Greenwood Fall 2023

Greenwood

A Publication of the Dataw Island Conservancy

Fall 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page(s)

Article

Author

3--4

President's Corner

Anne Hale Miglarese

5

Nature’s Night Out

Anne Hale Miglarese

6

Conservancy Nature Talk

Pete Bongiovanni

7

Birds Of Prey – Camp Dataw

Guy Apicella

8 --10

The Dataw Honeybees

Anne Hale Miglarese

11

Ecology Guide Update

Guy Apicella

12

Volunteer Spotlight

Anne Hale Miglarese

13

Tallow Tree Removal Program

Guy Apicella

14-15

Monarchs In the Rough

Lori Thompson

16

Olli Tour Of Oak Island

John Claussen

Special thanks to our greenwood editor - michelle seal

The Dataw Island Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)organization formed in 2012 by the DIC and DIOA boards. Since that time, it has worked to conserve, maintain and manage the natural areas and habitats of the Island and its surrounds; and encourage an appreciation of, and interest in, the Island’s natural resources by the residents of Dataw Island. If you are interested in finding out more about the Dataw Island Conservancy's work, please click below to email: DATAW CONSERVANCY

From Our President…

Anne Hale Miglarese 2023 is almost in the rear-view mirror so it is a good time to reflect on what the Conservancy accomplished with your support.

Through our conservation activities, publications, and events, the Dataw Island Conservancy is dedicated to educating and connecting people with nature, safeguarding wildlife, and Dataw Islands natural resources. Our activities are organized under four main activities. I am happy to report that we accomplished over 90 % of our planned activities this year.

A major objective of the Conservancy is accomplished through our Outreach and Education activities. This year we hosted two Nature Talks, one on the snakes of Dataw and the other on the de Nemours plantation. With the support of one of our most dedicated volunteers, Mark Pritchard, we published fifty-two issues One Minute of Nature articles on the flora and fauna specific to Dataw. We hosted an Osher Lifelong Learning class and provided a guided tour of Oak Island. We transitioned this Newsletter to an all-digital publication saving significant funds and allowing us to publish more material. We hosted the Marsh Memorial Cruise aboard the Salty Dog and toured Port Royal Sound…a good time was had by all. In mid-October we celebrated our members at Nature’s Night Out. We also supported Camp Dataw by underwriting the Birds of Prey activity. And finally, we used some of our precious financial resources to support other non-profits in the region such as the Port Royal Foundation and St Helena Library.

A major focus of our activities this year fell under our Habitat Management & Conservation Objective. With long-term facilities planning underway on the Island, it was incumbent on the Conservancy to express our concern for the remaining natural areas owned by DIC and DIOA. We updated the Landcover map of the Island and supplied the maps to club management and the Ad hoc committees as input to their planning process. We also identified to the DIOA and DIC Boards the remaining lots owned by the Island of interest for conservation in the long term.

Two additional large projects were completed this year. We are now finalizing the update to the Dataw Ecology Guide which will be available to Conservancy members in early 2024. This was a major undertaking supported by many dedicated volunteers. Thank you to Gerry Mueller for text editing and Guy Apicella for leading this effort. Our second major project completed this year was the Plant and Tree Identification program on Oak Island. A special thank you to Dwight Ellerbe and Kevin Ryan for their 2.5-year dedication to accomplishing this beneficial amenity as you walk and appreciate Oak Island. ……Continued next page

In concert with the Dataw Island Garden Club we established a Wildlife Habitat Certification program in accordance with the National Wildlife Federation criteria for individual residential backyard participation. We have presented flags to residents who successfully met the requirements. Through our Electronic Recycling Program, we ensured 8 truckloads of electronics were properly disposed of. We continue to work with Island management to eradicate the Tallow Trees on the Island through our Tallow Tree program. And finally, we expanded the Monarchs in the Rough Program behind Cotton Dike 13 green. Though we were met with mixed success on this effort we are doubling our efforts on this activity for 2024.

