AUGUST 2008 South Carolina Audubon Newsletter

8/9/2019 AUGUST 2008 South Carolina Audubon Newsletter

1/8

Inside this issue:

The Executive Nest

2Bird Conservation 3

Audubon Center at

Beidler Forest 4

Silver Bluff

Audubon Center 5

Conservation

Programs 6

Action Alert

Update 7

It Cant Happen

Without You! 7

You CanParticipate! 8

STATE NEWSLETTER: FALL 2008

The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems,

focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity.

Please Recycle this

newsletter

This past May, in Washington, D.C., one

of South Carolina's natural jewels, the

Francis Beidler Forest, was added to the

Ramsar list of Wetlands of International

Importance.

All of us in South Carolina should be

proud to see this vital piece of our natural

heritage recognized around the globe. We

should also be mindful that without the

dedicated commitment of public and private

conservationists, we would not be celebrating

this achievement.Adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in

1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

provides a framework for international

cooperation for conservation of wetlands.

There are more than 1,700 Ramsar sites

worldwide, including Everglades National

Park and Botswana's Okavango Delta in

south central Africa.

The Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary is

the 23rd site in the United States, the first

ever in South Carolina and thus far the only

one designated in 2008. The largest

remaining virgin forest of bald cypress andtupelo gum trees in the world lies within its

boundaries, including 1,500 year-old trees

long vanished in the rest of North America.

Its importance as habitat for a wide variety of

plants and animals increases every year as

forest habitat disappears in South Carolina

and worldwide under the pressures of

agriculture and development. Several years

ago, Beidler Forest was recognized as a

National Natural Landmark and an Important

Bird Area (IBA). The IBA program,

originated by U.K.-based BirdLife

International is a worldwide effort to identify

and then protect critical bird habitat. It is a

central focus in the conservation work of

Audubon, BirdLife's U.S. partner.

Beidler Forest's 140 species of birds

include the pronthonotary warbler and many

other migratory species. As true global

citizens, migratory birds are eloquent

ambassadors for the importance of wetlands

and for the importance of their conservation.

Many of the species that nest or make

migratory stops in the forest are found on

Audubon's list of Common Birds in Decline.

These wetlands are also home to rare plants.

Dwarf trillium is one of the rarest flowers in

South Carolina, and it is only found in Four

Holes Swamp at Beidler Forest

Plants, birds and other wildlife are not the

only beneficiaries of wetlands. Beidler's

430,000-acre watershed represents a third of

the total watershed of the Edisto, the longest,free-flowing black water river in the U.S.

Ensuring its protection helps guarantee the

quantity, quality and delivery of water

downstream to places such as the ACE Basin

National Estuarine Reserve and Wildlife

Refuge.

More than 12,000 people from South

Carolina and around the world visited the

Audubon Center at Beidler Forest this past

year. It is likely that each of them had a sense

of being suspended in time perhaps lulled by

the rhythm of a canoe paddling through still

water, punctuated by the hoot of a barred owl.But the clock is still ticking on wetlands.

Farming has replaced forest over much of the

adjacent upland area. Droughts during the past

several decades have triggered interest in

damming tributary swales to serve as

emergency sources of irrigation. Introduced

feral hogs threaten native plants and animals.

Other threats to the vulnerable ecosystem

include logging and mining, runoff from

surrounding farms, urban development and

other incompatible land uses.

We are right to be proud of Beidler Forest's

recognition by the Ramsar Convention, but it

should also remind us to do our part. We can all

help protect our environment, from relatively

simple actions like making our backyards

healthy places for birds and our families, to

learning about environmental policy issues that

will affect Beidler Forest and other important

habitat. The important thing is to get involved.

Beidler Forest Gains International AcclaimBy Dan Tufford

Photo by Mark Hoyle


2/8

Brosnan Forest Protected Forever

It was almost thirty-five years ago to the day

when I first saw Brosnan Forest, Norfolk

Southern Railroads sprawling twenty-three

square mile piney woods in middle DorchesterCounty. My family and I were driving US

Highway 78 from Athens, Georgia, where I had

just received my MS degree from the University

of Georgia, to the little town of Dorchester,

where we would begin our lives in South

Carolina.

