Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

C OA S TA L

CO NSE R V A T I ON

Gutter Credit

LEAGUE

n Laura and Dana unplugged (pg. 4) n Advocacy in action (pg. 7) n Rally against drilling (pg. 19)

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SPRING 2018 VOL.29 • NO. 1

Laura Cantral, Executive Director

Programs

Lisa Jones-Turansky, Chief Conservation Officer Caroline Bradner, Land, Water & Wildlife Project Manager Emily Cedzo, Land, Water & Wildlife Program Director Jason Crowley, Communities & Transportation Program Director Caitie Forde-Smith, Communications Director Jasmine Gil, Community Outreach Coordinator Andy Hollis, Data Analyst Betsy La Force, Communities & Transportation Project Manager Eddy Moore, Energy & Climate Program Director COLUMBIA Alan Hancock, Energy & Climate Advocacy Director Merrill McGregor, Director of Government Relations NORTH COAST Erin Hardwick Pate, Office Director SOUTH COAST Kate Parks Schaefer, Office Director Rikki Parker, Project Manager

GrowFood Carolina

Sara Clow, General Manager Jessica Diaz, Sales & Marketing Manager Shaunda Fifer, Sales Support Kevin Gilly, Warehouse Operations & Distribution Associate Chris Johnson, Warehouse Operations & Distribution Associate Austin Lucas, Warehouse Operations & Distribution Associate Deirdre McMahan, Sales Support Benton Montgomery, Operations Manager Leah Pedersen, Sales & Marketing Manager Alison Pierce, Sales & Marketing Manager Becca Watson, Farm Coordinator

Development

Nancy Appel, Director of Development Kristy Collins, Membership & Events Manager Sarah Lewis, Development Associate Kati McArdle, Grants Manager

Administration

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

Offices

Board of Directors

Charleston

Charles M. Tarver, Chair Ceara Donnelley, Vice Chair John Thompson, Secretary Richard Schmaltz, Treasurer Johnston C. Adams J. Anderson Berly III Daniel W. Boone III P. Steven Dopp Kent Griffin Katherine Hastie Cynthia Kellogg Deborah Kennedy Kennard W. Jefferson Leath, Jr. Pierre Manigault Jim McNab Jeremiah Millbank III Lee Richards Margot T. Rose David Westerlund Stephen Zoukis

328 East Bay Street Charleston, SC 29401 843.723.8035

Beaufort

1212 King Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843.522.1800

Columbia

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

Georgetown

709-B Front Street Georgetown, SC 29442 843.545.0403

Dana Beach, Founder and Director Emeritus

GrowFood Carolina 990 Morrison Drive Charleston, SC 29403 843.727.0091

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Magazine

COVER IMAGE: Green tree frog Photograph by Charlotte Caldwell

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Braxton Crim, Designer Caitie Forde-Smith, Editor

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Friends, I am thrilled to share with you our first newsletter of 2018, the first in my tenure as Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League. This newsletter showcases the Conservation League’s smart, committed, and enthusiastic team—and several projects we have spearheaded to protect our state’s natural resources and communities.

The South Carolina coast is facing threats at every level of policymaking. Intense development pressures are influencing local governments. Special interests are pushing bad bills at the State House. In Washington, federal mandates and rollbacks are hurting clean water protections, the health of our oceans and wildlife, and our ability to address climate change and rising seas.

In the following pages, we feature concrete examples of how the Conservation League is meeting pressing challenges and fiercely protecting the Lowcountry.

Dana Beach, our founder, reflects on three stories from the past (Page 9) that contribute to our legacy of conservation success and help inform our thinking as we start our next great chapter. Jason Crowley, our Communities and Transportation Program Director, writes from behind-the-scenes on efforts to protect the culturally-significant Ashley River Historic District (Page 17). And our feature story (Page 19) focuses on a February rally against offshore drilling, which drew more than 300 South Carolinians to Columbia.

Right now, the need for environmental advocacy is so clear—as are the opportunities to get involved. The Conservation League will continue to educate and engage South Carolinians to best steward this special place.

I hope this newsletter inspires you and motivates you to stay involved on the Lowcountry’s behalf, but it is not your only resource. I encourage you to reply to our team’s weekly emails, follow us on Facebook, give what you can when you can, or reach out to me personally. I am at laurac@scccl.org or (843) 723-7016.

I look forward to getting to know you better in the weeks, months, and years ahead, and I sincerely appreciate your continued support of our organization and our mission.

Enjoy the read,

Andy Hollis

Laura Cantral Executive Director

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SNAPSHOT

East Bay Bird of Prey GutterForde-Smith Caitie Credit

A juvenile red-tailed hawk hunts for his next meal in the garden of our Charleston office.

