more responsible decision-making tomorrow.

Scholarship applications are accepted online through our website each year until October 31st.