Keep South Carolina Wild
Registration will start at 12:00 pm on Friday March 6, 2026.
Join the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and the women of Artemis South Carolina for 2 days of turkey hunting and camping in the Sumter National Forest Sunday, April 5 – Tuesday, April 7, 2026. All experience levels are welcome. Space is limited so that our group remains safe and manageable.
Featured image credit: Tom Turkey by Teresa Kopec.
Banner image credit: Path to Nowhere by Andrew May.
How many types of lightning bugs are there in the Palmetto state? Where do they go during the winter? Are fireflies endangered? Join Xerces Society firefly biologist Richard Joyce for an evening presentation about the diversity, natural history and conservation of South Carolina’s lightning bugs, and learn how you can help protect and understand these magical insects.
Banner image credit:
Did you know that March is Prescribed Fire Awareness Month in South Carolina? Prescribed fire is a carefully planned and intentionally set burn that mimics the natural fire cycles many ecosystems depend on to stay healthy. In fire-adapted landscapes like the longleaf pine ecosystems of the Southeast, regular low-intensity burns help reduce hazardous fuel buildup, restore native plant communities, and create critical habitat for many species. By safely reintroducing fire under the right weather and management conditions, prescribed burning protects communities from catastrophic wildfires while supporting biodiversity and long-term ecosystem resilience.
Use this button below to register for this free webinar, which will be led by Allyne Askins, the refuge manager at Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge staff use prescribed fire to create critical habitat for species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker.
This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.
Join other like-minded outdoors women and take part in this incredible fly fishing experience in upstate South Carolina on Friday, April 17, from 9 am to 3 pm. This event is designed for women to connect with each other and feel confident on the water. All levels are welcome and space is limited. We will have several instructors for those who need a refresher, but experienced anglers will be able to hit the water upon arrival with an experienced guide. Having your own gear is encouraged but not required.
This is a POWR+ event. Due to the demand for our Palmetto Outdoors Women Retreat (POWR), we have added (+) one-day workshops across the state. POWR+ events are open to all women whether you have attended the retreat or not.
To ensure a quality experience for all, space is strictly limited to 10 participants. Classes fill quickly, register today! After registration, you will receive an email with directions and other details pertinent to the class.
Check out pictures from the 2023 Fly Fishing event here.
Location: The meeting location is Chattooga River Fly Shop; 6832-A Highlands Hwy, Mountain Rest, SC 29664.
Cost: The cost is $100 per person and limited to the first 10 people that register.
This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.
Join us for a POWR+ Spring Hike at Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve in Kershaw. This guided hike will be led by Tara Boone and Heather Bock, certified Midlands Master Naturalists, who will share their knowledge of the preserve’s unique geology, native plants, and seasonal wildlife.
Participants will explore multiple areas of the preserve, including the iconic 14-acre granite outcrop, while connecting with nature and other like-minded women in a supportive outdoor setting. If you would like to see pictures from a previous spring hike, please check out this blog post.
This hike costs $40 and is limited to 20 women, so please sign up quickly if you would like to join us. Please bring a packed lunch and plenty of water.
This class is part of our POWR Series. Due to the demand for our Palmetto Outdoors Women’s Retreat (POWR), we have added (+) one-day workshops across the state. POWR+ events are open to all women whether you have attended the retreat or not.
This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.
Spend the day birding and exploring one of South Carolina’s most important coastal conservation areas at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center for our ducks & birding day. This immersive field experience highlights the role of managed wetlands, brackish marshes, and longleaf pine forests in supporting waterfowl, migratory birds, and diverse wildlife communities.
This class will be led by Jamie Dozier, wildlife biologist at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Jamie received a BS and MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the past 26 years. He currently serves as Project Leader at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center near Georgetown and prior to that he worked as a wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program. Jamie also serves on the Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Alumni Advisory Board, the Career and Technology Advisory Board for the Georgetown County School District, and on the Board of Directors for Georgetown County Farm Bureau.
Participants will travel by pontoon boat across the Intracoastal Waterway and board a bus to visit multiple habitats selected based on seasonal bird activity. Species observed may include ducks, herons, egrets, shorebirds, and woodland birds, depending on conditions and timing.
The trip includes several short walks on a relatively level ground. Please bring binoculars, a bag lunch, and a drink. If you have a scope or camera, feel free to bring those as well. The program runs from 9:45 am to approximately 2:00 pm. Early arrival is encouraged for anyone interested in birding the parking area and adjacent marsh habitats prior to departure.
Where: Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center.
Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count for one day toward Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total). For SC Master Naturalists, this event can count as Advanced Training and towards your statewide certification. If you are not a Pro Birder or Master Naturalist, just come have fun with us.
Other Important Notes:
If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.
Cost: The cost is $75.00 per person and limited to the first 12 people that register.
IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.
PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.
SCWF reserves the right to cancel any event, due to unforeseen circumstances, extreme weather, low registration, or guidance from local/state officials. Any cancellation by SCWF will result in a full refund for all registrants.
Banner image credit: Redheads flying by Vance Solseth.
Featured image credit: Northern Shovelers (male and female) by Charles Rucinski.