For the final six or seven miles as we

approached Dorchester we drove through

beautiful, open stands of native long leaf pine

forest. Even though we did not then know who

owned the forest or why, we knew for certain it

was special. From then on, year by year, as I

came to know Brosnan better, it became clear tome that it was one of the most important natural

resources in our part of the Lowcountry.

With the greatest number of the endangered

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on any private

property, some seventy clans, plus Brown-

headed Nuthatches and Bachmans Sparrows,

both birds of concern, Brosnan is a bird

conservation bonanza. The forest provides miles

of scenic views along US highways and county

paved and dirt roads. It supports a constantly

varying mix of pine uplands and soggy wetlands

that collectively provide habitat to a vast array of

native plants and animals.

With miles of rail and US highway frontage,Brosnan was also prime for development in one

of the fastest developing counties in South

Carolina. Conservationists all hoped, and held

their breath, that one day the forest might be

protected, but how and by whom?

On August 5, 2008 Norfolk Southernanswered those compelling questions by

announcing that they had just donated a

conservation easement on 12,455 acres of its

treasured forest to the Lowcountry Open Land

Trust, assuring that forever Brosnan would

remain essentially as it is. No better

conservation news has ever arrived in this

neighborhood.

So what is the big deal about this to Audubon

South Carolina? With its single act, Norfolk

Southern has more than doubled the amount of

protected habitat in middle Dorchester County,

where Audubon placed its flag and has beenworking for more than thirty-five years to

protect Four Holes Swamp, the Edisto River and

their watersheds. Brosnan Forest is located

smack in the middle of those watersheds and

strategically located to play a huge role in their

conservation. Norfolk Southern has just

declared itself the best possible partner in that

effort.

Dr. Seuss immortal Lorax spoke for the

trees because they could not speak for

themselves. The Lorax might now say, When

you see a Norfolk Southern train passing, smile

and wave a big thank you.

Norfolk Southern and Lowcountry OpenLand Trust, from all of us at Audubon, in South

Carolina and everywhere, thank you.

Photo by Mark Musselman

Brosnan Forest

Photo by Jeff Mollenhauer

Red Cockaded Woodpecker

THE EXECUTIVE NEST by Norman Brunswig, Executive Director

Audubon South Carolina 336 Sanctuary RoadHarleyville, SC 29448843.462.2150http://sc.audubon.orgPage 2

AUDUBON

SOUTH CAROLINA

ADVISORY BOARD

Frank S. Holleman, III

Chair

Greenville, SC

Richard A. Familia

Vice-Chair

Summerville, SC

Roy E. Belser

Sumter, SC

John Cely

Columbia, SC

Howard Costa

Hilton Head, SC

Victoria Dahl

Charleston, SC

Drew Lanham, Ph.D.

Clemson, SC

Carol Ann May

Naples, FL & Denver, CO

Rebecca Sharitz, Ph.D.

Aiken, SC

Hank Stallworth

St. Matthews, SC

Tom Tiller

Greenville, SC

Daniel Tufford, Ph.D.

Columbia, SC

Chris Verenes

Aiken, SC

Mary Jo Wannamaker, Ph.D.

St. Matthews, SC

Dr. Donald Wuori

Columbia, SC


3/8

BIRD CONSERVATION

Audubon South Carolina 336 Sanctuary RoadHarleyville, SC 29448843.462.2150http://sc.audubon.org Page 3

Seventy Swallow-tailed Kites (STKI)

were counted by sixty participants in the

2nd Audubon South Carolina STKI

Survey in April. The Savannah, Edisto,

Santee, Black, Little PeeDee and

Waccamaw Rivers, and the Wambaw,

Black Mingo, and Little Bull Creeks

were surveyed. This was double the

amount of coverage from last year.

