Coastal Conservation League Fall 2017

WINTER 2017

C OA S TA L

CO NS E R V A T I O N LEAGUE

6 A Vision for West Ashley n 10 Offshore Drilling Update n 21 Captain Sams in Court n

WINTER 2017 VOL. 28 • NO. 2

Dana Beach, Executive Director

Programs

Lisa Turansky, Chief Conservation Officer Caroline Bradner, Project Manager Emily Cedzo, Air, Water & Public Health Program Director Jason Crowley, Land Use Program Director Caitie Forde-Smith, Communications Associate Jasmine Gil, Community Outreach Coordinator Alan Hancock, Communications Director Andy Hollis, Data Analyst Betsy La Force, Project Manager Eddy Moore, Energy & Climate Program Director NORTH COAST Erin Hardwick Pate, Office Director SOUTH COAST Kate Parks Schaefer, Office Director Rikki Parker, Project Manager

COLUMBIA Merrill McGregor, Director of Government Relations Kenneth Sercy, Utility Regulation Specialist

GrowFood Carolina

Sara Clow, General Manager Jessica Diaz, Sales and Marketing Manager Benton Montgomery, Operations Manager Jeff Mitchell, Inventory and Delivery Leah Pedersen, Sales and Marketing Alison Pierce, Sales and Marketing Jake Sadler, Farm Coordinator James Vardell, Inventory and Distribution Becca Watson, Quality Assurance Specialist

Development

Nancy Appel, Director of Development Kristy Collins, Membership & Events Manager Sarah Lewis, Development Associate Shannyn Smith, Senior Development Officer

Administration

Tina Allen, Chief Financial Officer Erin Crouse, Accounting and Compliance Manager Minako Doyle, Bookkeeper Christine Gallina, Administrative Assistant Jeanne Snell, Bookkeeper and Office Manager

Offices

Board of Directors

Charleston

Margot T. Rose, Chair Johnston C. Adams Joel A. Berly III Daniel W. Boone III Ceara Donnelley P. Steven Dopp Katharine Hastie Cynthia Kellogg Deborah Kennedy Kennard W. Jefferson Leath, Jr. Pierre Manigault Jim McNab Lee Richards Richard Schmaltz Charles M. Tarver John Thompson David Westerlund Stephen Zoukis

328 East Bay Street Charleston, SC 29401 843.723.8035

Columbia

1219 Assembly Street Suite 202 Columbia, SC 29201 803.771.7102/803.758.5800

Beaufort

1212 King Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843.522.1800

Georgetown

Dana Beach

709-B Front Street Georgetown, SC 29442 843.545.0403

GrowFood Carolina 990 Morrison Drive Charleston, SC 29403 843.727.0091

Magazine COVER IMAGE: Brown pelicans on Crab Bank Photograph by Andy Hollis

Caitie Forde-Smith, Editor Lisa Turansky, Assistant Editor Julie Frye, Design

FROM THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR

GRATITUDE & STRENGTH ratitude, excitement and strength. We hold these words at the forefront as we face a new era of executive leadership at the Coastal Conservation League. First and foremost, we are immensely grateful for Dana, for what he and the Conservation League have accomplished over the past 28 years, and for a strong, professional organization, positioned for future conservation success.

We’re also very excited to announce the new Executive Director, Laura Cantral! Laura is currently senior partner with Meridian Institute in Washington, D.C. With an extensive career in environmental policy, Laura will continue the Conservation League’s practical, science-based advocacy and our role as conservation watchdog. There will be many opportunities over the coming months for all of you to get to know and work with Laura. We expect her to begin full-time in January 2018.

Alongside Laura will be a strong team of dedicated, accomplished staff members. We will also continue to rely on Dana and his leadership. He will remain Executive Director until Laura begins, and after a short transition, Dana’s next role with the Conservation League will be determined.

To share our appreciation for Dana, his work and our strong future:

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We invite you to make a special gift in honor of Dana to the newly-founded Dana Beach Natural Habitat Conservation Fund, a strategic fund to support conservation efforts over the

next three to five years (see page 31). A list of donors and the total amount raised will be shared with Dana at his retirement party. To make a special gift, go to http://coastalconservation league.org/dana_beach_fund or send a check to the Coastal Conservation League at P.O. Box 1765, Charleston, SC 29402. Please contact Nancy Appel at 843-723-9895 or nancya@scccl.org if you have questions. (We’re trying to keep the details a secret from Dana).

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Retirement festivities will be scheduled for spring 2018. Please send well wishes and memories to be shared with Dana to nancya@ scccl.org (or mail to Nancy at the address above).

Stay tuned!

Thank you for your generosity and dedication to the Coastal Conservation League and to our beloved Lowcountry. And, thank you for continuing your commitment into our new era of leadership.

Margot Rose Board Chair, 2016-2017

Charley Tarver Vice Chair, 2016-2017

MEET OUR NEXT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LAURA CANTRAL! Laura comes to the Conservation League from Meridian Institute in Washington, D.C., where she is a Partner and oversees major initiatives focused on U.S. ocean policy. She directs the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, a collaborative, bipartisan group of national experts and opinion leaders. From 2001-2004, Laura served on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy as Associate Director for Governance. She is a Mississippi native and a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi School of Law. We welcome Laura and look forward to her leadership of the strong team that Dana has built.

Laura Cantral

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

By Dana Beach, Founder and Director

he Administrative Law Court hearing on Captain Sams Spit ended on August 29, after seven days of testimony. If you have followed this battle for the Spit closely (and if you have a better memory than I do) you may well ask, “Hasn’t this issue been in the Administrative Law Court (ALC) before?” The answer is yes. This is the second time Captain Sams has been to the ALC. It has also been heard by the S.C. Supreme Court four times. We won the first and third of those Supreme Court appearances and lost the second. As I write this column, we do not know the outcome of the fourth hearing.

The saga began in 2007 with a proposal by the Kiawah developers, a different group back then, to build a half-mile-long and 40-foot-wide wall along the banks of the Kiawah River. The point was to try to

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stabilize this highly erosional, ephemeral dune field on the western end of Kiawah, or at least to give the dune field the impression of stability, so unwary buyers would snap up the 50 lots proposed for the Spit, renamed “Cape Charles” by the developers.

The latest appeal addressed a variation on the bulkhead theme, this time with a “sheet pile” wall pounded into the dunes, just inland of the river, presumably to reduce regulatory scrutiny. But the result of constructing this behemoth structure would be the same. As the “neck” of the Spit inexorably erodes toward the ocean from the river side, and toward the river from the ocean side, the wall would accelerate the subsidence of the sandy banks along the river edge, eliminating feeding habitat for dolphins and shorebirds and blocking critical nesting access to the Spit by diamondback terrapin turtles, a species of

#1 An aerial photo of Captain Sams Spit, taken by George Snell in March 2017. The beach has lost about 200 feet in two years.

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#2 A current satellite image (October 2016, Esri) confirms Captain Sams Spit’s approximate existing location. The red line delineates the boundary of the Spit today.

#3 A U.S. Department of Agriculture aerial photo from 1949, showing Captain Sams as an isolated sand bar. The red line delineates the boudary of Captain Sams Spit today.

particular concern due to declining populations.

The sheet pile gambit is a “Hail Mary” pass on the part of Kiawah’s Charlotte-based developers. They are backed by a New York hedge fund that expected a meteoric return on investment, but now appear more likely to reap a modest return, or even a modest loss.