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INTERVIEW

TWO LEADERS, ONE VISION

it is frustrating and daunting, but it is never boring.

LC: It’s multi-dimensional chess all the time, and that is exciting to me.

By Caitie Forde-Smith • Communications Director

arlier this year, I interviewed the Coastal Conservation League’s new Executive Director Laura Cantral and Founder and Director Emeritus Dana Beach.

Laura was weeks into her new role, and Dana had just returned from exploring Patagonia. At opposite ends of their time at the Conservation League, the leaders sat down with me and shared their appreciation for the past and a commitment to furthering our legacy of conservation in the future.

E

The interview below is edited for length and clarity.

Give me one word that you would use to describe yourself.

DB: Grateful.

LC: It depends, but one word that comes up is curious.

David Strauss

What one word you would you use to describe the other?

DB: Committed. Not like to an institution or anything. (Laughs).

LC: I can think of several words, but I’m going to go with the first one, which is passionate.

DB: I like that word. I was going to use it for myself, but I thought I’d be bragging.

LC: Well, you’re welcome, Dana.

DB: The connectedness that Laura mentions is the most exciting and important attribute of our work at the Conservation League. It really is all one big project. Things happen over here, and they affect something over there. You work on an issue because it will influence another. Sometimes,

Any first impressions of our team?

LC: During my interview with the staff, I asked them a similar question: How would you describe the organization in one word? Someone said, and it was endorsed by others: scrappy. There were other words, like committed and tenacious. I have seen those words borne out, and I have seen energy and drive. But, if you don’t have skill, intellect, and good instincts, none of the rest of that matters. From what I’ve seen in my short time here, our team has all that.

Talk about the political and economic trends you’ve observed in your own careers.

LC: One of the more interesting trends in recent years has been a greater recognition of the interconnectedness of natural systems, and the understanding that an activity on land impacts water quality, which impacts ecosystems, which impacts fisheries, which

In January, Laura assumed the role of Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League.

Laura, tell us what initially drew you to the Conservation League.

LC: There are a lot of things that drew me to the Conservation League, including the mission, the breadth of the issues, and the nature of the work itself. I saw an opportunity to transition from working on national policy to working with people in a local community to effect change—and to connect our local work back to national policy. It’s all connected.

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INTERVIEW

Laura addresses a crowd of Coastal Conservation League supporters at an event in Charleston honoring Dana’s legacy.

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next level and building on our past to forge new paths.

How do you see GrowFood Carolina continuing to make a positive difference?

DB: I think GrowFood is revolutionary and evolutionary. The food hub cultivated a meaningful change in how we think about food and agriculture and land. If there was ever a project that illustrates the connectedness Laura spoke about—land, energy, health, climate—it’s GrowFood.

LC: GrowFood is an incredible portal for engagement. I’d like to explore the sustainable agriculture policy space using GrowFood’s brand, expertise, and institutional knowledge.

Laura, I’m sure you are hearing all kinds of advice at the start of this journey. Any favorites?

LC: One good piece of advice that I have received is to be myself, to com-

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mit to the work in a way that feels genuine. And honestly, I don’t know how I’d do it any other way.

Dana, do you have any advice for Laura?

DB: Well, I am just in awe of what Laura is doing because I know how long it took all of us to get to where we are. I’d say: Don’t feel that this should come quickly. Rely on others.

People really want to help. Our supporters have made the work we’ve done, and my whole life, a wonderful, joyful experience.

What is one thing our members can do today to protect our coast?

DB: Speak out. Ultimately, the culture of conservation must come from citizens, and they’ve got to actively promote conservation.

LC: Be engaged. Be present. Let’s take responsibility for protecting what we love and be good stewards.

David Strauss

impacts our public health, and so on.

That’s just one example.

DB: When we started working on land use, no one understood what we were talking about. We didn’t either.

The whole concept of protecting rural areas in their existing status and function did not exist. People who loved land believed in it, but it was not manifested in any local government by any elected official.

That trend, the acknowledgement of the value of rural land, was a major change. Back in those days, for all anyone knew, Hilton Head and Beaufort were going to keep growing north and Charleston was going to keep growing south.

LC: Legacies from a policy standpoint are so important to our work today. The Conservation League’s early successes in land use and conservation provide a strong foundation for our work right now. I look forward to taking our work to the

GROWFOOD CAROLINA

Growing Local Farms

Meg Haywood Sullivan

This spring, GrowFood Carolina, our local food hub, hit another milestone—returning $4.5 million back to South Carolina farmers and rural communities in just six years of business.