When I think of the natural resources of Dataw, I think first of the trees and shrubs of the island and then immediately think of the beautiful birds that are entirely dependent on the trees and shrubs. I love watching the painted buntings at my feeders and the herons roosting on a dead tree in my back yard. One of the Conservancy most embraced activities is our Great Backyard Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count which is a part of our Bird Habitat and Education Objective. Over 70 residents participated in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count and recorded 91 species and 5369 individual birds, while 50 residents participated in the Christmas Bird Count and identified 95 species and 5,552 individual birds. We worked in concert with the golf course superintendent to manage and monitor the Bluebird, Purple Martin, and owl boxes and assist in paying for repairs. This year we also brought honeybees to the Island as you see in the bee article in this edition of Greenwood.

Our final objective is to Strengthen Conservancy Governance and Operations and ensure we are good stewards of the funding you so generously contribute. This year our focus was on increasing our membership and streamlining our operations by automating as much as possible.

I am happy to report we met our membership goal and exceeded our fundraising goal. Further we implemented Mailchimp as a tool to monitor and automate communication with our members. We also transitioned to digital payments using Zeffy which significantly improved our efficiency with tracking our fundraising and facilitated direct payment to our bank.

I hope you have noticed that we upped our game on branding and marketing activities ensuring that our communications are well written, graphically pleasing and most importantly informative, while dramatically cutting our printing budget. Finally, our efforts are most successful when we embrace the work of new volunteers. We succeeded in increasing the number of Island residents who support our programs by donating their time and we will aggressively push on this activity next year as well.

As we welcome in 2024 we are planning an aggressive schedule of activities and events for the new year. We welcome your ideas on new activities, and we would love for you to directly participate in our programs. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I wish you a happy New Year and thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Anne

Nature's Night Out Celebrates Dataw Island Conservancy Anne Hale Miglarese On October 15th, the Dataw Island Conservancy hosted its annual membership celebra<on event, Nature's Night Out, under a big white tent on the Marina Lawn. Over 130 people par<cipated in the celebra<on, which featured delicious food from Gullah Grub, music from Gavigan Entertainment, and beau<ful weather.

The event was a great opportunity for members of the community to come together and celebrate the Conservancy's work to protect and preserve the island's natural heritage. Guests enjoyed dancing the night away to classic hits from the 60s and 70s, while also learning more about the Conservancy's important mission.

We were thrilled to see so many people come out and support the Conservancy. It was a wonderful evening to celebrate our island's natural beauty and the many ways that the Conservancy is working to protect it.

The Conservancy would like to thank everyone who aNended Nature's Night Out, our volunteers who organized the event, and Gullah Grub and Gavigan Entertainment for their support. The event was a resounding success, and the Conservancy is grateful for the community's support.

Conservancy Nature Talk Pete Bongiovanni We had an excellent turnout at the Community Center for “Snakes of the Lowcountry,” presented by Bray’s Island naturalist and herpetologist Jacob Zadik (a.k.a. Jake the Snake). Jake is a biology graduate of The College of Charleston, has worked as an environmental interpreter in South Carolina, and has contributed to numerous research projects, some taking him all the way to Ecuador! His passion for snakes led him to become a cofounder of South Carolina Partners of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SCPARC).

Jake opened his talk with slides of all the many snakes we could encounter here on Dataw and surrounding areas. He walked us through the habitats, feeding sources and whether specific snakes were harmless or venomous. Beautiful, harmless corn snakes reside in woods, farms and trash piles. They are constrictors and eat rodents and small birds. Black racers can grow to six feet in length and will move fast across the ground when you come near them. The common King snake has a medium girth, is black with a bold black and white chain pattern, and consumes other snakes, including venomous ones! We also saw hognose, water, and garter snakes, among many others.

We then ventured into the venomous realm of coral, cottonmouth, three species of rattler and, finally, the copperhead. Jake has done considerable research on the copperhead in the Lowcountry. The copperhead is coppery red in color, with Hershey kisses (or hourglass if you prefer) shaped bands that are wide on the sides.

It has a triangular shaped head. It resides in wooded hills, rocky outcrops and along the foundations of houses and barns as it waits to catch scurrying rodents. Be careful, because the copperhead will strike if threatened and it is venomous.

You can tell snakes are Jake's passion as he easily conveys his knowledge in an engaging and pleasant way. His presentation was thoroughly interesting and informative! If you want to know more just log on to www.SCPARC.org.