This decade-long high finance imbroglio led the developers to lobby the S.C. Legislature in 2015 and 2016, angling to torpedo the Beachfront Management Act and thus gain a few more feet of dunes by gaming the regulatory system. How this will all end is uncertain, but the unwilling victims would surely be the birds, dolphins, terrapins and Homo sapiens who use the Spit for resting, feeding and recreation.

Another group of unwilling victims would be the taxpayers, who would have to help bail out future homeowners with disaster relief funds and emergency response services when the Spit, once again, vanishes into the sea from which it sprung, as it has done sporadically since the beginning of the Holocene.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to a legal proceeding, make that ten thousand words. Seven days of testimony adds up to a lot of words, but the pictures that bring this debate into sharp focus take just a few minutes to appreciate.

The first one is an aerial of the Spit taken this year.

The thin, eroding neck is easily visible. This area of beach lost roughly 150 feet of dunes during the 2-day pounding it received from Hurricane Matthew last fall and another 50 feet during Irma. The second image is an Esri satellite image from October 2016 confirming the Spit’s location.

The third photograph is an aerial from 1949. This image shows the Spit as an isolated sand bar. On the

#4 A U.S. Geodetic Survey from 1929, indicating the total absence of a dune system.

The red line delineates the boudary of Captain Sams Spit today.

Seven days of testimony adds up to a lot of words, but the pictures that bring this debate into sharp focus take just a few minutes to appreciate. eastern side, between the Kiawah Beach and the Spit, is the mouth of the Kiawah River. This is approximately where the neck is today. On the western side is a smaller inlet from which tidal creeks along the front of Seabrook debouche.

The fourth and final image is a U.S. Geodetic Survey chart from 1929. It shows the Kiawah River flowing into the ocean at roughly the same point as the 1949 aerial, but the dune system in the 1949 photograph is absent. There is only the Atlantic Ocean.

There were many assertions made by the developers and their lawyers about the Spit being “accretional” and “one of the most stable beaches in South Carolina.”

And based on that, they claimed that the natural resource damage we worried about would never happen.

In my view, the trial (and this column) could have ended with a simple explanation of these photographs of Captain Sams Spit: today, an ephemeral drumstick of a dune field; in 1949, an isolated sandbar; and, in 1929, nothing. Clearly, this is no place for 50 beachfront homes.

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West Ashley A PLAN FOR WEST ASHLEY

By Jason Crowley, Land Use Program Director

aniel Burnham promoted the ambitious 1909 Plan of Chicago by urging people to “make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” Visionary urban plans, like Burnham’s plan that transformed the crossroads of America into a center for culture and architecture, are cornerstones of thriving towns and cities across the globe. Plans provide roadmaps for land use and transportation investments that will sustain and enhance communities.

This spring, Charleston residents and the Conservation League called on the City of Charleston to follow Burnham’s advice of making no little plans by launching Plan West Ashley, the largest City-sponsored master planning initiative since the creation of Daniel Island in the early 1990s. The Conservation League joined forces with residents, the City’s planners and elected leaders to advocate for infill and density, as well as new transportation infrastructure – bus rapid transit, light rail, new CARTA routes, sidewalks and bike lanes – in the plan for West Ashley’s future. Absent this visionary approach, the expansion of West Ashley might unfold as it has over the past 50 years, one suburban neighborhood at a time, plagued with traffic congestion, flooding and unwieldy growth patterns.

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Guided by resident engagement and input, Miami-based planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners created visual renderings of a future West Ashley. The renderings emphasize environmental protections and connected and affordable neighborhoods.

A Suburb’s Backstory

In 1670, English settlers first arrived in West Ashley, landing at Albemarle Point. There, they established a settlement, known presently as Charles Towne Landing.

For more than 200 years, land west of the Ashley River, or St. Andrews Parish, was primarily agricultural. In 1926, the World War I Memorial Bridge opened, providing a path for development. The first suburban-style neighborhood, Wappoo Heights, was laid out in 1924 in anticipation of the new bridge.

During the 1940s and 1950s, developers like Long Construction Company (the precursor to the Beach Company) built houses that catered to returning World War II servicemen. These homes featured five and six rooms on larger lots than those found downtown. Their designs and floorplans reflected the suburban character of a car-dependent bedroom community.

In the 1960s, the City of Charleston began annexing parts of West Ashley into its municipal boundary. Annexation greatly expanded the size

Illustrations and Photos: Dover, Kohl & Partners

LAND USE

LAND USE

of Charleston and encouraged development outward along U.S. Route 17 and S.C. Highway 61. This sprawling development resulted in the construction of neighborhoods far from job centers. Soon, a car-dominated culture clogged the suburb’s few primary roads. The pavement explosion, along with the loss of valuable wetlands (filled for low-density housing development), has led to stormwater runoff and flooding problems.

Richard D. Porcher, Jr.

Residents Participate in Plan West Ashley

During the 2015 mayoral race, West Ashley residents called on candidates and local elected officials to address important problems: congested roads, limited public transit and abandoned retail outlets that plague the aging suburban community.

The City responded by hiring Miami-based planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners to develop Plan West Ashley – a community-driven plan to encourage infill development, conserve environmental resources, spur economic investment, repair social fabric, reduce costs and reclaim abandoned areas.

In workshops, residents were asked to describe West Ashley in one word.

Overwhelmingly, they used “congested” and “traffic.” When asked to describe West Ashley in the future, residents responded with “connected,” “community” and “vibrant.”

Dover Kohl began work on the plan by facilitating a series of public workshops in April and May. Workshops were held at four different locations to accommodate residents’ busy schedules, and Dover Kohl set up an open studio in an empty storefront in the Citadel Mall for folks to share ideas and drop in to observe the initiative’s progress. During the public sessions, residents sketched on maps of West Ashley and highlighted needed improvements, opportunities

More than 600 West Ashley residents participated in planning workshops, where they were asked to draw on maps, identify places to support public transportation, and note priorities for their community’s growth.

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This spring, Dover, Kohl & Partners presented their initial ideas and community designs to City of Charleston leadership. Later this year, the planning firm will write a complete report and make recommendations.

for infill development and roads, and locations for bus stops and bike lanes.

Facilitators asked residents to describe West Ashley. Overwhelmingly, they responded with words like “congested” and “traffic.” Later, residents described the neighborhood’s future using terms like “connected,” “community” and “vibrant.”

Most participants said walking, biking and public transit connections were the most important considerations for West Ashley’s future. It was clear residents wanted every part of their suburb to develop sustainably and include a diverse mix of housing types, job centers and village nodes like Avondale.

To encourage more involvement and prompt participation, City of Charleston staff sent emails, distributed fliers and advertised Plan West Ashley in newspapers, on social media, and in TV and radio spots. In total, more than 600 residents participated in the four planning workshops. Several hundred more were involved in charrette sessions at the Citadel Mall. Residents attended (and still do) monthly West Ashley Revitalization Commission meetings.

After wrapping up public workshops, Dover Kohl released a draft Plan West Ashley report to the public in September and a revised draft in October.

The firm’s goal is to finalize its report in November.

Charleston City Council will consider adopting the final draft plan at a public hearing in December.

