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 exploring my personal connection to nature (outside of public meetings, court hearings, and in front of my computer…) in the form of evocative prose, verse, and art. Now more than ever, I’m thankful for this journey and the chance to grow a deeper appreciation of the environment I get the privilege to fight to protect every single day. So, go grab a warm beverage, a fuzzy blanket or furry friend, and read on to learn more about some of the issues, projects, and events that we’re thankful for this month.

Cheers,

Riley + Darwin

Making a List of Septic Permits & Checking It Twice

Last month we had a major win for our water quality. Because of your help, the Town of Ravenel voted down a rezoning request and development agreement that would have squeezed over 80 individual septic tanks on 44 acres – some on lots as small as a quarter of an acre. This subdivision would have been on the edges of preserved lands and bordering critical salt marsh and tributaries that feed the Stono River, all outside the Urban Growth Boundary.

We are thankful for this decision, but we know there’s still a lot left to accomplish. Across the Lowcountry, developers are seeking to bypass necessary infrastructure and build dense subdivisions in rural and sensitive areas relying on individual septic tanks. Alongside Charleston Waterkeeper with representation by the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, we are taking legal action to protect your water resources – and the economies, tourism, and habitat that rely on them – from inappropriate developments that ignore the special context of coastal living.

A prime example of that is what we’re seeing in places like Awendaw, SC. Last year, the Department of Environmental Services (DES) approved 44 individual septic tanks for the White Tract, a 148-acre parcel adjacent to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, and over 200 are ultimately planned. We are taking legal action to demand DES review these permits under the state’s Coastal Management Program, to ensure the sensitive context and cumulative impacts are properly considered.

In a separate but related case, we are asking the courts to order DES to review all future septic permit applications for consistency with our Coastal Management Program, as they do for nearly every other state permit along our coast. We are also asking the court to order DES to publicly notice all septic applications and permits in order to promote transparency and ensure that agency decisions with broad, long-term impacts are not being made behind closed doors.

We anticipate hearings in both cases early next year, and we will keep you up to date with how you can support this work and help us stand up for clean water.

South Carolina’s Winter Wonderland

While it’s unlikely that we’ll see snow in Charleston this holiday season, you could say there is one place in South Carolina where it “snows” every day of the year. Deep beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, merely 80 miles off our coast, marine snow falls on the depths of the Blake Plateau. Marine snow is decomposing plankton that falls from the surface zone and is used as a food source for deep-dwelling marine organisms. Here, wintry white mountains of lophelia corals prevail while thorny tinselfish dash through the snow with a silvery gleam. And don’t get your stockings in a twist – while white can indicate bleaching in shallow-water corals, deep-sea lophelia corals are a natural healthy white!

So while you’re dreaming of a white Christmas and you want to learn more about the fascinating winter wonderland of the largest deep-sea coral province in the world, check out our new holiday-themed blog!

We’ve also made some conservation-themed gift tags, so you can make your favorite flora and fauna a part of your holiday celebrations!

Merry & Bright Energy Blogs

Energy conservation might not be front of mind for many folks over the holiday season, but there are valuable opportunities to lock in lasting savings and help the environment in the process. Our Energy & Climate team recently posted two blogs to help you out. The first offers sustainable gift ideas for the jetsetters in your life, and the second gives a rundown of ways you can reduce your home energy bills while enjoying holiday gatherings with family and friends.

Still reeling from the huge success in stopping the funding of I-526 extension through an overwhelming rejection of the sales tax referendum in November, Emma, our Communities & Transportation Project Manager, took herself across the pond for some much-needed time to recharge. See her photos below of the stunning landscapes of the Scottish countryside. It was a week of picturesque walks and drinking tea by the fire.

With this major win we continue to monitor the next steps of the voting results and will continue advocating against any attempts to resurrect this project. But, with the decision last Monday from the Joint Bond Review Committee to recommend revoking funding from the state for the project, we can all breathe a sigh of relief for now.

Check out our last few opportunities of the year and get excited for upcoming events at the start of 2025! Please remember to register for any you plan to attend.

Join us!

Volunteer: North Charleston Litter Sweep with South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston Waterkeeper, Charleston Surfrider & Palmetto Pride’s Adopt-A-Highway

Saturday, December 14, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM; Sign up here

W.O. Thomas, Jr. Boat Landing

4354 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, SC

Join us and our partners for a data-collection-based litter sweep in North Charleston to support future advocacy efforts in helping us reduce our plastic litter! Be prepared to help us not only pick up litter, but also help us categorize the types of litter. This data collection is a crucial component to continue to advocate for clean waterways. Please be sure to sign up above! As a reminder, we encourage folks to dress weather appropriately, bring a water bottle, and wear close-toed shoes for litter clean up events.

GrowFood Carolina Warehouse Tour

Friday, January 17, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM; Get your ticket here

GrowFood Carolina Warehouse

1814 Harmon Street, Charleston, SC

Join us for a tour of our new, state-of-the-art, facility, see the operation behind the scenes, meet some of the GrowFood and Conservation League staff, and finish the visit with a snack made in house from local produce.

Volunteer: Oyster Shell Litter Clean Up with SCDNR

Friday, January 24, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM; Sign up here

Noisette Blvd & Turnbull Avenue

North Charleston, SC

Join us as we team up with SCDNR’s SCORE program to pick litter out of the recycled oyster shell piles at their site in North Charleston. Restaurants and the public recycle their oyster shell through SCDNR’s oyster shell recycling drop off sites. Unfortunately, the recycled shell comes to them very trashy, so we need help! Once the shell is cleaned, it will be used in future oyster restoration project throughout the entire coast of South Carolina!

Meet the Staff: Land, Water & Wildlife Program

Wednesday, January 2, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM; RSVP here

Edmunds Oast

1801 Morrison Drive, Charleston, SC

Ever wondered how many sand mines we have in South Carolina and where does all that sand go? Pros and cons between sewer or septic? What can we do to reduce single use plastics? What is our latest shorebirds work? Is it still safe to eat oysters? Maybe you’re just wondering what Riley’s favorite shorebird is or want to learn more about Brooke’s thesis on microplastics?=

Drop in anytime between 5:30-7:00 PM to learn about what the Land, Water & Wildlife program works on (in South Carolina and beyond), ask them any and all questions, or just to meet the team who is doing it all. We would love to see you!

For more volunteer opportunities and events outside of the Charleston area, visitcoastalconservationleague.org/events/