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ADVOCACY

ACTION TAKERS, CHANGE MAKERS

From the State House to the coast, Coastal Conservation League staff and partners are working together to conserve natural landscapes and clean water, renewable energy, local food and farms, and an unbeatable Lowcountry lifestyle. To read more about our work, please visit coastalconservationleague.org.

By Lisa Jones-Turansky • Chief Conservation Officer

P L A N , AC T A N D F U N D

One of the most important aspects of what we do is working with local governments and communities to plan for growth and land protection. This spring, we are helping to shape Comprehensive Plans in Horry, Charleston and Dorchester Counties, and the Town of Mount Pleasant, among others.

Our goal is to provide a platform during the public process for members like you, transforming your concerns and priorities—like flooding, traffic and sprawl—into action campaigns, including support for maintaining and securing Urban Growth Boundaries and rural zoning. We also work closely with local government staff and elected officials to make sure our efforts are implemented.

But zoning and planning alone are not enough to permanently protect the landscape without adequate conservation funding resources. Conservation League staff have collaborated with partners to advocate for wise spending and transparent criteria for the Charleston County Greenbelt Program that is charged with disbursing $210 million to land trusts and local governments from the half-cent sales tax that passed in 2016.

The South Carolina Conservation Bank is another resource that helps us get a bigger bang for the conservation buck. The bank, originally set to expire this summer, has been critically important to our work and was permanently reauthorized through House Bill 4727 in March.

It will continue to operate as an independent agency with a competitive grants process to protect private and public lands in South Carolina. We appreciate our conservation partners and legislative champions who have worked tirelessly with us to preserve this critical agency.

KEEP IT CLEAN

Plastic pollution is an urgent, global problem. At the local level, banning single-use plastic bags is an important first step to protect clean water, healthy marine life, and safe seafood. This spring, we worked with several communities to pass historic local ordinances, including: Beau7

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fort County, the City of Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Port Royal, Surfside Beach, and Mount Pleasant.

Beaufort County passed the first county-wide single-use plastic bag ban in state history, and Mount Pleasant approved the most comprehensive municipal ban on single-use plastics in South Carolina.

But plastic industry lobbyists want to take away the ability of local governments to address plastic pollution. At the State House, they introduced House Bill 3529, a bill that would ban local plastic ordinances. Conservation League supporters sent more than 17,000 calls and emails to Columbia in opposition, and they worked. Lawmakers did not consider the bill on the Senate floor before the end of legislative session, essentially killing it.

BIRDS AND SAND

In April, the state’s highest court denied a developer’s request to build a half-mile long wall on the neck of Captain Sams Spit, an ephemeral natural habitat to terns, oystercatchers and piping plovers, among others, at the far west end of Kiawah Island. The Supreme Court decision is a blow to irresponsible coastal development and a testament to persistent advocacy. We are humbled to share this win with a committed band of supporters and partners who have joined us in this decade-long fight.

Moving up the coast, Crab Bank, in the Charleston Harbor near Shem Creek, is another important site for shorebirds. But Hurricanes Matthew and Irma diminished Crab Bank to a small strip of sand, and few birds nested there in 2017. We are partnering with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Audubon South Carolina, the South Carolina Aquarium, Coastal Expeditions, Ducks Unlimited and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation to raise more than $2 million to relocate dredge material from the harbor deepening project to Crab Bank, restoring valuable nesting habitat for shorebirds.

NEW ENERGY

Offshore wind energy got a boost as Representatives

RETRO

Alan Hancock

In April, House Bill 4304 passed the House of Representatives in a 104-1 vote. Its sponsor, Rep. Greg Duckworth (R-Horry), explains to South Carolina ETV reporter Gavin Jackson how the legislation supports increased investment in offshore wind projects.

overwhelmingly passed House Bill 4304 by a vote of 104-1. For years, we have engaged the bill’s sponsor, Representative Greg Duckworth of North Myrtle Beach, to build a coalition of local businesses and community leaders that support offshore wind energy.

The bill, which has yet to become state law, sets up a process for the Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve

utility investment in offshore wind projects. Right now, the lack of clear guidance at the PSC is a roadblock for possible wind development off the Grand Strand.

The Conservation League is working with businesses and conservation partners to advance solar energy and energy efficiency—as we build on the success of Act 236, South Carolina’s landmark solar law, passed in 2014.

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RETROSPECTIVE

A FOUNDER’S FOND MEMORIES

Dana Beach walks us through stories from the past, which will be included in a new book about the Coastal Conservation League by Virginia Beach, due out this fall.

By Dana Beach • Founder and Director Emeritus

H U R R I C A N E H U G O A N D T H E R E S T O R AT I O N O F T H E N AT I O N A L F O R E S T

In the early 20th century, the forestry industry began the wholesale elimination of the native ecosystems of the Southeast, replacing the most exotic, diverse and productive forest types in the temperate zone—longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood ecosystems—with a monoculture of short rotation loblolly pine plantations. Over the course of one hundred years, tens of millions of acres of native forests had fallen under the ax of industrial conversion.