Throughout this process, the Conservation League has engaged the public and attended workshops, advocating that our core principles be incorporated into Plan West Ashley. We will continue to support City Council’s adoption and implementation of a citizen-driven plan for West Ashley’s future.

AN UPDATE FROM LADY’S ISLAND uburban planning is occurring all along our coast. In Beaufort County (on Lady’s Island, specifically), the Conservation League and the Sea Island Corridor Coalition hosted more than 300 residents this past February to join Dover, Kohl & Partners at a community forum called Designing a Future for Lady’s Island. As a result, the Sea Island Corridor Coalition and Conservation League published a website and report summarizing the forum and citizen mapping workshops. Based on participant feedback, the report recommends five guiding principles for future planning and development on Lady’s Island. The Conservation League is working with residents, developers and elected officials to advocate for implementing these principles as guides for future growth. Visit the website and explore the final report at http://www.designingladysisland.com/.

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E N E R G Y & C L I M AT E

STRONG CONTENDER:

South Carolina Considers Offshore Wind

By Kenneth Sercy, Utility Regulation Specialist

ind energy is South Carolina’s best kept secret. More than 1,100 jobs across the state are with South Carolina companies rooted in wind production and activities serving both out-of-state markets and in-state wind supply chain firms. Still, South Carolina lacks major wind generation facilities, but that could change this legislative session.

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Offshore Wind Arrives Stateside

Until late last year, offshore wind energy generation was mostly a European phenomenon. Now, the first turbines are spinning in U.S. waters off Rhode Island, and hundreds of turbines are in development in the waters off Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. For example, two projects, totaling nearly 80 turbines, are in development off Maryland’s coast.

States are eager to add a unique clean energy resource to their generation mix – one that complements daytime solar generation with steady nighttime power and matches up geographically with strong coastal electricity demand.

Enormous economic development potential is equally attractive. Wind farm construction, operations and maintenance will create jobs. Increasing wind projects will also generate significant demand for the manufacturing of turbines and many other components.

For several states (potentially ours), this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become the “Silicon Valley” of offshore wind and capture a large portion of the potential 80,000 offshore wind jobs the U.S. Department of Energy estimates might exist nationally by 2030.

A Demonstration Project for Wind Development

Thanks to a few factors, South Carolina could be the next state to explore offshore wind energy seriously.

The Department of Energy estimates that South Carolina has the second largest shallow water offshore wind potential on the East Coast and the lowest project construction cost in the nation.

Our existing wind supply chain, competitive and skilled workforce, and unique Clemson Wind Drivetrain Test Facility in North Charleston are assets that put us in a good position to become a regional hub for offshore wind production. A demonstration project would further cement our state’s status as a leader in offshore wind energy.

House Bill 4304 and Senate Bill 724, introduced by Representative Greg Duckworth (R-Horry) and Senator Paul Campbell, Jr. (R-Berkeley) last spring, would allow us to take small steps to begin offshore wind development with a demonstration-scale project of five to 10 turbines. The project would likely be sited in federal waters, far enough offshore to minimize visibility from the beach. Given the Grand Strand’s strong local support for wind development, waters off the north coast of South Carolina might be an ideal location. Under the proposed legislation, project approval would hinge on cost, economic development impacts and environmental considerations.

The Conservation League supports responsible development of wind energy off our coast, as long as it safeguards habitat and wildlife, including birds, turtles and marine life. With our partners at the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council, we have engaged in the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) commercial wind leasing process, advocating for specific measures to ensure these safeguards.

To minimize impacts to wildlife, we recommend seasonal restrictions and operational requirements, as well as continued research to fill information gaps about the industry’s environmental impact. We also support modifying leasing areas to ensure that turbine site assessments, construction and operation do not negatively impact wildlife. And we continue to actively engage BOEM on these essential protections.

Wind energy is an important piece of the puzzle that South Carolina is putting together for a future of renewable energy generation. Please join us this legislative session in supporting H. 4304 and S. 724.

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RESILIENCY ABUZZ

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By Emily Cedzo, Air, Water & Public Health Program Director

Water, water, everywhere.

The South Carolina coast, and Charleston in particular, needs to plan for more water in more places, more often.

The new buzzword for this preparedness is “resiliency.” u

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Photography by: u Stan Foxworthy/ Foxworthy Studios

n 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the City of Charleston experienced 50 days of tidal flooding – up from 38 days the previous year. It was a new historical record for Charleston.

Now, a new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that Charleston residents will experience floods during normal high tides by 2030 and average 180 tidal floods each year by 2045. That’s a significant and swift change from 1970 when we averaged just six tidal floods a year. In the last 50 years, sea level has risen more than five inches.

It is time to invest in projects that support a resilient Charleston. Being resilient means that Charleston will have the capacity and infrastructure to absorb future environmental and economic stress and respond to emergency events, without destroying our quality of life. A resilient Charleston can bounce back

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(or bounce forward) stronger than before.

The City of Charleston is grappling with how to become resilient. Both Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and former Mayor Joe Riley, have spoken about the importance of local action to address sea level rise, nuisance flooding and extreme storms. In 2015, Charleston adopted a Sea Level Rise Strategy outlining how the City plans to adapt to climate change. The strategy recommends improving stormwater drainage systems, acquiring wetlands and other open spaces, and limiting new development in flood-prone places.

So far, the City has spent $280 million on drainage repairs, but most other recommended projects have languished, including rebuilding the Low Battery seawall and hiring a full-time staff member dedicated to resilience at the City (there is only one part-time employee at the City assigned to work on the recommendations). The City blames its delayed action on

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The City blames its delayed action on the lack of available funding, but the real culprit is the lack of political will and creativity on behalf of our leadership to secure the necessary funds. the lack of available funding, but the real culprit is the lack of political will and creativity on behalf of our leadership to secure necessary funds.

Charleston must take more steps, and sooner, to secure a future of resiliency. Elected officials and City staff should prioritize sea level rise in every funding and planning decision, and new investments must advance projects that mitigate or prevent flood impacts.

A Solo Strategy for Sea Level Rise

South Carolina cities and counties plan for growth and infrastructure by reviewing and updating Comprehensive Plans and implementing these plans through zoning codes that designate land uses and densities. Resilient cities like New York, Boston and Norfolk are incorporating sea level rise into their Comprehensive Plans to plan for a future of increased flooding and weather events.

Considering sea level rise in Comprehensive Plans is something we should do immediately. The City of Charleston and Berkeley County are now review-

ing their Comprehensive Plans (a process required by state law every five years); Charleston County is updating its plan (required every 10 years); and, the Town of Mount Pleasant and Dorchester County are just beginning their updates. Currently, none of these plans include future sea level rise scenarios – stark omissions the Conservation League is actively addressing through our advocacy efforts.

We are working with communities and partners up and down our coast to ensure that Comprehensive Plans and future land use policies account for flooding impacts and drainage needs. For instance, flood-prone areas, like Captain Sams Spit, should not be slated for future development, but instead serve as natural areas worthy of conservation. Elevated properties with access to infrastructure, such as those on Charleston’s Upper Peninsula, should be encouraged to develop at higher densities (and serve as transit nodes).

As part of our resilience work, we have asked City of Charleston officials to perform a vulnerability assessment, which will help identify places on the peninsula that will likely be underwater in the future.

Major cities, such as New York and Miami, have already conducted this type of analysis, arming themselves with the necessary information to make better planning and investment decisions. We are also helping the City assemble a list of priority projects that need to happen immediately to address sea level rise and extreme weather.