The range of the STKI has shrunk

dramatically due to habitat loss. The

historic range included 21 states, but

now the kites are found only along theAtlantic and Gulf Coasts. The total

breeding population is estimated to be

between 3,200 and 4,600 birds.

The STKI surveys give us a baseline

for where they are found before nesting

and which habitat needs to be conserved

and managed to provide large contiguous

tracts of breeding habitat. In

implementing conservation measures to

protect existing populations and expand

the population, other bird species of

concern, such as Rusty Blackbirds and

Swainsons Warblers, will also reap

benefits.

Audubon SC is extremely grateful to

the following organizations and

individuals for volunteering time and

effort to this survey: Nature Adventures

Outfitters, The SC Aquarium, The Nature

Conservancy, The US Forest Service, US

Fish and Wildlife Service, John Kilgo,

Mark Vukovich, Buddy & Mary

Campbell, David Jones, Paul Cooler,Marcia Warnock, Howard Bridgman,

Laura Bridgman, Meagan Mollenhauer,

Travis Folk, Alan & Jennifer Flemming,

Danny Carlson, Mark Danaher, Russ

Marshall, Craig Richard, Kathie

Livingston, Elizabeth Anderegg, Tera &

Morgan Baird, Karen Sundberg, Erik

Smith, Amy Armstrong, Maria

Whitehead, Sarah Hartman, Ellerbe

Dargan, Neil Jordan, Gordon Murphy,

David Pietras, Jay Chandler, Bennett

Baxley, Marshal Todd, Pinckney Skinner,

Allen Capers, Clint Ball, David Wilkins,

John Cox, Reggie Daves, Craig Sasser,

and Chris, Amy, Sam & Simon Hill. And

from the Cape Fear Audubon Society in

NC: Juanita Roushdy, Sally Buchanan,

and Ken Karn.

The 3rd Annual Audubon SC

Swallow-tailed Kite Survey will be held

April 17-20, 2009.

If you are interested in participating,please contact Ann Shahid at

[email protected].

If you see a Swallow-tailed Kite please

call 1-866-971-7474 or visit the website

www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org.

2nd Swallow-tailed Kite Survey

Photo by Don Wuori


4/8

AUDUBON CENTER AT BEIDLER FOREST


Exploring Nature Through Native American Tradition

Last Child in the Woods by Richard

Louv discussed what he called nature

deficit disorder. For a variety of

reasons, many children are spendinglittle or no time outdoors exploring and

no longer have a connection to the

natural world. We have made it our

mission at the Beidler Forest Audubon

Center summer camp to have campers

spend the maximum amount of time

outdoors exploring natures complexity.

In the process, they (and their parents)

discovered that time spent outdoors, in a

swamp no less, was not fatal, but

actually fun! We hope that the

knowledge obtained through the fun of

swamp camp will translate into anappreciation for and a willingness to

protect the many habitats found beyond

the campers homes.

Native Americans were the theme of

this years summer camp. Shelly Knight

provided activities that educated

campers regarding Native American

culture. Many of the campers did not

even realize that they were receiving

instruction as they busied themselves

with dream catchers, sand painting,

pinch pot construction, medicine bag

designs, dyeing, and jewelry making.When not creating works of art with

Shelly, the campers were with Mark

Musselman, Education Director, or

Denise Ecker, Seasonal Naturalist,

experiencing the outdoors through firemaking, animal tracking, plaster casting

of tracks, trap construction, navigation,

wildlife observation, a boardwalk tour,

and canoeing!