In the wake of Hurricane Hugo, the struggle for the future of the Francis Marion National Forest was a critical turning point, marking one of the most important ecological restoration victories in the Southeast, and demonstrating to a new generation of landowners the beauty and value of the South’s legacy landscapes.

The devastation from Hurricane Hugo was heartbreaking. We understood that natural events like this were a part of the ecology of the coast, but it was difficult to reconcile that perspective with what we saw in the Francis Marion National Forest, where three out of four mature trees were snapped in half like matchsticks.

Within a few months, we learned that the United States Forest Service was planning to clear-cut everything that was left and replant the forest as an industrial pine plantation. We didn’t support it and felt the Forest Service should restore the native ecosystem. The problem was that we didn’t know what the native forest was. We initially thought hardwood trees.

Our third newsletter featured a cover photograph of my colleague Jane Lareau with her hand on top of a large stump, glaring at the camera in indignation. The title of the article read, “Cutting of Live Hardwoods Halted in the Francis Marion; Volunteers Needed to Help Revise Management Plan.”

Fortunately, our ignorance was quickly dispelled by a pilgrimage to South Georgia. Jane, Virginia (my wife), our 17-month-old daughter, and I piled into our Chevrolet Citation and spent three days with the greatest living expert on southern forest management, Leon Neal, who opened our eyes to the beauty of the glorious longleaf pine ecosystem.

Leon explained the importance of actively burning these forests, the understory of which supported 400 different species of plants and a dozen animals that existed almost nowhere else.

We worked with the local Forest Service employees, including forest supervisor, Glenn Stapleton, and fire manager, Bill Twoomey, both of whom embraced the goal of bringing back the longleaf stands. Four years later, the Forest Service presented the district with their top award, for ecosystem restoration. Today, the Francis Marion hosts one of the most diverse and beautiful forests in the Southeast.

I ’ O N : A D E V E LO P E R ’ S D R E A M

Across the country, communities have taken stands against development projects they perceive as harmful to the environment and to the harmony of their way of life. For many years, to be an activist was almost synonymous with being an opponent of development. Far less 9

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RETRO

In the wake of Hurricane Hugo, the U.S. Forest Service planned to clear-cut what was left in the Francis Marion National Forest. The Coastal Conservation League, including co-founder Jane Lareau (left), advocated instead for the restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

often did advocates come together to promote patterns of growth that enhanced the built environment.

In the late 1990s, developer Vince Graham, in consultation with New Urbanism founder Andres Duany, proposed a project in suburban Mt. Pleasant called I’On. From the moment we received a copy of a VHS tape of Andres Duany speaking in Boston about urban design, we felt we had discovered the solution to most of the problems our growing metropolitan areas were facing— traffic congestion, excessive energy use, rapacious land consumption, escalating taxes, even social alienation and increasing racial and economic segregation.

We spent a decade trying to make people aware of the

importance of getting the pattern of urban settlement right. We were initially optimistic, because we had some of the country’s best examples of beautiful, efficient cities and towns—from Bluffton, Beaufort and Charleston, to McClellanville and Georgetown. These places all illustrated the functional and aesthetic benefits of traditional communities.

But we were constantly confronted with objections like “It’s the old houses that make these places what they are” or, “You can’t build places like this anymore.” What we needed was a living example of a new development that possessed these same traditional characteristics. To our delight, I’On had exactly that.

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RETROSPECTIVE

The developers, the Graham family, had hired Andres Duany’s design firm, just as Andres was founding the national movement for a “new urbanism.” The story of I’On is bittersweet. Although the project conformed exactly to Mt. Pleasant’s comprehensive plan, it evoked a firestorm of resistance from residents of neighboring subdivisions, in spite of the plan’s exemplary focus on parks, pedestrian connections, environmental safeguards, a mix of commercial and residential uses, and a wide range of housing types. The Conservation League worked closely with the developer to overcome community opposition, which included a referendum to downzone the property and a protracted lawsuit initiated by neighbors. I’On was ultimately approved and built and has been recognized across the country as one of the best expressions of traditional neighborhood design built in the last decade.

The lessons are mixed. The first is that traditional neighborhood designs can be highly functional, attractive and financially successful. The second lesson, however, is that these projects can easily be sidetracked by opposition from neighbors and others who reflexively oppose “density.”

The result is that most developers are simply unwilling to place their investment at risk, even for a higher potential return; therefore, they default to conventional sprawl.