Birds of Prey Exhibition at Camp Dataw Guy Apicella

The Dataw Island Conservancy sponsored a nature presentation for campers and their families on July 14, 2023. Addie Carter, an educator with the Center for the Birds of Prey located in Awendaw, SC, showed a number of raptors to the group seated on the grass in back of the Clubhouse. She displayed a fledgling spectacled owl and said that owls have the ability to turn their heads 270 degrees, but not in a complete circle. Addie also brought an American Kestrel and demonstrated its impressive flight just above the heads of the Camp Dataw attendees. Ms. Carter encouraged the young campers to take an interest in nature and to be mindful of the habitat that wild birds need to survive.

A Tale of The Two Sides of Summer for The Dataw Honeybees Anne Hale Miglarese The honeybees at Dataw Island have had a roller coaster of a summer. And since I originally wrote this article, we observed a dramatic development that required me to put pen to paper and come to a far different conclusion.

Honeybees are the epitome of social insects, living in bustling colonies that resemble miniature cities. At the heart of every colony lies the queen bee, the matriarch who rules with an ironclad ovipositor. She's the only bee in the colony capable of laying eggs, ensuring the continued existence of the hive.

Worker bees, all female of course, form the backbone of the colony, tirelessly toiling away to keep the hive running smoothly. They're the nurses, the food gatherers, the cleaners, and the architects, meticulously constructing the honeycomb that serves as their home and honey storage facility.

Then there are the drones, the male bees whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen. They're the loafers of the hive, living a life of leisure until the time comes to fulfill their destiny. Once they've mated, their work is done, and they promptly perish.

Communication within the honeybee hive is a complex symphony of pheromones, dances, and sounds. Pheromones are like chemical airmail, conveying messages about food sources, danger, and even potential mates. Dances, on the other hand, are like elaborate choreographies, indicating the location of nectar-filled flowers and the direction back to the hive. And sounds, ranging from alarm buzzes to queen toots, serve as urgent warnings or royal announcements.

Our Dataw hives started the summer on a high note, buzzing with activity and producing honey at an impressive rate. However, July brought an unwelcome turn of events. Sneaky beetles and industrious ants infiltrated one of the hives, causing chaos and threatening to bring the colony down.

Quick action was needed by our trusty beekeepers. They sprinkled cinnamon and diatomaceous earth around the hives, creating an impenetrable barrier to the pests. Additionally, they placed beetle traps inside the hive to catch any remaining intruders.

The extreme heat of late July and August posed another challenge. Our bees, however accustomed to the balmy Lowcountry climate, struggled to cope with the scorching temperatures.

To make matters worse, a neighbor reported a swarm of bees taking up residence in their backyard for three days.

The swarm eventually disappeared, leaving us perplexed as to its origin.

After careful observation, we concluded that the queen bee from one of our hives had flown off with a significant portion of her worker bees, leaving behind a weakened colony at the Butterfly Garden.

The remaining bees managed to produce a new queen, but her immaturity cast a shadow over their survival.

To ensure the survival of our precious pollinators, our beekeepers made the difficult decision to combine the two hives into one structure. This delicate procedure involved carefully stacking the box from the weak hive on top of the strong hive, separating the two colonies with newspaper.

The newspaper served as a temporary barrier, allowing the bees to gradually acclimate to each other's pheromones and avoid a disastrous clash.

Dataw Honeybees.. Continued In early October, we sought the expertise of the Lowcountry Beekeepers Association, hoping for guidance in navigating the challenges facing our hives. Unfortunately, their inspection revealed the absence of a queen in the combined hive, a dire situation that would inevitably lead to the colony's demise.

Fortunately, the consulting beekeeper offered a lifeline, agreeing to care for the remaining worker bees in her Cottageville apiary for the winter. She promised to return them to us in early March 2024, ensuring the continuity of our honeybee population.

Packing up the bees for their trip to Cottageville is not something I will soon forget. Barbie Priest and I drove 1.5 hours at night, down rural roads that make Old Sheldon Church road look like a well-lit suburban thoroughfare, only to arrive at Bee City Petting Zoo and Café. A compound alive in Christmas lighting, over 10 acres, with tigers, cobras, and giraffes, not to mention a few more mundane animals like alligators etc.

We were warmly welcomed at the November meeting of the Lowcountry Beekeepers Association and transferred the bees to their new keeper. While we bid them farewell, we eagerly await their return in the spring. We have also made arrangements to purchase another hive in early March, so by the first of April we should have two strong hives residing at the Butterfly garden once again.