Although fire starting and making a

plaster cast of a chosen animal track were

favorites, canoeing in the swamp surged

to the top of the list on the last day of

camp. All week, campers asked for

verification that canoeing remained on the

camps agenda. The regions lack of rain

made the event questionable in the minds

of camp planners, but nearly 5 of rain theday before camp opened ensured that

water would not be an issue. However,

never having put fifteen campers into

canoes presented some logistical

uncertainties. The day before, six canoes

were paddled from Mellards Lake to the

boardwalk near Goodson Lake and

stashed in preparation of the next days

excited paddlers. When the time came for

campers to paddle, the walk from the

nature center to the canoes took under 15

minutes and that included a few minutes

to stop and enjoy a fawn nestled amongthe cypress knees. The speed walking

was worth it! With three to a canoe, the

campers navigated the swamps main

channel from the boardwalk to the pink

lichen on the cypress tree at SeasonalsLake without incident. Along the way,

they saw the old-growth cypress-tupelo

swamp from a perspective few can claim

to have shared.

Based on the comments from parents

and campers heading out the door at the

end of camp, we accomplished our

mission. All the campers were exposed to

the outdoors, learned a bit of natures

complexity, and survived just fine! We

look forward to a fun and educational

camp next year - and remember to sign up

early!

Cameron Parker, Nicholas Quattlebaum,

and Will Turner


Sanctuary Serenade, A Piccolo Spoleto Event

Sanctuary Serenade, Piccolo Spoleto

A moveable feast of performing arts and refreshments

enhanced a beautiful May evening at Beidler Forest. It

featured three performers along the boardwalk

participants were treated to the beautiful voice of Kathie

Livingston (above), the magnificent music of Jesse

Cockcroft (left) and the poetic words of Jack Smith

(right). Photo by Mark MusselmanPhoto by Mark Musselman



5/8

Storks & Corks Now 5 Years Old

SILVER BLUFF AUDUBON CENTER


No Child Left Inside is an idea and

a proposed piece of legislation that

sometimes makes the evening news. At

the Silver Bluff Audubon Center thatidea is put into practice year-round,

especially during the annual summer

camp for 6 to 12-year-olds.

The half-day, weeklong camp

provides the opportunity for local

children to get away from the televisionand out of the house to a unique learning

environment. The Silver Bluff property

(3,154 acres) is full of chances for the

kids to get up close and personal with

frogs, lizards, turtles, butterflies, and, of

course, birds.Coca-Cola Bottling Company and the

Aiken County Parks, Recreation, and

Tourism Department sponsor the free

camp that rotates venues throughout

Aiken County. The Silver Bluff camp

always fills quickly. The highlight from

this years camp was the work done by

the kids on the butterfly garden. The

garden was started by last years

campers, and the 2008 campers added

beautiful wattle fencing, additional

flowers and herbs, and homemade

butterflies attached to the fence posts.An arbor was placed at the entrance to

complete the project. The garden is

attractive not only to visitors, but, as

intended, to butterflies as well. Much of

the July 19 butterfly count was spent at

the garden, which helped to produce a

respectable total of 25 species for the

day!

Silver Bluff Audubon Kids Camp

Photo by Paul Koehler

The Butterfly Garden at Silver Bluff

Silver Bluffs Storks and Corks

has become a well-known and muchanticipated celebration and fundraiser

in the Central Savannah River Area.

This years event, held August 9th,

was once again a sell-out, and the

Wood Storks did not disappoint.

Prior to the stork viewing several

individuals (all Augusta-Aiken

Audubon members) were recognized

for having attended and supported

each of the five Storks & Corks

events, which began in 2004.

Presented with a Wood Stork photo,taken by award-winning photographer

Forrest Roberts, along with a plush

Great Egret (National Audubon

Societys symbol) were Carol & Larry

Eldridge, Ruth & Rich Mead, Alice &

Doug Walker, and Kathy & Calvin

Zippler.

A big THANKS to these folks

and all who have supported the Wood

Stork foraging program, nowHonorees (left to right): Larry Eldridge, Doug & Alice Walker, Ruth Mead, Calvin & Kathy Zippler.

Not pictured: Carol Eldridge and Rich Mead.

completing its 23rd season! If you

missed out on this years fun (whichalways includes wonderful food, wine,

a silent auction, and, of course, Wood

Storks!) mark your calendar for next

years Storks & CorksAugust 8,2009. Hope to see you there!