Finally, most development in America is not done by individuals who either understand or care about the quality of urban design. Instead it is practiced by large regional and national home builders who rarely even have control over the design of the project.

S AV I N G S A N DY I S L A N D

Sandy Island, 12,000 acres between the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers, is truly unique. It harbors one of the most extensive mature longleaf pine forests in private hands on the East Coast. On its southeastern end, a community of black residents—descendants of the Reverend Phillip Washington, a freed slave—live along meandering unpaved roads on family lands tenaciously held for many generations. During the school year, island children take the state’s only “school boat” to the mainland.

In the mid-1990s, two of the state’s wealthiest and most powerful businessmen purchased three-quarters of the island and proposed to build a bridge to the northern end, ostensibly for timber harvesting, but actually to facilitate a massive resort development. The Conservation League collaborated with the island community over the course of five years to oppose the bridge—which would have afforded only very limited access to existing residents—and ultimately succeeded in persuading the owners to sell their share of the island to the State of South Carolina, thus preserving the unique ecology and stabilizing the historic community. Today the property, adjacent to the community, is owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed as a unit of the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, with free and open access to the public.

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Sandy Island was one of our earliest, big success stories.

There were so many inspiring, exciting and funny moments that it’s hard to pick just one. So here are two.

The prospects for working with the Sandy Island residents initially did not look encouraging. I had spoken to Emory Campbell and Joe McDomick about contacting the Sandy Islanders regarding a proposed bridge that would usher in resort development—threatening the very existence of this nearly 150-year-old community. Emory was the Executive Director of the Penn Center on St. Helena Island and Joe was head of the land program. Both were deeply concerned about the loss of land owned by black residents.

Emory had grown up in the Spanish Wells neighborhood of Hilton head Island and had witnessed the development of the island, which had caused the near elimination of traditional black communities there. Likewise, Joe was working to help landowners all around the Lowcountry deal with the variety of problems they faced— from deficient property titles, to developers trying to convince one family member to sell an interest in property and then forcing a sale of the remainder.

Joe first met a delegation of Sandy Island leaders at the Brookgreen Gardens boat landing near Georgetown, directly across from the island. He said they appeared somewhat suspicious and asked whether he had brought them any jobs. Things went uphill from there, fortunately, as they developed a level of trust around shared experiences. Though St. Helena and Sandy Island lay on opposite ends of the South Carolina coast, they had much in common. Eventually the Sandy Island residents became the strongest advocates for protection of the island.

I remember one meeting convened by the Coast Guard in the old Murray Vocational School in Charleston. The Sandy Islanders had rented a bus to come down to the hearing.

David Farren, then with the Southern Environmental Law Center, Trenholm Walker (attorney representing the community) and I also attended. When we walked in, the surly commander of the Coast Guard permitting section said to us, “This is not a public meeting and you cannot sit in.”

Monty Paulson, a reporter with The State who had covered the Sandy Island saga, turned to the Coast Guard officer and said, “Would you excuse me while I have my photographer come in and take photographs of you throwing us out of this meeting?” The officer conceded to allow us to stay, but we were told to sit along the wall in the back. And there we sat, while agency representatives debated the future of the island.

The protection of Sandy Island was a stunning display of hard work, vigilance, and good luck. I am still grateful to the owners, Roger Milliken and Craig Wall, for their willingness to endorse a resolution that was so favorable to the community, the environment and the future; and grateful to the Sandy Island community, for their perseverance and good will.

Dana Beach

In the 1990s, the Conservation League partnered with residents to save Sandy Island from development and preserve its ecological and historical resources.

Clockwise from top: A small group of Conservation League staff and supporters welcomed Laura to the Lowcountry with a boat trip to Bulls Island in late December.

From left: Chris Crolley (Coastal Expeditions), Laura Cantral, Nancy Appel, Lisa Jones-Turansky, Jennifer Richard, Tina Allen, Judy Appel, Margot Rose, Virginia Beach, Anne Moss, Margaret Garrett, and Katy Huger.

The Conservation League and GrowFood Carolina hosted a book signing by Charlotte

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Caldwell, author of The Faces of Local Food: Celebrating the People Who Feed Us. More than 50 people attended the March event, including Jody McAuley and Jeffery Schutz.

Author Charlotte Caldwell reflected on her experiences interviewing and photograping South Carolina producers and the critical role they play in a sustainable food system.

At the book signing, GrowFood Carolina Sales and Marketing Manager Alison Pierce caught up with Holy City Brewing’s Joey Siconolfi.

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Top photo by Charlotte Caldwell; remaining photos by Caitie Forde-Smith

OUT AND ABOUT

OUT AND ABOUT

controlled burns and the restoration of native forests.