To date, the City’s Design Division has only identi-

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Awakening V: King Tide featured artists, community organizations and local leaders in various venues and formats discussing Charleston’s rising waters. Public art installations were set up on the Upper Peninsula, and more than 1,500 residents participated in lectures, panel discussions, poetry readings and a climate parade.

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Isle of Palms

Crab Bank

Harbor Island Isle of Palms

September’s Big Storm

On September 11, Tropical Storm Irma swept through South Carolina – bringing with her heavy flooding, intense wind, storm surge and high tides. Here, we share a few photos from around our coast taken during and in the days following Tropical Storm Irma.

Georgetown Georgetown and Beyond News

fied the Low Battery seawall as a piece of infrastructure in need of repair. Though the City has hosted numerous public meetings to collect feedback on the project, it remains unclear how raising the Low Battery, or any other resilience project, will be funded.

Citizens Awaken to Sea Level Rise

Communities that are educated and engaged on climate change and sea level rise typically take more local action and demand more from their elected officials than those that do not know about it.

That is why, last year, the Conservation League sponsored a community event to raise awareness about sea level rise. Hosted by Enough Pie, an art-based nonprofit focused on Upper Peninsula stakeholders, the Awakening V: King Tide event featured artists, community organizations and local leaders in various venues and formats discussing Charleston’s rising waters. Public art installations were set up on the Upper Peninsula.

More than 1,500 residents participated in lectures, panel discussions, poetry readings and a climate parade.

Dr. Rob Young

Charleston. This year’s event, “Old City, High Water,” featured a keynote presentation by Jamie Springer, a Partner of HR&A Advisors – a firm working on strategic resilience planning with cities like New York, Norfolk and New Orleans.

The forum’s experts shared insight into how we might adapt locally to address a changing climate. Dan Burger with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and Chair of the Charleston Resilience Network moderated a panel discussion that included: Springer; City of Charleston Councilman Mike Seekings; Dr. Susan Cutter, a Distinguished Professor of Geography and Director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina; and, Aaron Bowman of Liollio Architecture and Chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Charleston chapter.

Our job now is to elevate these conversations into action in the months ahead. You can watch the full video of the 2017 Winthrop Civic Forum: Old City, High Water at https://bit.ly/2ztn5oc.

A Forum for the Future

On October 12, shortly after Tropical Storm Irma flooded South Carolina’s coast, the Conservation League hosted its annual Winthrop Civic Forum in W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | C O A S T A L C O N S E R VA T I O N L E A G U E

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E N E R G Y & C L I M AT E

DEFENDING OUR COAST: OFFSHORE DRILLING THREAT RETURNS TO SOUTH CAROLINA

By Eddy Moore, Energy & Climate Program Director

Photos: Stan Foxworthy/ Foxworthy Studios

It felt a little bit like “Groundhog Day” when, on April 28, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Department of the Interior to review locations for offshore oil and gas exploration and consider selling drilling rights in previously protected ocean waters, including South Carolina’s. Just one year ago, we celebrated a victory in staving off the destructive industry from southeastern Atlantic shores. We are certain we can do it again.

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n the same day of Trump’s announcement, the Conservation League and partners hosted press conferences in Charleston and Beaufort. In Beaufort, Mayor Billy Keyserling stood alongside state Senator Chip Campsen (R-Charleston) and said, “We’re going to fight this, and we’re going to again win.”

In Charleston, Mayor John Tecklenburg stood with Isle of Palms Mayor Dick Cronin, Sullivan’s Island Mayor Pat O’Neil, Edisto Beach Mayor Jane Darby and Charleston City Councilman Mike Seekings. “The risks [of offshore drilling] are just too great,” he said.

More than 200 miles away, U.S. Congressman Mark Sanford (R-South Carolina) introduced House Bill 2552, The Coastal Economies Protection Act, proposing a 10-year moratorium on offshore drilling and seismic testing on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

Our message from the coast is clear. Offshore drilling is not a welcome industry.

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On the same day of President Trump’s announcement, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg defended public opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling at a press conference organized by the Conservation League and partners.

“The risks are just too great.”

-Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg

A Familiar Fight

We first fought offshore drilling in 2014, when the Obama Administration proposed allowing oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic coast. In response, South Carolina’s citizenry, along with every city and town on our coast (23 in total), submitted more than one million comments.

Two years later, President Obama announced the administration would maintain the multi-decade ban on offshore drilling and seismic testing in the Atlantic.

Despite almost universal opposition by coastal communities from New Jersey to Florida, President Trump reopened the debate with an Executive Order that directs cabinet agencies to promote Atlantic oil drilling “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” The order, issued in his first 100 days in office, asks the Department of the Interior to reopen the five-year plan for drilling in all offshore areas. The department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) creates a new plan every five years, usually taking two years or more to consider new plans.

Separately, the order tells BOEM to reconsider seismic

testing applications by oil exploration companies who use sonic airgun blasting to map the ocean floor for drilling. The Obama Administration previously denied these applications, after an extensive public process, based on likely harm to the endangered North Atlantic right whale and other marine life. Trump’s order not only ignores this concern, it proposes easing standards on measuring such harm.

Finally, and incredibly, the Executive Order requires the Department of the Interior to take a second look at settled safety rules requiring oil drillers to maintain blowout prevention devices and procedures. These safety rules were a direct response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which resulted in the deaths of 11 crewmen and the largest oil spill in U.S. waters, causing more than $20 billion in ongoing economic damage to the Gulf Coast.

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testing. The petition thanks South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster for his prior opposition to offshore drilling. Because federal law requires agencies to gauge local sentiment, Governor McMaster’s support for our pristine coast – and pushback on offshore oil and gas drilling – is critical for BOEM to hear during its five-year planning process. To date, Governor McMaster has not formally submitted his opposition to offshore drilling and seismic testing to BOEM.

Photos: Stan Foxworthy/ Foxworthy Studios

The Trouble with Seismic Testing

Oil exploration companies use seismic airgun blasts to map the ocean subfloor, searching for sites to test drill. The blasts produce some of the loudest underwater sounds known to people – loud enough to cause serious injury to whales and threaten their survival. Sounds from the blasts can travel 2,500 miles underwater and are repeated every 10 seconds for days and weeks without stopping.

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In June, NOAA, the agency charged with enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, proposed allowing oil exploration companies to “harass” whales and other marine mammals during seismic testing for oil. In this case, “harass” is a legal term that encompasses a wide range of damaging activities.

Oil exploration companies use seismic airgun blasts to map the ocean subfloor, searching for sites to test drill. The blasts produce some of the loudest underwater sounds known to people – loud enough to cause serious injury to whales and threaten their survival. Sounds from the blasts can travel 2,500 miles underwater and are repeated every 10 seconds for days and weeks without stopping.

Seismic testing can injure and kill marine mammals, which rely on sound to eat, communicate, mate and navigate. New research suggests

Conservation League Energy & Climate Director Eddy Moore spoke to a reporter covering an April 28 press conference in Charleston. Eddy gathered with conservation partners and local leadership in denouncing President Trump’s Executive Order.

Isle of Palms Mayor Dick Cronin joined other elected officials at the press conference to publicly oppose offshore oil and gas drilling in the waters off South Carolina’s coast.

