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:
$ 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.
$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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thanks to a grant from Dominion Energy, SCWF has begun work to create a 17-acre nature park around Chapin Town Hall which will beautify the property and preserve natural wildlife habitat, while also making it more accessible to citizens and visitors. We will install walking trails, a pollinator garden, and bird boxes throughout. Interpretive signs will provide information about local plants and wildlife.
Volunteers gathered yesterday with partners at the Chapin Town Hall, the Chapin Garden Club, and the Chapin Beautification Foundation to install a 70-foot native plant pollinator garden at the trail-head located behind the Chapin Town Hall.
The property is ecologically significant and is home to many birds in decline, either during their migration to and from the tropics, or during the breeding and winter seasons. Installing nest boxes will improve habitat for bluebirds, screech owls, Carolina chickadees, and barred owls. Native plants, which benefit pollinators and other wildlife, will be installed in strategic locations around the property. Signage will educate the public on what wildlife is being helped on the property through the enhancements.
Local schools will benefit from the trails as they will offer opportunities for teachers to use the ecology of the area for their science curriculum during field trips. SCWF will provide “virtual field trips” so teachers can learn about the area and feel comfortable taking students there in the future.
The protection and preservation of natural habitats, and the environmental stewardship components, will be a part of Chapin’s certification as a nationally recognized “Community Wildlife Habitat” with the National Wildlife Federation in 2021. To achieve this certification, Chapin residents will also be encouraged to create habitat in their own yards – the pollinator garden at the Town Hall will be a demonstration site for residents to see a model habitat garden that can be replicated in their own yards. As Chapin continues to grow, this property will also act as a place of respite for citizens of all ages who are seeking a quiet open space to unwind, exercise, and enjoy nature.
More info about the Community Wildlife Habitat program can be found on our website here.
Photos by Brantley Bissette, SCWF Education Outreach Intern
US Army Corps of Engineers on Track to Restore Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary
By Brantley Bissette, SCWF Education Outreach Intern
Scheduled to start in September of this year, the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is set to restore a critically important shorebird nesting habitat in South Carolina.
Crab Bank is a stretch of sand sitting just below the mouth of Shem Creek in Charleston Harbor, the result of dredging operations in the 1950s. One of five seabird sanctuaries owned and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), it historically served as an optimal nesting habitat for species including black skimmers, royal terns and brown pelicans. It also hosted threatened red knot and other migratory shorebirds that utilize the state to rest and refuel during their spring migration. South Carolina hosts the largest concentration of red knot in the southeast. The sanctuary had hosted upwards of 5,000 seabird nests per year. Unfortunately, Crab Bank has slowly disappeared in recent decades and, in 2017, Hurricane Irma washed away all that remained of its suitable nesting habitat.
In 2017, working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and environmental organizations, the Charleston Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project identified Crab Bank as a possible recipient of suitable newly dredged material as part of the COE’s efforts for beneficial uses of dredged material. Because placement here would be less cost-effective than the originally proposed offshore dumping site, SCDNR and several environmental agencies met and formed the Carolina Coastal Bird Conservation Fund to cover the expense of this and other future efforts to benefit shorebirds. A grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation was developed and awarded to Audubon South Carolina that supplemented community fundraising efforts by SCDNR, Coastal Conservation League, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Coastal Expeditions and others. The campaign’s success proved a clear indicator of the importance of the restoration project to South Carolina shorebird lovers.
The project would add a total of 80 acres of sediment to the sanctuary, 28 of which would provide suitable nesting habitat. The successful restoration of Crab Bank would maintain South Carolina’s reputation as one of the most important shorebird nesting and wintering sites along the Atlantic coast. In addition to its immediate conservation implications, the restoration would also provide storm and sea level rise protection to Town of Mount Pleasant properties, as well as unique educational benefits, as the sanctuary is just a short boat or kayak trip from nearby communities. Coastal bird partners and the Charleston District of the COE will continue to monitor conditions of nearby Shem Creek to ensure a positive environmental response to the project while remaining in close contact with SCDNR and local community leadership. Restoration efforts will feature the one-time placement of 660,000 cubic yards of dredged material and require only a few months to reach completion.
Along a rapidly developing South Carolina coastline, the restoration and preservation of nesting and wintering habitat is a key step forward in the conservation of these iconic species. The continuing support of the community will ensure the project’s timely completion and help protect South Carolina’s shorebirds for generations to come.
Red Knots, photo by Teri Carter (cropped for top banner image)
Update 9/24/20: GREAT NEWS!! The Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to reject the proposed Bay Point development. Thank you to all who spoke up for the vast amount of wildlife that depend on our barrier islands for their survival!
Bay Point Island, a vulnerable barrier island bordering Port Royal Sound in Beaufort County, is the site of a proposed “ecotourism” development which will include fifty beach bungalows, four spa and wellness centers, several restaurants, and areas for listening to music and watching movies—all to be constructed on the island. A solar field is included in preliminary designs, however it is insufficient to generate the amount of electricity the resort indicates it will use. Ten septic fields are also planned on the small island, along with stormwater ponds – and 33,000 gallons per day will need to be withdrawn from a local aquifer, straining already depleted groundwater resources and exacerbating saltwater intrusion.
SCWF is proud to stand with our partners at the Coastal Conservation League and the Gullah/Geechee Nation to oppose this project.