Land, Water & Wildlife Project Manager Caroline Bradner spoke to students at Sullivan’s Island Elementary School about plastic pollution and the importance of keeping waterways clean and plastic-free.

Communications Director Caitie Forde-Smith visited students at Mount Pleasant’s Laing Middle School of Science and Technology. The students recently built energy-producing windmills out of recycled materials.

Top left photo by Caitie Forde-Smith; remaining photos by Jasmine Gil

Clockwise from top left: Communities and Transportation Project Manager Betsy La Force led tours of the garden at GrowFood Carolina ahead of April’s Harvest Dinner. The annual event, organized by GrowFood, the Green Heart Project and Meeting Street Academy, celebrates the young students who tend to the warehouse garden.

Community Outreach Coordinator Jasmine Gil represented the Conservation League at SEWEE Fire Fest, a festival that featured education on

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OUT AND ABOUT

Verity, and Vicki Verity.

Guests and staff from left: Communities and Transportation Program Director Jason Crowley, Michelle Sinkler, Charles Duell, Sallie Duell, and Christopher Bryant.

Guests and staff from left: State Senator Marlon Kimpson, Laura Cantral, and Government Relations Director Merrill McGregor.

Guests and staff from left: Dr. Rob Young, Barbara Neale, and South Coast Office Director Kate Schaefer.

David Strauss

Clockwise from top: Coastal Conservation League supporters attended a January celebration at the William Aiken House in Charleston to honor Founder Dana Beach and meet new Executive Director Laura Cantral. At the event, Conservation League Board Vice Chair Ceara Donnelley announced that nearly $450,000 had been raised to support the Dana Beach Natural Habitat Conservation Fund.

Guests from left: Susan Leister, Craig Leister, Bill Agnew, Joan Schmaltz, Dick Schmaltz, Jon

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SNAPSHOT

Fix Flooding First

Jared Bramblett

The Coastal Conservation League and a diverse, inclusive group of community members and organizations have launched a campaign urging our elected officials to identify funding and solutions to address flooding in Charleston County. Join our movement on Facebook and at fixfloodingfirst.org.

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C O M M U N I T I E S A N D T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

THE FIGHT FOR THE ASHLEY RIVER HISTORIC DISTRICT

By Jason Crowley • Communities and Transportation Program Director

We say it often, and we mean it every time: we could not do this critical work without you. No project reflects this truth more than our decades-long campaign to protect the Ashley River Historic District from development.

For more than 15 years, we have worked closely with a diverse coalition of supporters, landowners, and partners to preserve the unique cultural and ecological resources of the district and its 24,000 acres, spanning multiple municipalities in Charleston and Dorchester Counties.

The district’s unique landscape was shaped by enslaved Africans who cultivated inland and tidal rice fields before and during the Civil War. 17

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The district embodies more than history, namely the headwaters of Church Creek and part of its drainage basin, which serves as a natural solution for flooding. As residents in West Ashley have witnessed in recent years, when development outpaces nature’s ability to react to storms and rising water, catastrophic flooding can occur downstream—making the district critical to protecting the past and the future.

NOT NEW BY DESIGN

The Conservation League began conserving land in the district in the early 2000s when a developer proposed building 6,000 houses adjacent to it. In response, we

Andy Hollis

A U N I Q U E T I M E A N D P L AC E

worked with the owners of Millbrook, Uxbridge and Middleton Plantations to preserve more than 10,000 acres in the district and persuade the developer to conserve half of its parcel. The development’s footprint was cut in half, and 13,000 acres were permanently protected.

Years later, when another development proposal surfaced, the Conservation League called on the same conservation-minded landowners to help block construction on a tract known as Watson Hill. We partnered with the City of Charleston and the Town of Summerville and collected the signatures of 22 landowners, who agreed to annex a string of parcels to create a “municipal wall” that would prevent the developer from annexing land into the City of North Charleston. The municipalities went to court, and ultimately we were not able to stop the transfer of land to North Charleston. Still, the major development stalled, while the Conservation League helped put a conservation easement on much of the Watson Hill land.

As our region continues to grow, we doubt that the battle to save the district will end any time soon. And after each threat, our collective determination—from landowners, conservationists, and even elected leaders—grows stronger, more unified, and more effective.

cel’s value, we worked with Charleston’s City Council to annex more than 5,000 acres.

After the City of Charleston approved the 75 percent annexation request, the Conservation League, district landowners, and the City of Charleston banded together to create rural zoning that matches Charleston County’s rural zoning. The City’s new rural zoning code limits density in parts of the district that are outside of the Urban Growth Boundary to just one unit per eight acres. This is a tremendous victory for conservation and historic preservation; it is the first time ever City officials have applied strong rural zoning to annexed land.

