Conservation Corner: Home for the Holidays
Howdy holidays, y’all! With shorter days and lower temperatures, I find this time of year is best for drinking a warm cup of tea, snuggling up to my senior orange cat, Darwin, and as of lately, writing. In September, I embarked on a year-long creative writing workshop, Writing the Wild. Through this program, I’ve been […]
Leaving Deveaux Bank for Our Coastal Birds
For years, we’ve advocated for coastal management that balances nesting habitat with outdoor recreation. Colonial nesting seabirds–such as brown pelicans, black skimmers, and various species of terns–require specific habitats and features to raise their young. In South Carolina, Deveaux Bank is one of only six places that can support substantial colonies due to its nearness […]
Cape Romain case dismissed!
Last week, a federal judge rightfully dismissed a case brought by the state of South Carolina challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) authority to manage horseshoe crab harvest in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. During spring migration, the federally threatened Rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) stops at Cape Romain and other beaches […]
News from the Nest: Spectacular Rufa red knots
Welcome back to News from the Nest! Summer officially kicked off on June 20, and the heat has been cranked up for our nesting shorebirds and seabirds. To put it lightly, it’s tough being a bird. As our coastal birds are trying to squeeze into ever-shrinking habitats, the places they can use to nest and […]
Scarlet Sky and Blue Blood: Your questions, answered!
Thank you to everyone who attended our screening of Scarlet Sky and Blue Blood: Conservation of the Red Knot and Horseshoe Crab in the Southeastern US earlier this week in partnership with Southern Environmental Law Center. We were inspired by audience support and the stunning footage documenting the rare sight of red knots and horseshoe crabs in […]
Settlement agreement provides for studies, safeguards for wildlife on Seabrook Island
The Coastal Conservation League, represented by the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP), reached an agreement with the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association (SIPOA) regarding a proposed sand scraping project along the beachfront of Seabrook Island and Captain Sam’s Inlet. “This agreement reinforces the need for long-term solutions for beach management,” said Riley Egger, Land, […]
News from the Nest is back!
Welcome back to News from the Nest! The official start to nesting season kicked off March 15, and we are already in the thick of it. Right now, temperatures are heating up, some of our nesting birds are starting to settle on eggs, and our long-distant migratory species are leaving our shores after fueling up […]
Opposing mining around critical areas and community spaces
There are over 500 active mines in South Carolina, and sand is the most commonly extracted. Over 20% of the sand mines in the state are in Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties and Horry has 56, more than any other county. Sand is a necessary resource used for manufacturing and development, but we don’t know […]
Asking for review of septic on the coast
In real-time, we are seeing a triple threat of existing septic tank pollution damaging coastal communities, the worsening of coastal flooding events due to sea level rise, and extreme weather events. In addition, large-scale developments that are dependent on conventional septic tank systems are being approved near sensitive areas. In late 2022, the Conservation League […]
Commentary: DHEC must pause septic tank permitting in SC coastal counties
By Amy Armstrong, Faith Rivers James and Andrew Wunderley Originally published in the Post & Courier Over the past year, our community has come to better understand the way outdated septic tank policies and inaction threaten our health and pollute our waterways. Despite these concerns and pending legal action by our organizations, the S.C. […]