Development on barrier islands in general is short-sighted, as they are highly erosional. This island is also a nationally-designated “Important Bird Area,” holding up to 8,000 shorebirds at some times. It provides critical habitat for threatened Loggerhead Sea Turtles and adjoins sensitive salt-marsh areas which are a nursery ground for shrimp, crabs, oysters, and many species of bony fish which are important to South Carolina’s seafood industry, as well as being extremely valuable to the culture and livelihood of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Bay Point Island, in its natural state, is ecologically essential for its wildlife habitat value, economically valuable to the seafood industry in South Carolina, and culturally significant to the people of the Gullah/Geechee Nation as well as the people of Beaufort.
You can learn more about the proposed development at the Coastal Conservation League’s website here, and see links above and below to sign a petition opposing this project.
How can you help save bay point island?
Please sign the petition linked below – we are hoping to get 35,000 signatures before the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Thursday!!
In addition, you may attend the next meeting of the Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals where they will discuss this issue – details below. Also below is a letter from SCWF Executive Director, Sara Green, to the Zoning Board members urging them to deny this application.
Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting
September 24, 2020 at 5 pm
Burton Wells County Park Gymnasium
1 Middleton Recreation Drive
Beaufort, SC 29906
MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND.
The County will be providing socially-distanced seating and hand sanitizer.
UPDATE 9/23: This meeting will ALSO be live-streamed over Beaufort County’s Facebook Page HERE. Virtual attendees can submit comments using Facebook’s chat feature during the live stream. While attending in person is the best way to ensure your comments are heard, this option provides a way to comment for those who don’t feel they can attend safely.
Related News Stories:
09/20/20 – Editorial: Don’t let Bay Point Island fall – Post and Courier
09/16/20 – Beaufort County should reject Bay Point development – The Island News
09/14/20 – Gov. McMaster’s Bay Point Island letter – Post and Courier
08/19/20 – Gov. McMaster calls for luxury ‘ecoresort’ plan for SC barrier island to be rejected – Post and Courier
07/21/20 – Contested SC eco-resort plan, flagged as ‘greenwashing,’ up for key decision soon – Post and Courier
07/07/20 – Commentary: Bay Point Island is no place to put a resort – Post and Courier
05/11/20 – Editorial: Oppose barrier island development – Post and Courier
05/06/20 – Resort plan for SC barrier island advances with county now saying it’s ecotourism – Post and Courier
12/20/19 (updated 04/24/20) – $100M resort plan for undeveloped SC barrier island isn’t ‘ecotourism,’ county staff says – Post and Courier
Bay Point Island, a vulnerable barrier island bordering Port Royal Sound, is the site of proposed “ecotourism” development. Photo credit: Richard Porcher/Post and Courier
On behalf of over 10,000 supporters of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, I write to you today to urge you to deny the application to build an “ecotourism” resort on Bay Point Island.
Barrier islands, such as Bay Point, serve to protect our coastline and our communities from the impacts of major storms and sea level rise. In this case, Bay Point Island is acting as a natural buffer to Parris Island Marine Base and other Beaufort communities. Alteration of this barrier island could result in less protection for these communities.
The very nature of barrier islands is highly erosional, often “migrating” on shifting sands. To see the intense natural erosion of barrier islands, you can look at the undeveloped Pritchards Island nearby as an example. Having spent much time there several years ago as a marine science undergrad at the University of South Carolina, I can testify to how much it has changed since then. The research station facility (my home for a summer), which now stands precariously in the surf, used to be approximately 100 yards from the dunes, situated deep in the maritime forest.
With the increasing intensity and frequency of hurricanes recently, scientists anticipate faster erosion on barrier islands in the future. If any structures are built on Bay Point Island, you can be assured that Beaufort County will be investing a significant amount of money in erosion control measures. Those measures will absolutely destroy valuable habitat for federally threatened sea turtles, as well as nesting shorebirds, and many other species which depend on the fragile ecosystem of our coasts.
Bay Point Island is a nationally-designated “Important Bird Area” sometimes holding up to 8,000 shorebirds! Wilson’s Plovers have been observed on the island – these shorebirds are listed as federally threatened. The natural areas on our coast are also a critical stopping point for Red Knot shorebirds on their 19,000 mile roundtrip migration from the southernmost tip of Argentina to the tundra of the Canadian Arctic. They stop to rest in South Carolina and fatten up on the eggs of Horseshoe crabs which come up on our beaches to spawn. Undisturbed areas like Bay Point are critical feeding grounds for this bird on its incredible annual journey.
In addition to the certainty of erosion issues and disturbance of important habitat for vulnerable wildlife on the island, the transportation of supplies for, and waste from, this resort would assuredly go through sensitive estuary/marsh habitat which is an important nursery area and critical habitat for shrimp, crabs, oysters, and many species of bony fish which are important to South Carolina’s seafood industry, as well as being extremely valuable to the culture and livelihood of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
The amount of water that developers plan to extract from the already depleted groundwater in the area would also exacerbate saltwater intrusion already happening as evidenced by the loss of 50% of the island’s former tree canopy. Any disruption to the natural balance of the salinity of the marsh could have disastrous effects on the plants and animals which depend on this fragile environment.
Bay Point Island, in its natural state, is ecologically essential for its wildlife habitat value, economically valuable to the seafood industry in South Carolina, and culturally significant to the people of the Gullah/Geechee Nation as well as the people of Beaufort. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation urges you to protect this valuable natural resource from development.
Thank you for your consideration of this very important issue.