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Photos: Stan Foxworthy/ Foxworthy Studios

On May 20, hundreds of people held hands to form a line across Folly Beach during the 8th annual Hands Across the Sand event.

Edisto Mayor Jane Darby addressed the crowd, all gathered in opposition to offshore drilling.

Sullivan’s Island resident and citizen activist Alice Morrisey attended the event, dressed in her famous dolphin costume. For several years, Alice has organized her neighbors and Lowcountry residents in a grassroots campaign to protect our home.

seismic testing is also detrimental to commercially important fish and krill that form the basis of oceanic food chains.

There are only about 500 North Atlantic right whales left in the world. Harming even one is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. This summer, a group of 25 leading scientists warned that seismic testing might drive the whale out of existence entirely.

Ignoring scientific evidence supporting our concerns and a public push to extend its deadline, NOAA limited the time for members of the public to comment on seismic testing permits to just 30 days. Still,

by the July 6 deadline, Conservation League members had submitted nearly 400 letters in opposition. We further tasked our members in certain congressional districts to call their elected officials in Washington and encouraged them to sign a joint letter, expressing concerns over seismic testing to Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Joining more than 100 members of Congress, South Carolina Representatives Mark Sanford and James Clyburn signed the letter.

STAY INVOLVED The Conservation League is working with local partners Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA), Don’t Drill SC, Oceana, Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) to organize forums and mobilize the community around this important issue. On August 7, the Conservation League and our partners organized community members, grassroots organizers and elected officials together at the Fish House in Mount Pleasant to rally against offshore drilling. State Senator Chip Campsen (R-Charleston), State Representative William Cogswell (R-Charleston) and Charleston City Councilman

Mike Seekings all spoke in opposition to drilling and seismic testing, encouraging participants to provide public comments to the federal government.

The Conservation League and partners also distributed hundreds of postcards addressed to Governor Henry McMaster, formally asking for his support and to submit comments to protect our coast from the damaging offshore drilling industry.

The proposals to drill are stronger and more dangerous this round, but so is our coalition. Our Lowcountry opposition is robust and growing. To join us in the fight, visit our project page at www.coastalconservationleague.org/defendourcoast. There, you can learn more about what you can do to protect our coast and ask us for a yard sign or sticker!

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E N E R G Y & C L I M AT E

THE $9 BILLION NUCLEAR DEBACLE

By Eddy Moore, Energy & Climate Program Director

n July, South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) and state-run Santee Cooper, two of South Carolina’s major electric utilities, announced they were abandoning construction of two new nuclear power reactors at the V.C. Summer plant in Fairfield County after spending $9 billion.

The failed project will either hang over the state like a cloud of disgrace or stimulate a thoughtful debate that leads to positive, fundamental reforms.

Admirably, House Speaker Jay Lucas (R-Darlington) has urged lawmakers to correct “the flaws that led to

Nuclear Regulatroy Commission

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this systemic failure.” These flaws are misdirected monopoly and unaccountable governance.

SCE&G does not compete in a free market that punishes poor decisions with economic loss. Rather, the utility operates as a monopoly. Its earnings are regulated by the state government, allowing SCE&G to base earnings on the amount of capital invested.

In theory, state regulators are supposed to limit the obvious temptation to boost profits through excessive investment in big projects.

About a decade ago, South Carolina enacted a Base Load Review Act that put the imperfections of this

In July, South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper announced they were abandoning construction of two new nuclear power reactors at the V.C. Summer plant in Fairfield County.

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The failed project will either hang over the state like a cloud of disgrace or stimulate a thoughtful debate that leads to positive, fundamental reforms. regulatory model on steroids, effectively rubber-stamping only the most costly, risky projects and subjecting associated rate increases to rote, narrow review. Like the bailout of banks too big to fail, the statutory guarantee for such projects is the inverse of market discipline: It offers shareholders a 10.25 percent return without the risk that would normally attend such returns. The above-market rate is backed by a government guarantee that captive customers will pay, regardless of whether the plants get built.

In the wake of the failed nuclear project, we are learning from the “second kick of the mule” or actually the twentieth kick. About 100 planned nuclear plants, including around 20 that involved major wasted investments, were cancelled in the 1970s and early 1980s.

This history is perhaps why few states embraced the mid-2000s state pushes for policies like the Base Load Review Act. Those states who resisted least – Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina – are now reeling from spectacular cost overruns.

On a more positive note, this monumental failure has opened a window of opportunity for fundamental reforms to energy policy in South Carolina. Here’s how we can get there:

On August 7, workers let go after news of V.C. Summer’s abandonment and their families listened to legislators talk about recovery and reform at the State House.

Rep. James Smith (D – Richland) joined fellow members of the S.C. Energy Caucus to call for increased accountability on behalf of laidoff workers and South Carolina ratepayers. “You deserve better,” Smith said. Smith is now running for Governor of South Carolina.

1) Embrace conservation in energy planning Utility-funded energy efficiency programs began in the wake of oil and nuclear cost shocks in the 1970s, but South Carolina has been slow to embrace their full potential. Simply requiring SCE&G and Santee Cooper to implement energy efficiency programs whenever they cost less than power plants (and at a minimum annual level equal to 1 percent of sales) would save more than a quarter billion dollars and buy years of time to decide how to handle proposals for new natural gas power plants. Duke Energy Carolinas is already performing at this one percent level.

A commitment to energy efficiency should be part of a broader reform of the utility planning process. South Carolina currently does not require basic practices.

Utilities are not required to compare all options to meet customer demand or test those options against a reasonable range of future scenarios. Also, after construction begins, utilities should retain a duty to continually assess the prudence of major projects until they become operational and bear the legal burden of defending their decisions.

2) Promote competition and choice in power generation South Carolina should promote competition in the one part of the utility business that increasingly is no longer a natural monopoly: generating electricity.

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The financial losses at V.C. Summer are staggering, but so are the opportunities that lie ahead. South Carolina can retool its governance, protect its ratepayers and boost clean energy solutions. options to meet corporate goals and control costs. Rather than cause another self-inflicted crisis or generate job losses within the next two years by limiting customer solar generation to 2 percent of peak load (as under South Carolina current law), we should encourage customers to invest in clean generation, reducing the need for centrally-planned, utility-scale power.

At the utility-scale, various states and regions have developed other possibilities, including shifting towards a transparent wholesale power market in which power plants compete across utilities based on a transparent bidding process. Most people in the U.S. are served by such markets, but the Southeast has been slow to adapt. Another idea is to require an independent, technology-neutral bidding process when a utility seeks new sources of power, rather than simply approving a self-build proposal.

3) Reform governance South Carolina needs a regulatory entity that is not controlled by 170 politicians. Our state is one of only two in the country in which Public Service Commission (PSC) members are elected by lawmakers. Thus, regulators who approve billions of dollars of investment do not represent the state’s interests.

(left to right) Conservation League Energy & Climate Program Director Eddy Moore, Communications Director Alan Hancock, summer intern Frank Noojin and Utility Regulation Specialist Kenneth Sercy attended an August S.C. Energy Caucus press conference at the State House.

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The term “regulatory capture” describes the situation when a regulatory agency becomes, essentially, an agent of the regulated entity. Here, utilities reportedly drafted the Base Load Review Act, which effectively handcuffed the PSC. Most states follow a better model: A governor, who is elected statewide, appoints PSC members. This creates accountability – a single target if voters dislike the results.