Thanks to selfless landowners in the district, a history of collaborative conservation work, and a little creative problem-solving, the Ashley River Historic District remains a protected rural corridor today.

And most of all, thank you for supporting our efforts.

Significant outreach from Conservation League members, who we engaged through emails, social media and local media, motivated Charleston City Council’s decision. Nearly 200 letters were sent to Councilmembers ahead of a meeting to discuss the annexation. We could not protect places like the Historic District without our partners and advocates like you.

U N D E R T H R E AT

In the fall of 2017, landowners in the district donated one acre to North Charleston to set up a subsequent annexation of a 2,200-acre parcel, known as the Whitfield tract, into the City of North Charleston. This attempt immediately raised red flags for the Conservation League, our members, landowners in the Historic District, and our preservation partners for two reasons.

First, the annexation was illegal under state law. The National Trust for Historic Preservation owns a small strip of land, between Highway 61 and the Whitfield tract, that is under the jurisdiction of the City of Charleston. Therefore, contiguity does not exist to support the Whitfield tract’s annexation into North Charleston.

Second, unlike the City of Charleston, North Charleston has yet to adopt Charleston County’s Urban Growth Boundary, which establishes a boundary to concentrate development in appropriate places and conserve agricultural and rural land outside of the boundary. In its failure to recognize the Urban Growth Boundary, North Charleston risked opening the district’s doors to development, exacerbating flood problems for residents near Church Creek, and destroying significant cultural and ecological resources.

A young alligator sunbathes in the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The garden is a part of the threatened 24,000-acre Ashley River Historic District.

Andy Hollis

AC T I O N TO CO U N T E R -A N N E X

Once again, we called on our partners, nearby landowners and like-minded advocates, to help us address the threat. Building on our legacy of conservation in the district, we knew we could facilitate a counter-annexation by the City of Charleston. Why is annexation into the City of Charleston good for the district? It comes down to zoning—a vital detail that determines the fate of a community.

Through a 75 percent annexation request, where most landowners hold 75 percent of the proposed annexed par-

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U.S. Representative Mark Sanford addresses a crowd of more than 300 at the State House, organized against offshore oil and gas drilling.

A RALLY TO PROTECT OUR COAST An Anti-Drilling Rally at the State House Demonstrates Conservation League’s Grassroots Power

By Stephanie Hunt • Contributing Writer

ebruary 13 was not the usual drill. There were lobster hats, for one. And colorful handmade posters from passionate, ocean-loving fifth graders of Ashley River Creative Arts School.

Plus busloads of South Carolinians from every corner of the state–all for a Tuesday morning, mid-winter rally. Indeed, the 300-strong throng of protestors decrying offshore drilling, spearheaded largely by the Coastal Conservation League, felt more like a raucous, feisty celebration of activism than a public hearing.

“A successful rally should feel a little thrown together, grassrootsy and kind of organic,” says Jasmine Gil, the Conservation League’s Community Outreach Coordinator, who masterminded the Columbia event to send the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) a clear signal that the majority of South Carolinians oppose drilling along our coast. “But a lot of work goes into 19

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Andy Hollis

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Ahead of the weekday rally and federal hearing in Columbia, the Conservation League organized buses from Beaufort, Charleston, Mur-

making it look like it just happened off-the-cuff,” Gil adds.

By scheduling their only South Carolina public hearing on opening the state’s coastline to drilling for a Tuesday during the workday (the hearing was scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m.), in Columbia no less, as opposed to a coastal location, BOEM played its cards so as to make Gil’s job even harder. But this is where the Conservation League’s decades of local organizing paid off.

“We set to work tackling the chaotic logistics of coordinating transportation from central locations along the entire coast, as well as the Upstate, while simultaneously planning the rally program and media coverage for the entire day,” says Gil. Kate Schaefer from the Conservation League’s South Coast office rallied Beaufort-area conservationists, as Erin Pate, director of North Coast operations, did with Georgetown-area members. Gil coordinated with the Sierra Club, the Women’s March, the League of Women Voters and Audubon South Carolina to fill buses from the Upstate. “This issue has statewide ramifications far beyond our beach communities. It was important to energize activists outside of our usual cohorts,” adds Gil, who handled details ranging from identifying and prepping key speakers to plotting out bathroom breaks for bus riders. Of the more than 300 people who rallied at the State House, garnering statewide and national media coverage, 125 arrived on the four buses that the Conservation League organized.