Now for the good news. Our Dataw Bees make great honey, and we were able to harvest enough to have a limited sale to Dataw Island Conservancy members in early 2024. We will raffle off the first quart in January and will sell a limited number of pints thereafter. We are in the process of bottling the honey now and will publish an email to the membership early in the new year on its availability.

Ecology Guide Gets an Update Guy Apicella The Conservancy published the Dataw Island Ecology Guide in 2020 as a component of its Habitat Management Plan. We distributed almost 250 printed copies of it to our supporters who donated $50 or more and requested a hardcopy. Since the supply was running low earlier this year, we began to update the document to reflect recent sources of information. For example, telephone numbers to contact agencies for additional information in the original EG have been changed to websites for direct and immediate access.

Some photographs that have appeared in One Minute of Nature, the weekly email by Mark Pritchard, are included in the Second Edition, as well as content about certain flora and fauna. The status of Conservancy programs, such as the annual bird counts, bluebird and purple martin monitoring as well as the tallow tree removal program are summarized.

We are in the process of final editing and expect to print copies of the updated Ecology Guide by the end of this year. A digital version will be uploaded to the Conservancy’s web page on dataw.com. Keep an eye out for our annual supporters drive in March to donate and receive your own hard copy.

Volunteer Spotlight: Peter Pearks: A Dedicated Protector of Dataw's Natural Beauty

Anne Hale Miglarese Dataw Island is home to a vibrant community of individuals who are deeply committed to preserving the island's natural beauty and unique ecosystems. Among these dedicated individuals is Peter Pearks, a 25-year resident who has been an integral part of the Dataw Island Conservancy since its inception in 2012.

Peter moved to Dataw from Japan in search of a community that cherished nature and fostered a sense of camaraderie. For the past two decades, he has been actively involved in various conservation efforts, always eager to lend a hand in protecting the island's delicate ecosystems.

One of Peter’s most notable contributions has been his unwavering commitment to the Tallow Tree Terminators, a program dedicated to controlling the spread of invasive Tallow trees. These trees pose a significant threat to the island's native vegetation, and Peter is determined to keep them at bay.

"It's important to maintain a diverse mix of trees on Dataw," he explains. "The Tallow trees, if left unchecked, would eventually become the dominant species, disrupting the natural balance of our island's ecosystem."

Peter's dedication to conservation extends beyond the Tallow Tree Terminators. He has played a key role in creating several informational boards and signs throughout the island, educating residents and visitors about Dataw's unique flora, fauna and history. His passion for woodworking and his love for nature have combined to create valuable assets that enhance the island's natural appeal and certainly help the Dataw Conservancy implement our mission.

When asked about his concerns regarding Dataw's natural resources, Peter emphasizes the importance of preserving the island's limited greenspace. "As we plan for the future of Dataw," he says, "it's crucial to strike a balance between development and conservation. We must ensure that our actions don't come at the expense of the natural beauty that makes Dataw so special."

Peter's commitment to volunteering extends beyond the Conservancy. He actively supports Friends of Hunting Island, Dataw Historic Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and regularly participates in trash cleanup initiatives along Route 21. His willingness to give back to his community is a testament to his selfless nature and unwavering dedication to environmental stewardship.

For Peter, volunteering is more than just giving back; it's a way of life. “All I can say is that volunteering is a great way to spend quality time with others and to pay forward where I can.” Peter is an inspiration to us all, demonstrating the power of individual action to make a positive impact on the environment.

His dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to conservation are invaluable assets to our community.

Tallow Tree Removal Program - Staying Ahead of Any Spread Guy Apicella The Conservancy continues to search for and remove Tallow Trees to maintain a level of control attained through nine years of the Conservancy ’s Tallow Tree Removal Program. Our volunteers, aka Tallow Tree Terminators, keep a close watch on undeveloped lots and Common Ground to “search and destroy” any tallow trees they may find.

On a bright October morning, a group of five volunteers, Peter Pearks, Jim Klein, Mark Pritchard, Jeff Kravis and Guy Apicella, made their way through thickets and brush along Gleasons Landing Drive near Hillfield Lake to find tallows and then “hack and spray” them. A concerted effort

by Landscaping Maintenance, Golf Maintenance and the Conservancy continues to protect the island against the invasive Tallow Tree.