South Carolina also needs a dedicated consumer advocate with a clear charge to protect the bills and rights of residential customers. The advocate should not be appointed by the same branch of government as the PSC and should have independent, adequate funding. Some states solve this issue by having the Attorney General or an independent board appoint or employ the consumer advocate.

4) Sell Santee Cooper to a private company A government agency should have greater latitude to advance public goals than a private company, but this has not played out with Santee Cooper. You might remember that, just a few years ago, the agency abandoned its plan to build what would have been the last new coal plant in America, wasting “only” half a billion dollars. The latest example of Santee Cooper’s lack of environmental concern is their suggestion to reopen and extend the life of an old coal plant in response to the demise of the nuclear project. We need an entity that does not go “back to the future” after a major crisis.

A bright silver lining: The financial losses at V.C. Summer are staggering, but so are the opportunities that lie ahead. South Carolina can retool its governance, protect its ratepayers and boost the clean energy solutions that have become viable in the decade after the passage of the Base Load Review Act. We will never get back the full $9 billion that has been spent, but the economic benefits of smart decisions going forward might eventually outweigh the current nuclear debacle.

A I R , W A T E R & P U B L I C H E A LT H

CAPTAIN SAMS SPIT IN COURT

By Emily Cedzo, Air, Water & Public Health Program Director

A hurricane. A courtroom hearing. A beautiful sandspit on the brink of destruction.

The story of Captain Sams Spit has all the makings of a best-selling novel, but instead it is unfolding permit-by-permit in the Administrative Law Court. n August, Judge Anderson heard (for the third time) our appeal of permits and certificates issued by DHEC in 2015 for Kiawah Partners’ (KP) 2,380-linear-foot vertical steel sheetpile wall, a roadway, a stormwater management system, water lines and utility lines. For seven long days in the Administrative Law Court (ALC), Conservation League staff, advocates and our tireless attorneys at the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) explained to the judge why a sheetpile wall on a shrinking strip of sand doesn’t comply with our state’s Beachfront Management Act. SCELP methodically presented the case against the wall with an all-star team of witnesses, beginning with our own Dana Beach, who testified to the ever-changing character of Captain Sams (you can read more from Dana on this in his introduction to this newsletter).

Witnesses like George Merriwether, George Finly, Sidi Limehouse and Rich Thomas spoke to the recreational and intrinsic value of Captain Sams. Doctors Miles Hayes and Rob S. Young argued that coastal geologic processes render the Spit unstable and unsuitable for development. And Dr. Whit Gibbons talked about the value of the Spit as a critical resource for diamondback terrapins and strand-feeding bottlenose dolphins.

Multiple people took the witness stand and expressed concerns about proposed development after observing significant erosion on the sandspit. Dr. Richard Porcher testified that the Spit lost between 100-150 feet of beach following Hurricane Matthew. Alan Wood spoke about advanced erosion, this time on the Kiawah River side.

Wood said no buildable space between the river and ocean exists in some locations along the neck of sand leading out to the Spit. Bill Eiser, formerly of DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, reviewed the historical breaches at the neck of the Spit.

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On September 27, attorneys with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP), Conservation League staff members and Kiawah Island residents traveled to the state’s Supreme Court for oral arguments.

Opposing counsel took just two days (as opposed to our five) to make their case, and their witnesses revealed some questionable motives during cross-examination. DHEC Manager of Coastal Zone Consistency Curtis Joyner reviewed internal DHEC meeting notes uncovered by SCELP and admitted that DHEC’s board directed staff to favor development interests. Staff were told not to consider long-range and cumulative impacts of the project. KP’s Chief Operating Officer, Townsend Clarkson, said that the sale of 50 undeveloped lots on the Spit is expected to generate $200 million in revenue – another clue as to why the developers are still moving forward with their ill-formed plan after nearly a decade of opposition.

Judge Anderson has yet to issue a ruling. In the past, he has twice ruled in favor of the developers and against the welfare of wildlife and the public interest. Still, we remain optimistic that this third time will be different.

A few weeks ago, our attorneys at SCELP presented oral arguments in the state’s Supreme Court – for the fourth time – to protect Captain Sams from KP’s development pursuits and a proposal to build a 2,783-footlong bulkhead. The project would transform many acres of public, pristine shoreline into an engineered beach.

Even in the face of rising seas, extreme storms and the overhaul of federal flood insurance, KP is still convinced the bulkhead makes sense. During oral arguments, S.C. Supreme Court Justices asked compelling, tough questions regarding public access, the permitting process and the effectiveness of such infrastructure on a dynamic beach. We expect to hear a decision from the state’s highest bench in the next six months.

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GROWFOOD CAROLINA

How GrowFood Carolina Cultivates Connections

By Sara Clow, GrowFood Carolina General Manager

seasonal menu. Though the weather he most rewarding part in Charleston was still mild in late of our work at GrowFood March, Chelsey’s mind was moving Carolina is visiting farms on to summer and summer vegetaacross the state – an educables. Turnips, lettuces, fava beans tion as much for us as for the farmand peppers. I knew just where to ers. There are so many great stories take her.

I wish I could share with you, but On a cool, quiet Monday morning, one in particular stands out. we drove together across scenic Most of the farmers we work CAROLINA Johns Island to Rosebank Farms to with sell their products through meet Sidi (“Sye-dye”) Limehouse – a GrowFood Carolina in a wholesale gifted and prolific farmer. Sidi grows 50 varieties of manner. We oftentimes operate as a ‘middleman’ in fruits and vegetables, including kale, sugar snap peas, these types of transactions, and GrowFood Carolina rutabaga and three kinds of okra. This summer, he strives to market a farmer’s products as the farmers harvested vine-ripened tomatoes, including Cherokee themselves would. But every once in a while, we have the opportunity to connect a buyer to a farmer in a way purples, his favorite heirloom variety, and delivered them to GrowFood Carolina’s warehouse. that could not happen without our service, and that is After a brief introduction, Chelsey and Sidi forged when the real magic happens. an immediate connection based on the common values This spring, Chelsey Conrad, the executive chef of of good home cooking and the best way to steep clover Charleston’s Butcher & Bee and a GrowFood Carolina partner chef, grew eager to meet local farmers. Chelsey for herbal tea. As we toured Rosebank Farm’s 60 acres with Sidi, the visit morphed from an idyllic farm tour has made a strong commitment to support local farmers, and her restaurant is known for its produce-driven, to a history lesson in the importance of land use plan-

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ning and zoning. Sidi recently relocated his farming operation after being forced off his land to make way for new development.

We drove together down the road from Rosebank Farms, and Sidi pointed out a new shopping center next to a high-end furniture design store, an Asian fusion restaurant and a busy carwash – a place where Sidi once grew beans, corn and tomatoes.

“I’d rather see a bean field than this bull crap,” he said as we drove. Chelsey laughed in agreement.

“We totally agree. That’s why we started GrowFood,” I replied.

GrowFood Carolina Sales and Marketing Manager Alison Pierce helped harvest radishes at Rosebank Farms, a Johns Island farm managed by GrowFood partner farmer Sidi Limehouse.

This spring, Chelsey Conrad, the executive chef of Charleston’s Butcher & Bee and a GrowFood partner chef, met Sidi for the first time. She consistently sources from Sidi’s Rosebank Farms, and she instantly connected with Sidi over the common values of good home cooking.

