You’ve no doubt heard about “the net” by now! Between our evening program, social media posts, and SIB’s article in the June Seabrooker, we’ve had a front row seat to the process of donating the net.
SCDNR’s Coastal Bird Program coordinators recently released the following article acknowledging the donation.
All of us on Seabrook Island and beyond are appreciative of the work these dedicated scientists do to research and preserve our precious natural resources. We are happy to be a part of it, and to provide this support.
Many thanks to all of our members and participants who participated in this fundraiser and who support our Shorebird Stewardship efforts each year.
The blog, Knot Your Average Net, can be read here.
Presented by Nick Wallover, Parks and Stewardship Project Manager with Open Space Institute
Preserving natural habitat protects birds. We must understand how to best conserve land for future generations, particularly given the pace of development in SC. How does land become a park and thus a protected public space? How does a conservation-minded land owner move their land toward preserved space? Where are new public spaces being preserved in SC?
Nick Wallover from the Open Space Institute recently spoke to the Seabrook Island Birders about these questions. Large tracts of land, open to the public, provide wonderful habitat preservation for birds and birders can use these spaces to view birds as well. The Open Space Institute (OSI) is anchored in New York City but has a Southeast office active in land acquisition in our area. Nick has prior work experience with Audubon and SCDNR and has worked on Seabrook beaches monitoring bird populations.
We hope you have time to watch the recording. Nick talks about acquiring land in many areas and then turning it over to public entities for long term management, examples include SCDNR for development of state parks or local governments (he discusses a large park area being secured near the town of Meggett, SC). He also introduces a newer project with goals to protect a long land tract along the Black River. Some projects are complete, others in their infancy with great potential in years to come. A long-term project is also underway near Myrtle Beach, an attempt to protect Waities Island, a barrier island near the SC-NC line.
There are many groups involved in land conservation, particularly in SC as development pressure has increased. Nick’s talk, as it relates to their good work at OSI, gave us a sense of the long-range view many have in their attempts to preserve some of our beautiful landscape…both for us and our birds.
SIB 