News
Post and Courier article: CLICK link below
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/wadmalaw-residents-found-a-way-to-preserve-the-islands-rural-character-teamwork/article_27f0226a-416d-11ec-aeff-ff5aca5331c3.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Subscriber-only%20newsletter%20111121&utm_content=Subscriber-only%20newsletter%20111121+CID_dffbc562a304f6d28ee16ff637a66aa7&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=The%20story%20%20which%20we%20just%20published%20early%20for%20subscribers
The EIPA Annual Membership Meeting for 2021 is scheduled as an online ZOOM meeting on November 13, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Why another ZOOM meeting? The EIPA Board sees the persistence of Covid-19 cases in our region as a good reason to follow CDC guidelines and avoid scheduling large crowds indoors. NOTE!! Current and former EIPA members who provide their email address on the mailed Membership Renewal Form will be provided with a ZOOM link for the Annual Membership Meeting the week before the event. New members may submit the Membership Application available on our website PreserveEdisto.com under the Take Action/Join tab.
The Annual Meeting will include a short business meeting with a synopsis of 2021 EIPA activities and the results of Board elections. Presentation by our Keynote Speaker, Ms. Felicia Sanders.
Felicia Sanders has been working 30 years on conservation efforts for a wide diversity of bird species and joined South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in 2001 and leads South Carolina’s Seabird and Shorebird Projects. Her primary tasks are promoting conservation of important sites for nesting and migrating coastal birds, surveying seabirds and shorebirds, and partnering with universities to research their life histories. She is a coauthor on numerous scientific publications and has traveled to the Arctic 5 times to participate in shorebird research projects. Felicia Sanders went to graduate school at Clemson University, majoring in biology and received a BS in biology from Duke University. Last year she was awarded the Biologist of the Year by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, whose members include 15 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Just last month, she was featured in a CBS News spot, telling the story of her team’s discovery of a population of 20,000 Whimbrel using Deveaux Bank as final stopover before their migration flight to nesting sites in sub-Arctic Canada. Felicia indeed knows and cares for our magnificent sea and shorebirds.
The Nature Conservancy has ensured protection of the 2,101-acre Willtown tract near the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge.
Link to this article:
This informative article is especially current to property owners on coastal waters and tidal creeks in times of rising tides.
The EIPA Annual Meeting was held on November 16th, 2019 at the Sunny Side Plantation barn. Despite a rainy, blustery Saturday afternoon, nearly 30 members and friends braved the elements to attend. Outgoing Chair Barbara Gould conducted a brief business meeting, highlighting our successes with the Turtle-Friendly certification program for eliminating single-use plastic in our local restaurants.
We were then entertained by our featured guest speaker, Dr. Al Segars. As a retired, long-time DNR biologist, and friend of Edisto and Botany Bay Plantation WMA, he related how our changing environment has impacted our local animals on land and in the sea, and especially the habitats of our sea and shore birds.
EIPA is a proud supporter of the new Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags, Straws and Styrofoam passed by the Town of Edisto Beach this Spring. EIPA Board Member and Town Council Member Patti Smyer led the effort to craft a new ordinance to affect all businesses in the Town of Edisto Beach that will prevent the use of these items after January 1, 2020. With tremendous support from the community, Council passed the ordinance allowing for a few exceptions. Many businesses are already implementing the policy, led by those that were certified as Turtle-Friendly Businesses by EIPA since 2017.
We thank all in the community who worked to make this happen and are especially grateful to our wonderful locally owned businesses who vowed to support the policy in the public hearings.
EIPA attendees at the Annual Meeting on November 10th were treated to readings and musings by South Carolina Author Roger Pinckney XI. Pinckney is a long-term resident of Daufuskie Island and has worked with locals to try to protect this special island south of Hilton Head. He knows most permanent residents of the island, speaks Gullah and has seen many development projects fail to the delight of those residents. Pinckney read an excerpt from Crying in the Wilderness which helped everyone understand the way of life on Daufuskie and the views of its residents. Author of books including Blue Roots, Reefer Moon, and The Mullet Manifesto, Pinckney held a book signing as many of the attendees talked with him about his conservation actions.
EIPA’s Annual Meeting was held on Saturday, November 10th, at the beautiful Sunnyside Plantation (thanks to Sid Gautheaux, Jr, PHD, and Carroll Belser). The wonderful fall day brought out 75 people to celebrate the work of EIPA throughout 2018.
Our President, Barbara Gould, updated everyone on our efforts this year. We have worked to maintain the rural character of Edisto Island by monitoring zoning efforts and organizing groups to talk at County Council meetings on that and on the use of the 1/2 cent sales tax. We continue to support students attending Camp Green River through the Burly Lyons scholarship fund.
EIPA was also able to replace the National Scenic Byway sign at the Washington Bridge that had been taken out in a car accident. Board member Bob Newton was instrumental in getting this beautiful sign created again.
A new initiative during 2018 is the certification of Turtle Friendly Businesses on Edisto Beach and Edisto Island. 12 businesses have been certified as using eco-friendly practices to protect our coastal waters including not using plastic bags or straws, reusing and recycling shipping materials, and supporting vendors who also use eco-friendly practices in the creation of their products. (Watch the growing lists of these businesses on our Projects page!)
