Coastal Conservation League

Happy Holly-days from the Coastal Conservation League!

A year ago, GrowFood Carolina started contributing fresh produce to the Charleston County Public Library Free & Fresh Community Fridge program and we're still going strong today! This program is an influential movement to eliminate food insecurity in Charleston County, allowing anyone who visits 3 of the Library's 16 branches — St. Paul, Otranto, and Dart — to take fresh produce off the fridge shelves as often as they need. Read our blog post to learn more about the positive impact of this partnership on the Charleston, North Charleston, and Hollywood communities and how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/eVtDfNpj

This year, you made it clear through postcard writing, sign waving, sharing thoughts on social media, and voting that you want to save our Sea Islands. And we did! By stopping the I-526 Extension, a destructive road project proposed in Charleston County. A month later, state funding was formally revoked, making the possibility of reviving the project even less likely. Since this historic win in November, we've been working hard to find smarter solutions for our traffic problems in the Lowcountry and look forward to continuing to do so.

After years of setbacks, Snowden, a Mount Pleasant settlement community, will finally have access to sewer lines. Over 60 residents will no longer have to deal with failing septic systems, which can contaminate yards and nearby waterways with untreated human waste. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eMiuSw9F

On the Cainhoy peninsula in Charleston, South Carolina, developers plan to place 9,000 residential units on 9,000 acres — half of those units would be in the floodplain. This reckless project would fill wetlands, clear-cut trees, and harm threatened and endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker and the northern long-eared bat. In a recent piece, The Post and Courier asks how the developers will balance rising seas, flooding, and conservation with the development of housing. In 2022, SELC filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League, the Charleston Waterkeeper, and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation over the development’s permit approval, arguing that the action violated multiple federal laws. "Once you lose (wetlands), you lose the ability to hold water. The wetlands are really a sponge that help us contend with flooding and rising sea levels. It's going to have a big impact on the ecosystem out here," said Faith Rivers James, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League. Meanwhile, in downtown Charleston, the city is considering options to mitigate flooding and sea level rise, including a more than $1 billion dollar seawall. "On the one hand, the city recognizes the threat of flooding and climate change and is poised to make a massive investment to protect downtown — or to try to protect downtown. But at the same time, we are poised to put new homes in the floodplain on another peninsula in another part of town. Are we going to put a billion-dollar wall around (Cainhoy)?” asks Chris DeScherer, SELC SC Office Director. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e6-cPjNY Photo by Stephanie Gross

This year, the North Coast office worked with the Solid Waste Authority in Horry County to establish an oyster shell recycling bin at the Hwy 90 landfill site! ♻️ 🦪 Without the recycling of oyster shell, young oysters (called spat) do not have proper substrate to attach to and grow upon to mature into adults. By recycling your shell and encouraging others (like your favorite restaurants) to do so, populations of oysters are sustained, and the ecosystem continues to function properly. Oyster reefs provide habitat for shrimp, blue crab, flounder, and red drum. Recycling shells ensure we get to continue our traditional oyster roasts with loved ones, a tradition, and cultural heritage dating back 4,000 years ago to Indigenous Americans. Please do your part to protect this resource by recycling your shell!

Since 1988, South Carolina has had a framework for managing our state’s beaches in the face of ongoing coastal erosion and storms. In recognition of our beaches’ many benefits–especially their public access, tourism opportunities, and habitat–the South Carolina Beachfront Management Act prohibits seawalls because they restrict the natural, dynamic movement of our shorelines. Interfering with the natural processes of our beaches exacerbates erosion, creates hazards for wildlife, impedes public access, and jeopardizes these public trust resources for all.  Thankfully, in July, Governor McMaster removed harmful provisos from the state budget that would have undone longstanding protective laws that prohibit new seawalls on our beaches and undermined the Department of Environmental Services which works to protect beaches.  We know seawalls do harm to our beaches, and while they may protect the yard or structures behind them, this comes at the expense of people and wildlife.  Vetoing these provisos makes it clear that South Carolina should not contemplate a future with a walled coastline but instead prioritize our public beaches for the benefit of all. 📸: Seabrook Island from the sky / J. Henry Fair with flight assistance from SouthWings 

As always, a donation to the Conservation League in a loved one's name is the perfect gift 😉 but if you're looking for additional inspiration, check out our 2024 holiday gift guide! Swipe for ideas for the conservationist, bird lover, adventurer, foodie, and outdoorsman in your life! 🌎

Consider a unique gift this year that can show their love of the coast and adorn their walls for years! 🎁🌎🌳 We are thrilled to partner with Conservation League member and photographer J Henry Fair this holiday season, who will support our coast through every purchase of prints of these beautiful photos. Swipe to view them all! J Henry Fair has photographed the South Carolina Coast from the air for many years. He says he has "repeatedly stumbled upon landscapes of amazing beauty and ecological value that survive precisely because the Conservation League preserved these unique spots. I am proud to partner with them and support them financially. $100 from the purchase of each of these photographs will be donated to support the work of the Conservation League. Take a closer look at the artwork here: jhenryfair.com/scccl

During our 35-days of giving campaign, we want to encourage you to join our group of Coastal GEMs! 🐦 🌳 💎 Coastal GEMs (which stands for Giving Every Month) provide year-round sustaining support for our conservation programs. Giving a recurring monthly donation is a hassle-free way to protect the health of our coast and communities all year long! Become a Coastal GEM today at the link in our bio!