August eNewsletter
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Although August can be very hot, fish are still biting, and deer season opens later this month! Queen Anne’s lace and cardinal flowers bloom in August, and you can pick ripe muscadines. Many of our songbirds are undergoing the molting process, replacing their worn and damaged feathers with new ones.
SCWF is devoted to helping wildlife thrive in our state, and there are many ways you can become involved with us! Support our mission by taking a class, enjoying fine dining, joining the Plishing Challenge, by volunteering, or by donating.
Wild Summer Nights Online Auction
Thank YOU to the item donors, bidders, donors, and sponsors of the 2024 Wild Summer Nights Online Auction for making this our most successful auction yet! We raised $92,280 to support our wildlife and habitat conservation and education programs.
Forks, Knives, & Spoonbills Conservation Dinner
Wednesday, September 25
The Willcox in Aiken
Image Credit: Feathered Flock by Candace Thibeault.
Join us for a multi-course, wine-paired conservation dinner at The Willcox in Aiken featuring dishes inspired by imperiled bird species created by Executive Chef Philip Friesen. As each course is served, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager Jay Keck will share information about each species and the conservation efforts needed to help them thrive. Thank you to our event sponsor, Security Federal Bank, and RNDC Wine, our wine sponsor.
POWR Up: Palmetto Outdoor Women's Retreat
Santee, SC
October 4 - 5, 2024
Save the date! Registration opens August 12 at 12:00 pm for POWR Up, an overnight retreat in Santee that offers the opportunity to learn outdoor recreation skills in a non-competitive environment. There are three class sessions, which are three hours each. Each participant will leave the classes feeling confident and ready to try their new skills on their own.
Register here: https://www.scwf.org/events/2024powr-up
POWR+ Education Classes
Due to the demand for our Palmetto Outdoors Women Retreat or POWR, we have added (+) one-day workshops across the state. POWR+ events are open to all women whether you have attended the retreat or have yet to do so. Check out our 2024 fall offerings below, and register quickly if you are interested in joining us because each class is limited to 12 participants to ensure a quality experience.
SCWF's Plishing Challenge
through August 31
It's not too late to register for the Plishing Challenge. This statewide conservation initiative is designed to keep the public engaged with fishing and to help keep our waterways clean by using best fishing practices, picking up litter, and, of course, catching fish! The overall Plishing Challenge winners in each category will receive a $500 gift card to Palmetto State Armory at the end of the month, so get ready to win!
Register here: https://www.scwf.org/plishing
Spiders of September
Goodale State Park
Thursday, September 5 or Thursday, September 12
Join Austin Jenkins, who teaches and facilitates the popular Midlands Master Naturalist class, to learn about spiders! Some call them "creepy" and some call them "cool." Either way, spiders are infinitely interesting, and this workshop is designed to help you discover some the amazing attributes that make them so. The day will include a close-up view of spider morphology, analyzing the features that make spider life a success.
Click on the links below to register!
Thursday, September 5, Spiders of September
Thursday, September 12, Spiders of September
Volunteer Day: Litter Sweep
Archer's Lake in Irmo
Saturday, September 14, 10 am - 1 pm
SCWF is partnering with the Harbison Community Association and Keep Midlands Beautiful for a litter sweep at Archer’s Lake on Saturday, September 14. Archer’s Lake can be a great place for wintering waterfowl, but unfortunately it can also be filled with a significant amount of litter. Please join us to make Archer’s Lake a safer home for wildlife and people.
https://www.scwf.org/events/2024-9-14-archers-lake-litter-sweep
News & Notes
This year's Wild Summer Nights Online Auction was our most successful one to date, raising $92,280 in support of our conservation and education programs. Payton Potter, our Fundraising Assistant, was a huge help; check out her perspective on what it was like to work on the auction.
Haig Point on Daufuskie Island was recently certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat! Read about their celebration and the many ways they help wildlife in our blog post.
Camp Wildwood has an impressive seventy year tradition of inspiring conservationists and this year's camp continued that legacy.
Savannah Jordan, SCWF’s Habitat Education Manager, recently helped the Richland Library Ballentine celebrate Pollinator Week with a presentation on South Carolina’s native pollinators.
Sara Green (SCWF Executive Director) and Rosemary Martin-Jones (SCWF Board Member & Affiliate Representative) attended the NWF Annual Meeting held in Washington, DC.
US Silica in Lexington is one of our more recent additions to the Wildlife And Industry Together or WAIT Program. SCWF would like to congratulate them on providing critical habitat for many of SC's species in this unique part of our state, and for the educational opportunities they provide to college students.
Support + Shop
With fall right around the corner, you may be thinking about exploring South Carolina once the weather cools off. If so, order a signed copy of Wild South Carolina, compiled by a mother-daughter team of naturalists! It delves into the most intriguing outdoor destinations, offering advice on how, when, and where to experience the state’s ecological treasures.