News
The town of Chapin was recently certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat! Chapin is now the 13th Certified Wildlife Habitat in our state and has joined over 200 other communities across the nation making a difference for wildlife. Chapin earned this impressive achievement by certifying over 180 homes, 3 parks, 4 schools, 3 places of of worship, and 5 businesses as Certified Wildlife Habitats.
A beautiful example of community support for the Heritage at Lowman is that we have received ten new bluebird boxes to be placed around our campus. Jay Keck, son of John and Carolyn, who reside in the Courtyard apartments, in cooperation with Chapin Women’s Club and the Heyward Career and Technology Center of Columbia provided these in the latter part of April.
Shaw Industries has been a valued WAIT partner in the Midlands since 2016. Located along the Saluda River, Shaw's property is a wintering place for waterfowl such as wood ducks and bufflehead. The property's habitat, which includes maturing forest, a wetlands area, and thickets, provides nesting opportunities for neo-tropical migrants like the summer tanager, white-eyed vireo, and hooded warblers.
Residents who want to attract monarch butterflies in their yard and give them a place to lay their eggs for the next generation can receive free native milkweed seeds from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation this spring.
This is a terrific article about an amazing SC species, the threats that it faces, and legislation that could help to save it. SCWF is involved in a lawsuit to protect the ephemeral ponds on the Cainhoy peninsula mentioned in this article as “being actively destroyed…this year” - these wetlands are critical for the survival of this species, and many others. SCWF is also actively pushing for the passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act mentioned in this article, and we applaud Senator Graham for being a co-sponsor!
National Pollinator Week June 19-25 is an annual celebration designed to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and what we can do to protect them. Linda Suber has been celebrating bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, and hummingbirds in her Shandon garden for 15 years by planning and planting pollinator picnics. Menus vary by season and by pollinator preference.
SCWF was honored to be featured in the SC Sea Grant Consortium’s Coastal Heritage Magazine in their Spring 2023 issue. Check out the full article by Erica Hussey on their website HERE - it contains TONS of great information about conservation in your backyard!
This bill would reinstate the initial funding source for the South Carolina Conservation Bank and significantly increase this agency’s ability to conserve private land. The Bank is the single most important tool the state has to ensure South Carolina’s most iconic and precious natural resources are preserved and protected for future generations.
Published in Post & Courier - A massive 9,000-acre development planned for the Cainhoy peninsula, wedged between Daniel Island and the Francis Marion National Forest, is ground zero for the threats that the species faces: development, climate change and politics.
Published in Columbia Star - “In addition to advocating for wildlife throughout the state, the federation has also worked tirelessly to educate South Carolinians about the state’s wildlife and its habitat, outdoor recreation, and conservation practices.”
SCWF’s Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program is a partnership with conservation-minded businesses throughout the state who want to help wildlife thrive by enhancing their properties and providing educational opportunities for their employees and communities. To say thank you to our WAIT partners, SCWF recently hosted a sporting clay shooting competition at the Palmetto State Armory's Outdoors Shooting Facility in Swansea.
Bird watching is a great way to connect with nature, and no birds put on a better show than the Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites that migrate through South Carolina each summer. From mid to late July, the birds stop to feed before migrating to South America for winter, says Jay Keck, habitat education manager for the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. The fields of Allendale County are a particularly great place to see the small raptors in action.