6/8

CONSERVATION PROGRAMS


money, of course, so a portion of

Toyotas generosity will go toward

funding creative methods of attracting

new volunteers. Silver Bluff was selected

for this funding from a competitive grants

opportunity involving Audubon chapters,

Centers, IBA programs and other

Audubon entities.

Already fortunate to have a sizeable

corps of faithful volunteers, Silver Bluff

hopes to use this new funding source to

identify many other conservation-minded

citizens in the Central Savannah River

Area and beyond. Fun and educational

TogetherGreen events will be scheduled

throughout the year at Silver Bluff, and

all will have measurable conservation

results. Dont miss out on your chance to

become more involved in protecting our

natural resources.

John Flicker, National Audubon

Socie ty pres ident , says tha t ,

TogetherGreen is about giving people

the knowledge, the support, and the

opportunities they need to truly make a

differenceWe will engage people of all

ages, from every community, and all

walks of life, to help shape a healthier

future. This is our aim at Silver Bluff.

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n v i s i t

www.TogetherGreen.org.

TogetherGreenVolunteer Days at Silver Bluff Center & Sanctuary

TogetherGreen is a new National

Audubon Society program made

possible by generous support from

Toyota. The goals of TogetherGreen are

to build conservation leadership, engage

millions of people in conservation

action, and achieve lasting conservation

results. Over the next five years,

TogetherGreen will implement a series

of national conservation initiatives thatsupport these goals and promote the idea

that everyone has a critical role to play

in finding solutions to our most pressing

environmental challenges.

One facet of this new program, called

TogetherGreen Volunteer Days, is an

effort to recruit and retain new

volunteers that can assist with a wide

variety of conservation projects.

Implementing the concept requires

networks including museums, zoos

and aquariums; Toyota dealerships;

and Pennies for the Planet online,

part of the www.TogetherGreen.orgwebsite.

Educational materials will include

educators guides with activity ideas

and information about conservation,

posters highlighting the importance

of conservation, and online

information and activities. Every

penny raised through Pennies for the

Planet will be equally divided

among the three conservation

projects selected by TogetherGreen:

1) Francis Beidler Forest as the

Habitat Conservation selection;

2) Appleton-Whittel Research

Ranch (Arizona) as the research

entity;

3) Project Puffin (Maine) for

the bird focus.

The funds that will be given to

Beidler Forest will ONLY be used

toward the purchase of habitat for

protection. By taking part, kids get a

Pennies for the Planet

T o g e t h e r G r e e n , t h e

environmental initiative created

through an alliance between the

National Audubon Society and

Toyota, has selected Francis Beidler

Forest as one of three entities

nationwide to receive funds from its

Pennies for the Planet program.

The program kicks off in the Fall

of 2008 and continues through June

of 2009. Thousands of classrooms

will receive information about the

program through Weekly Readerand

Audubon Adventures (Audubons in-

school environmental education

program in 5,000 classrooms).

Additional promotion will be

provided through educational

chance to tackle local challenges

while raising funds to support

national biodiversity conservation.

And every participant will receivespecial recognition on the Pennies

for the Planet website.

Pennies for the Planet is an

excellent environmental project for

classrooms, after-school clubs, Scout

Troops and others to talk about the

importance of our natural world and

the need to protect it locally and

globally. Pennies for the Planet

educations kits will be available

nationwide starting in the fall or

picked up from any Audubon Center

- including Beidler Forest! Teachers,

home-schooling parents and anyone

interested in helping young people

learn more about species and

wildlife, conservation action projects

in their communities, and the

protection of wild places and the

creatures who live there, are invited

to participate. More information can

be found at www.TogetherGreen.org.


7/8

Shorebird Success Story on Kiawah Island!