The Conservation League launched the state’s first food hub to help farmers like Sidi efficiently distribute products to regional retailers and restaurants, including Chelsey’s Butcher & Bee, so that they might stay on their land and continue farming for decades.

Sidi describes his experience with GrowFood as excellent and believes he receives fair prices for what he grows. He also recognizes first-hand the benefits of working and partnering with folks close to home.

“GrowFood does local, and I am local,” he said.

To date, GrowFood Carolina has returned more than $4 million to South Carolina farmers, enabling them to stay on their land and continue farming. To protect productive land and provide farmers like Sidi more opportunities to succeed (and to have great food like Chelsey’s on more tables), we need to work faster and harder – which means we need more support from people like you. You can donate, volunteer your time and, most importantly, choose to eat local every day.

Thank you so much for all you have done to get us this far. Let’s keep up the momentum!

WHOLE FOODS MARKET GIVES BACK TO GROWFOOD On June 22, Whole Foods Market in Mount Pleasant hosted GrowFood Carolina for a Community Giving Day. Five percent of the store’s net sales benefited the food hub, and the store’s team set up a special outdoor farmers’ market featuring GrowFood-supported farms and local produce. Thanks to all those who shopped, Whole Foods Market donated $5,870!

Whole Foods Market Marketing and Community Liaison Pam Fischette (far left) and (from left to right) Store Team Leader Kelly Matthews presented GrowFood Carolina General Manager Sara Clow and Sales and Marketing Manager Leah Pedersen with the final 5 Percent Day check.

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F O O D & A G R I C U LT U R E

ADVENTURES WITH ANDY: EARNING A CERTIFICATION TO SELL MUSHROOMS

by Andy Hollis, Data Analyst

Tradd Cotter shared oyster mushrooms and morels with students, as part of his Five-Year Wild Mushroom Safety Certification course. Since 2014, Cotter has trained about 100 foragers.

snap a photo just as Tradd says, “This mushroom really turns me on.” He pauses at the sound of my camera’s shutter, adding, “Don’t add that to your article.”

He continued on, explaining to me and 20 other students standing around him that a mushroom he has just picked from a hardwood log is called a “train wrecker.”

The fungus is so named because of its ability to grow even in creosote or tar-treated lumber – the kind of lumber used in railroad ties.

It’s early April, and we are all gathered in Sesquicentennial State Park to attend the Five-Year Wild Mushroom Safety Certification course, taught by Tradd Cotter. Together with his wife, Olga, Cotter runs Mushroom Mountain, a farm focused on cultivating mushrooms. Over the next two days, we will learn about 20 species of mushrooms approved for retail sale in South Carolina, mushrooms to avoid, tools to help identify mushrooms, mushroom toxins and treatments, and protocols for record-keeping and storage of wild foraged mushrooms for retail sale.

Throughout the year, Cotter teaches the certification course across South Carolina. He is a wild mushroom foraging and cultivation expert and possesses an exceptional ability to find wild mushrooms, as demonstrated by the giant pile of golden morels he’d collected quickly on his way down from Greenville. The morels were piled on a table in the lecture hall where he conducted the classroom portion of the course. Other tables in the room displayed oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms

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cultivated by Cotter.

Cotter is currently the only person in the state approved to certify others to collect wild mushrooms for retail sale. South Carolina only recently began allowing the sale of wild foraged mushrooms, thanks to Cotter’s work and the help of the Conservation League and GrowFood Carolina, who worked with industry experts, food safety specialists and other stakeholders to update DHEC’s retail food establishment regulations in 2014.

The state’s first Wild Mushroom Safety Certification was held at Charleston’s Caw Caw Interpretive Center in the summer of 2014. Today, Cotter has trained about 100 foragers.

Following in South Carolina’s footsteps, North Carolina and Georgia have established their own wild mushroom foraging programs, and Cotter’s certification course allows permitted individuals to forage and sell mushrooms in all three states for five years. Several courses are held throughout the year in different parts of the state. To learn more, check out Mushroom Mountain’s website at www.mushroommountain.com.

Cotter’s course was a great experience, and I am now certified to sell wild forged mushrooms in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Plus, I have found that selling foraged mushrooms through GrowFood is so easy. I simply drop off my mushrooms at the warehouse, and the GrowFood team sends me a check in the mail after they are sold. The chanterelles have been great this year!

IN HOUSE

WELCOME NEW CONSERVATION LEAGUE STAFF Caroline Bradner Caroline is a native South Carolinian and College of Charleston graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Prior to joining the Conservation League, Caroline worked as a naturalist in places like the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, the Francis Marion National Forest and the ACE Basin. Her passion for the Lowcountry and its renowned natural landscapes spills over into her personal life, too. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping with her two adventurous dogs.

Minako Doyle In July, Minako joined the Conservation League as a bookkeeper. Born in Japan, she has lived in many places around the world as part of her husband’s service in the U.S. Air Force. Most recently, Minako and her family – including two daughters and the family’s cats – returned to the United States from England. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina–Sumter and a master’s degree from Fayetteville State University. Minako enjoys traveling, skiing and exploring Charleston’s restaurant scene.

Jasmine Gil Jasmine is a native of Chester, South Carolina and a recent College of Charleston graduate. While enrolled, she studied politics, philosophy and law, and she studied abroad in Spain. She served as Vice President of her graduating class and came to work as the Conservation League’s Community Outreach Coordinator last spring. She is a fan of YouTube, music and family. One day, Jasmine hopes to serve as a Supreme Court Justice or run for office (Jasmine Gil 2040!).

Sarah Lewis Prior to joining the Conservation League as a Development Associate, Sarah worked on the Donor Stewardship team at World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. She is passionate about wildlife and conservation and spent much of her free time in D.C. volunteering as a Primate Keeper Aide with the Smithsonian National Zoo. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys cooking, traveling, exploring her new city and hanging out with her rescue pup, Dougal.

Erin Hardwick Pate Raised in Cheraw, Erin spent most of her life in Columbia until moving to Georgetown County five years ago. She has worked in the nonprofit sector leading organizations like the SC Association of Nonprofit Organizations (now Together SC) and the SC Association of CPAs. Erin directs our North Coast office, where she covers conservation issues in Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg Counties and across the Pee Dee region.

Leah Pedersen A native of Minnesota, Leah attended Smith College and later earned her M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University. While in Washington, she worked with two microfinance organizations, FINCA International and Grameen Foundation USA, that support women entrepreneurs in developing countries by providing them with access to loans and other financial tools. She then served as an institutional relationship manager for Nuveen Investments for nearly eight years. Before joining GrowFood, Leah travelled solo through South America, coached kiteboarding and got married. In her new role, she will leverage her expertise in economics and her mission-oriented attitude to drive sales for partner farms.

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Jeff Mitchell After returning to Charleston from Cape Cod, Jeff is back at GrowFood Carolina, resuming his work delivering local produce from the warehouse to partner restaurants and retailers. Jeff is passionate about the food hub’s mission and excited to call Charleston home again. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys being with friends, watching movies and rooting for his home state’s sports teams, the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

THANK YOU, INTERNS! Delilah Artus

Hailing from London, England, Delilah spends her summer breaks from high school on Sullivan’s Island. This summer, she supported the Conservation League’s social media, communications and offshore drilling advocacy initiatives.