Would you like to learn more about iNaturalist? If so, join us on Thursday, January 22 at noon for a webinar with Phil Harpootlian, who is a retired electrical engineer and lifelong naturalist with a deep focus on South Carolina’s biodiversity. He is the author of two Clemson University publications on South Carolina scarab and jewel beetles, as well as several peer-reviewed journal articles. A longtime member of the South Carolina Association of Naturalists, Phil currently concentrates on documenting species across the state through iNaturalist. He has created over 100 iNaturalist projects covering South Carolina’s state parks, heritage preserves, state and national forests, and local parks, helping make biodiversity data more accessible to researchers and the public.
This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.
Join us for a Palmetto Pro Birder in search of winter waterfowl right here in the South Carolina Midlands!
Blue bills, red heads, yellow eyes, and webbed feet, ducks are fascinating and beautiful birds that offer us warm and vibrant colors in an otherwise cold and drab time of year. If you would like to learn more about our wintering and resident waterfowl, come join Industry Habitat Manager, Jay Keck, in search of these beautiful birds at local duck “hotspots” right here in the Midlands. January is peak wintering season for ducks in South Carolina, giving us strong chances to observe species such as ruddy ducks, hooded mergansers, wood ducks, mallards, lesser scaup, and buffleheads. Less common birds seen are canvasbacks, American wigeons, and redheads. We hope to see you there!
Featured Image Credit: Male and Female Buffleheads by Vance Solseth.
Banner Image Credit: Redheads flying by Vance Solseth.
Where: Meet at the North End of the Lake Murray dam at 7:30 am, and then we will visit Archer’s Lake and a couple other local hot spots for waterfowl, until about 11:00 am.
Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count towards the Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total).
Cost: The cost is $75.00 per person and limited to the first 10 people that register.
This class will be led by Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.
Jay has been a passionate nature and bird lover since his early teens. He lives in Chapin, SC with his wife and two boys, and has identified 95 bird species in his yard in three years, as well as 160 species in Lexington county since moving back in September of 2013. He has viewed birds in Spain, Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as many areas in SC from the mountains to the coast. 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. Even when he is golfing, hunting, or fishing, he is secretly birding. At SCWF, Jay coordinates the Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program as well as leading birding classes for the Palmetto Pro Birder & Midlands Master Naturalist programs.
Other Important Notes:
If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.
IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.
PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.
SCWF reserves the right to cancel any event, due to unforeseen circumstances, extreme weather, low registration, or guidance from local/state officials. Any cancellation by SCWF will result in a full refund for all registrants.
The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is honored to be in a position to distribute educational grants to full-time students pursuing a degree in any environmental field 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 applications will need to be submitted online by October 31st, and will address the student’s educational goal and career interests, employment and volunteer experience, including leadership.
In addition, a brief note from a supporting faculty member must also be submitted electronically – please have support letter submitted through this link. Selection will be based on a balance of these factors, and determined by a committee of the Federation Board.
Environmental solutions are not only scientific–they include historical, political, economic and cultural perspectives. The environment includes buildings, highways and ocean tankers as well as pine trees and coyotes. To build a sustainable society, an understanding of social and ecological systems is crucial.
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.
These scholarships are funded by contributions from generous individual donors in addition to the ongoing support received from these funds:
This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.
Join us for a day of birding at Huntington Beach State Park, rated as the top eBird hotspot in South Carolina. We will sample the many habitats of the park, including salt marsh, tidal creeks and flats, maritime woods, brackish ponds, and the beach. If tides and conditions permit, we will hike to the jetty (a three-mile round trip). Over the years, a significant number of rarities have been reported at the jetty, including common eider, long-tailed duck, purple sandpiper, black guillemot and others. Our focus will be on wintering birds and we hope to see waterfowl, including scoters, rails, piping plover and other shorebirds, gulls, terns, horned grebe, common loon, red-throated loon, northern gannet and others. We will also seek the park’s many songbirds, placing a special focus on wintering sparrows. In addition, we will discuss the various conservation measures the park has taken and how they impact these coastal birds.
This module will require a significant amount of walking and participants should bring water and a packed lunch. Snack food is available in the park store. A park entrance fee is required.
Where: Huntington Beach State Park. Meet in the state park office parking lot.
Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count for one day toward Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total). For SC Master Naturalists, this event can count as Advanced Training and towards your statewide certification. If you are not a Pro Birder or Master Naturalist, just come have fun with us.
This class will be led by Irvin Pitts, SCWF Outdoor Academy Instructor, and Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.
Irvin retired from a career with the South Carolina State Park Service where he served as Parks Biologist and Chief of Resource Management. Prior to that, he worked at Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks as park naturalist. Irvin retired from a career with the South Carolina State Park Service where he served as Parks Biologist and Chief of Resource Management. Prior to that, he worked at Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks as park naturalist.
Jay has been a passionate nature and bird lover since his early teens. He lives in Chapin, SC with his wife and two boys, and has identified 95 bird species in his yard in three years, as well as 160 species in Lexington county since moving back in September of 2013. He has viewed birds in Spain, Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as many areas in SC from the mountains to the coast. 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. Even when he is golfing, hunting, or fishing, he is secretly birding. At SCWF, Jay coordinates the Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program as well as leading birding classes for the Palmetto Pro Birder & Midlands Master Naturalist programs.
Other Important Notes:
If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…
The rain date for this event is Friday, December 5th.
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.
Cost: The cost is $100.00 per person and limited to the first 15 people that register.
IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.
PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.
SCWF reserves the right to cancel any event, due to unforeseen circumstances, extreme weather, low registration, or guidance from local/state officials. Any cancellation by SCWF will result in a full refund for all registrants.