“A big challenge was re-igniting passion for an issue that many thought had already been won,” notes Schaefer, referring to the prolonged battle begun in 2010, when President Obama opened the Atlantic coast to offshore drilling exploration. At that time, the Conservation League coordinated with its partners to oppose drilling, which threatens our coastal environments, clean water, 21

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marine wildlife, and natural landscapes, as well as the state’s economy. A leading group, Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA), organized by former Conservation League board member Goffinet McLaren, was instrumental in getting coastal towns and counties to sign resolutions opposing offshore drilling. To date, only one state legislator, Stephen Goldfinch (R-District 34), maintains support for offshore drilling and 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 sounds known to people—loud enough to cause serious injury to marine life.

In 2016, the Obama administration indefinitely banned seismic testing and drilling along the Atlantic coast and in the Arctic. Last spring, President Donald Trump, signed an executive order during his first week in office, reversing this decision and opening some parts of the Atlantic coast to offshore drilling for the first time in 30 years.

“When issues like this unfold at the federal level, the process often feels out of reach for our local voices,” says Schaefer. “Our job becomes empowering our constituents to take action and to find, yet again, that ‘will to win’ that we had in 2015 and 2016. We have to make the federal process feel local, winnable, and personal.”

And not boring, which can be easier said than done, suggests Gil, who admits that enduring a BOEM hearing “is about as fascinating as watching paint dry.” To keep post-rally energy and momentum going throughout that Tuesday (many bus riders had been up since 5 a.m.), the Conservation League reserved a room next to the BOEM hearing for pre-gaming, so to speak.

“The room was packed,” notes Gil. Attendees heard from leaders and stakeholders, ask questions, and finalize their public comment letters. Meanwhile, Erin on the North Coast arranged for those gathered for the South-

Left photo by Andy Hollis; center by Jasmine Gil; right by Emily Cedzo

rells Inlet and Greenville, held local meetings on the federal drilling plan, and leveraged media coverage to drive activist participation.

Drilling Down on the Numbers Your action matters—whether you showed up for the rally, signed the petition or spent money to support our naturebased economy.

RALLY ATTENDEES:

300+ eastern Regional Sea Turtle Conference in Myrtle Beach to join the BOEM hearing by Skype.

The rally and BOEM hearing on February 13 proved, once again, that grassroots organizing is still advocacy’s most effective tool. Ahead of the rally, the Conservation League sponsored local meetings along the coast that focused on three things: educating about the issue and associated risks and opportunities; giving activists tangible action items (submitting comments, contacting legislators, attending the rally); and simply generating a sense of camaraderie and optimism at the community level.

“Ultimately, these local meetings showed our prowess in local organizing, keeping an issue current and real to people, and moving folks up the ladder of engagement from receiving an email, signing a petition, attending a local meeting to travelling to Columbia for a rally and continuing to fight for our coast,” says Schaefer.

And the payoff doesn’t end with an impressive turnout and an energizing rally at the State House. The task ahead, she suggests, “is to harness these activists’ passion for protecting the coast on this rather obvious issue and translate it to the more complex downstream issues, including the intricacies of energy planning beyond ‘no offshore drilling,’ wildlife protection beyond ‘no seismic testing’ and land use decisions beyond ‘no onshore infrastructure,’” all efforts that need a strong legion of activists today and into the future. Leading the way on this next-step advocacy is just what the Conservation League is poised to do, says Executive Director Laura Cantral.

“I was so proud to see our team’s collaboration and smart groundwork pay off with such a strong showing on the offshore drilling issue,” says Cantral. “We will continue to educate and rally our supporters and citizens with the same tried-and-true grassroots advocacy muscles that we keep in top shape and know how to flex.”

BUS RIDERS TO THE RALLY:

125 PETITION SIGNERS :

3,105 EAST COAST COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE PASSED NO-DRILL RESOLUTIONS:

196 SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE PASSED NO-DRILL RESOLUTIONS:

25 SOUTH CAROLINA’S ANNUAL TOURISM INDUSTRY REVENUE:

$21.2 BILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT OF SOUTH CAROLINA’S NATURAL RESOURCE-BASED SECTORS:

$33.4 BILLION Sources: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism; Oceana; Clemson University.

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Photographer Robert Llewellyn captured a sweeping bird’s-eye view of tidal freshwater marsh near Sandy Island. Read more about the Conservation League’s efforts to protect the island on Page 11.

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Kristy Johnson

STAY ROOTED Root yourself in South Carolina forever. Dig deep and ensure lasting protection of our state’s natural resources, communities and coastal quality of life. To make a legacy gift or for more information, visit coastalconservationleague.org/planned-giving or contact Director of Development Nancy Appel at nancya@scccl.org or (843) 723-9895.

T

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 coastalconservationleague.org.

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Meeting Street Academy students dig their hands into garden dirt at GrowFood Carolina during the annual Green Heart Harvest Dinner.

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