Ariana Carter

Ariana joined the Conservation League this summer to focus on pollinator protection and proliferation. She researched ways to support monarch butterflies on their migration and created materials to encourage people to plant pollinator gardens. If you haven’t seen our pollinator mapping project, visit us at coastalconservationleague.org/monarch-habitat-map.

Olivia Daniels

As a native of coastal South Carolina, Olivia was excited to join the Conservation League as a development intern.

In May, she earned a business degree from Clemson University. This summer at the Conservation League, Olivia coordinated a donor engagement effort called “The 1989 Project,” connecting with passionate, longtime Conservation League supporters and sharing their stories.

Frank Noojin IV Frank is a senior at Hammond School in Columbia. Next year, he hopes to attend N.C. State University and study nuclear engineering. This summer at the Conservation League, Frank researched the nuclear plant at V.C. Summer and electric vehicle infrastructure, and he learned more about the relationship between electric utilities and the state government.

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FOND FAREWELLS Nina Foy

Nina has headed to the West Coast after five years with GrowFood Carolina. She and her family moved to California where she now works at Harvest Santa Barbara, a food hub that distributes fresh, sustainably-grown produce from regional farms to local chefs.

Natalie Olson

Natalie served as our Land Use Program Director and Staff Attorney and was with the Conservation League for four years. This August, she joined her family’s Florida-based business working on wetlands mitigation – including several South Carolina projects!

Tonnia Switzer-Smalls Tonnia began her nearly 16-year career at the Conservation League as a contract employee, ultimately serving as our Director of Human Resources. This spring, she accepted the Vice President of Operations position at One Hundred Miles, a Georgia-based nonprofit that works to preserve, protect and enhance the state’s 100-mile coast.

Nate Toth Nate, a native of rural Ohio, joined GrowFood Carolina in 2014. While there, he focused on warehouse inventory and delivery to local chefs and retail managers. On his time at GrowFood, Nate said: “I’ll really miss my colleagues at GrowFood the most, where I feel like I have made some lifelong friends.” Nate now works days and nights as a full-time dad.

Katie Zimmerman This spring, Katie – an avid biker – accepted the Executive Director position at Charleston Moves, a nonprofit that aims to improve accessibility and protections for cyclists and pedestrians. She spent eight years at the Conservation League, most recently as the Air, Water & Public Health Program Director. We wish her luck and look forward to partnering with Charleston Moves for years to come!

OUT & ABOUT

Gardening with Green Heart Project and Meeting Street Academy

In May, GrowFood Carolina and partners, the Green Heart Project and Meeting Street Academy, celebrated the gardening successes of local students with parents, teachers and volunteers.

Close to 70 kids that tend the garden at GrowFood enjoyed plant-based goodies from restaurants like Taco Boy, Butcher and Bee, Gnome Café and Cru Café.

Partying at the warehouse

On October 20, GrowFood hosted the Fourth Annual Mushroom Gathering. Guests, including many of the food hub’s partner farmers, enjoyed locally-crafted, mushroom-inspired bites and beers from several of Charleston’s best and most well-known chefs and brewers.

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OUT & ABOUT

Engaging with conservation partners

The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation

On April 29, South Coast Project Manager Rikki Parker participated in a Keep Bluffton Beautiful litter clean-up.

About 50 volunteers collected 100 bags of trash.

Educating the public on plastic pollution

Top: Chief Conservation Officer Lisa Turanksy (third from left) joined (left to right) Carolee Williams, Amy Armstrong and Catherine Main at the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation’s first Lowcountry Land Conservation Symposium on May 16.

Bottom: More than 80 people from 35 organizations attended the event on past, present and future land conservation in the Lowcountry, including (left to right) John Tynan, Jennie Stephens and Executive Director Dana Beach.

Celebrating the solar eclipse On August 21, Executive Director Dana Beach (far left) testified in Columbia’s Administrative Law Court on Captain Sams Spit. While there, he celebrated the solar eclipse with (left to right) Rich Thomas, SCELP attorneys Jessie White and Amy Armstrong, Director of Government Relations Merrill McGregor and Communications Director Alan Hancock.

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Joining community clean-ups

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On Earth Day, South Coast Project Manager Rikki Parker educated community members at the Port Royal Farmers Market on the benefits of banning single-use plastic bags. She also gathered signatures for the Conservation League’s bag ban petition.

OUT & ABOUT

Pickin’ on the porch

In late July, Executive Director Dana Beach strummed tunes for Conservation League staff and friends during a jam session at our event series, Pickin’ on the Porch.

Building reefs with SCDNR and Charleston Waterkeeper

On June 23, Conservation League staff members joined Charleston Waterkeeper, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and 35 volunteers to build a living shoreline in Wappoo Creek, part of the Intracoastal Waterway that borders downtown Charleston.

The reef, comprised of 600 bags of recycled oyster shells, will create and provide habitat for oysters and other species, protect water quality and stabilize the shoreline.

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OUT & ABOUT

Learning about Lowcountry wildlife

This spring, Conservation League staff members toured the Spring Island Nature Center in Okatie.

Meeting new Conservation League members

On October 3, Land Use Program Director Jason Crowley (far left) and Project Manager Caroline Bradner (far right) met with Conservation League supporters Olivia Wilson and Alex DePue to discuss local issues and projects. The quarterly happy hour event, Conservation Libations, is meant to connect Conservation League staff with newly engaged advocates and members.

Organizing against offshore drilling

On August 7, the Conservation League and partners, Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA), Don’t Drill SC, OCEANA, the Southern Environmental Law Center and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, hosted an offshore drilling rally at the Fish House in Mount Pleasant. Chief Conservation Officer Lisa Turansky spoke at the event, alongside State Senator Chip Campsen, State Representative William Cogswell, Charleston City Councilman Mike Seekings and SODA organizer Peg Howell.

Getting to know neighbors on Palmetto Bluff

This spring, South Coast Office Director Kate Schaefer and Conservation League Board Vice Chair Charley Tarver met with residents of Palmetto Bluff and discussed our organization’s program priorities and land conservation goals.

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DANA BEACH NATURAL HABITAT CONSERVATION FUND

Shhh, don’t tell! To honor Dana, you are invited to make a one-time special gift to the Dana Beach Natural Habitat Conservation Fund, a strategic fund to support conservation efforts over the next three to five years.

circa 1989

Gifts to the Dana Beach Natural Habitat Conservation Fund will help protect the places Dana – and we all – love in the Lowcountry. Make a contribution online at http://coastalconservation league.org/dana_beach_fund.

A list of gifts in honor of Dana will be presented to Dana at his official retirement in 2018.

Please contact Development Director Nancy Appel at 843-723-9895 or nancya@ scccl.org with any questions.

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he mission of the Coastal Conservation League is to protect the threatened resources of the South Carolina coastal plain — its natural landscapes, abundant wildlife, clean water, and quality of life — by working with citizens and government on proactive, comprehensive solutions to environmental challenges.

P.O. Box 1765 Charleston, SC 29402-1765

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 168 Charleston, SC

For more information about the Coastal Conservation League, visit our website at www.CoastalConservationLeague.org

This summer, Conservation League staff toured Mepkin Abbey with Father Stan Gumula. The abbey, a Trappist monastery, was established in 1949 on the Cooper River. In 2006, Mepkin Brothers placed the property under a conservation easement – encouraging later easements by the abbey’s neighbors and permanent protections for the Cooper River Corridor.