In July, Representative Henry

Brown (R-SC) introduced legislation(HR 6389) that would have removed the

western area of Kiawah Island from theCoastal Barrier Resources System. Thislegislation, if enacted into law, would

have opened up critical Piping Ploverhabitat to federally subsidizeddevelopment. The Coastal Barrier

Resources System is designed to both

protect important habitat on coastal

islands and prevent the waste of

taxpayer money from federally

subsidizing development on land that

is prone to flooding and erosion. The

beach and mud flats of the western

portion of Kiawah Island are importanthabitats for Piping Plovers, which are

listed on the federal list of endangered

species, as well as other vulnerable birdspecies like Red Knots, Wilson's Plovers,

Sanderlings, and Marbled Godwits.In early August, we issued an

alert to the 547 members of the Audubon

Action Alert system in South Carolina.We are pleased to announce that morethan 12% of those members wrote letters

to their representatives urging them notto support this bill. In addition, more

than 20 new members enrolled in theAction Alert system as a result of this

issue. Even more exciting, was the newsthat Rep. Brown heard our message loud

and clear and has withdrawn the bill! We

would like to sincerely thank all of ourmembers that contacted their

representative regarding this issue. Also,

please thank Congressman Brown forbeing responsive to our concerns and

withdrawing the bill. If you are notsigned up for the Action Alert system,you can do so by visiting

www.audubonaction.org.

Wilsons Plover


IT CANT HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!


ACTION ALERT UPDATE

It is hard to imagine any Audubon South Carolina newsletter reporting more strategic good news than

this one. The designation of The Francis Beidler Forest as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importanceand the Norfolk Southern conservation easement on Brosnan Forest have already provided immense

energy and enthusiasm to our effort to protect Four Holes Swamp, the Edisto River and their watersheds.

At Silver Bluff and Beidler Forest Audubon Centers, summer campers, school children and families

learn about the importance of birds, other wildlife and their habitats in two of our vital Habitat

Conservation Areas, and the need to protect them.

There are many more Audubon projects and programs than can be described in a newsletter and none

of them can be accomplished without support from people just like you. We are most grateful for each and

every one. NO gift is too small - or too large! We also have a simple way to donate stock, if that is a

better method for you.

A contribution to Audubon South Carolina supports our conservation programs throughout the state.

And truly, it cannot happen without you!

YES! I want to help protect birds and the places they call home.

Please accept my tax-deductible donation of $ CheckCredit Card

VISA, MC #: Exp. Date:

Name: ____ Daytime Tel:

Address (inc. ZIP):

Please make checks payable to Audubon South Carolina& mail to 336 Sanctuary Rd. - Harleyville, SC 29448

Thank you for making a difference!

Keep in touch with what is happening at Beidler Forest.

Visit our BLOG at http://beidlerforest.blogspot.com


8/8

Yellow Warbler American Oyster Catcher

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE

More than a hundred people have participated in theFolly Beach Bird Walk program, a joint effort between

Audubon South Carolina and the Charleston County Parks

and Recreation Commission, since it began in March 2008.

We have seen some amazing sights! We often see more thanten species of shorebirds, such as American Oystercatcher,

Wilsons Plover, Red Knot, and Whimbrel! During the July

walk, we saw bottlenose dolphins strand feeding, a manatee

swimming along the beach, and a pair of Wilsons Plover

chicks. The highlight of the August walk was watchingmigrating Yellow Warblers. Over a two hour period we saw

or heard at least twenty-five of the bright yellow birds as they

flew south over the Stono River one at a time. In addition to

learning about how to identify birds, the walks are a uniqueopportunity for participants to learn about shorebird and

seabird conservation issues. The Folly Beach Bird Walks are

held year round on the second Friday of every month. Visit

www.sc.audubon.org for more details.

Folly Beach Bird Walk Program

Photo by Jeff Mollenhauer Photo by Jeff Mollenhauer


Folly Beach

VOLUNTEER!!If you are interested in contributing

your time and skills to aid the needs ofBeidler Forest, please contact BarbaraThomas at [email protected] or

call (843) 462-2150.

AUGUST 2008 South Carolina Audubon Newsletter

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