The Tallow Tree has broadly ovate leaves that are heart-shaped. In fact, there is a small Tallow Tree labeled on Oak Island to help you identify the tree. If you find a Tallow Tree, please contact the Conservancy (DatawConservancy@gmail.com) to report its location so we can remove it.

Monarchs in the Rough - Morgan River Pump House Lori Thompson Monarch bu+erflies scien0fically known as Danaus Plexippus derive their name from the Greek term “Sleepy Transforma0on”. Do you have fond memories as a child seeing bu+erfly chrysalis hanging delicately from flower stems or branches? Did you delight in seeing bu+erflies float from one flower to another?

As of Dec 2020, Monarch bu+erflies are candidates for the Endangered Species Act. While they are not currently federally protected, ongoing studies are being conducted to determine their eligibility for this designa0on. As responsible stewards of our habitat and the environment, it is crucial that we all contribute to Monarch conserva0on efforts.

Three years ago, Pete Bongiovanni ini0ated a project to a+ract Monarchs to visit the flower garden where they can pollinate and reproduce.

The garden enhances the aesthe0c appeal of this area but also serves as a sanctuary for the bu+erflies.

Monarchs will sip nectar from many different flowers, but they specifically require Milkweed.

Milkweed is a host plant to lay their eggs and support the larvae which undergo the mesmerizing “transforma0on” emerging into the beau0ful orange and black bu+erflies.

Recent publica0ons from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) highlight the unique popula0on of Monarch bu+erflies that inhabit the coastal marshes in the summer and seek refuge on barrier islands during the winter. Dataw Island has a rare opportunity to contribute to the survival of these Monarch’s.

The ini0al year of the garden served as learning experience. While some of the flowers and milkweed grew, the soil lacked the necessary amendments and reliance on rainwater proved challenging.

In the second-year addi0onal milkweed seed was added to increase the food availability for the monarchs. Mother Nature provided abundant rainfall, causing some of the flower seeds to wash into the pond below the garden area.

This year a mee+ng was held with Brian Hollingsworth, golf course maintenance director to address the issue. Brian iden+fied a sprinkler system close to the bu>erfly flower garden that could be programmed to water on a rou+ne schedule. Addi+onally, a metal edging was installed to prevent the soil and seeds from being washed away during irriga+on and heavy rains.

Pete ordered the soil amendments and a team of conservancy members, Brian and volunteers showed up one cool spring morning to roto+ll the area. Sixteen cubic feet of soil and amendments were worked into the ground, followed by the sca>ering wildflower and

milkweed seeds.

The irriga+on system on a +mer facilitated seed germina+on and flower growth, However the milkweed seed did not thrive. Nonetheless the flower seeds that did grow display a vibrant array of colors with the presence of many bu>erflies.

Despite frequent monitoring, Monarchs have yet to grace us with their presence.

The goal is for the garden to be self-sustaining, relying on perennial, self-seeding wildflowers and na+ve milkweed. By achieving this we will a>ract Monarchs for our enjoyment, but also be contribu+ng to the recovery of their popula+on

OLLI Tour of Oak Island & New Plant Identification Tags John Claussen

On October 11, twenty-five students from the USCB Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) toured Oak Island. They were among the first to see and use the plant identification tags now placed on trails of the island. The tags are arboretum quality, providing the scientific and common names of trees, bushes and grasses. There are now seventy tags on the trails with an ultimate target of over one hundred-fifty tags covering sixty-eight species of plants.

The OLLI tour was hosted by the Conservancy and led by Michael Murphy, a veteran arborist and representative of the Old Growth Forest Network. Michael added great personal insight into the botany of the Lowcountry, and Bill Riski of the Historic Foundation led off the tour with a short, colorful history of Oak Island. Dataw residents and guests visiting the island have no need for a botanist tour guide, however. The plant tags have QR codes which connect the user to the NC State Extension Service for a detailed botanical description of the plants. The quality of the identification tags is due to the significant volunteer efforts of Dwight Ellerbe and Kevin Ryan.

During the winter months some of the plants on the island will be less recognizable than they are now, so tour Oak Island soon. Then come back next spring and summer when the island will be in full bloom with a full complement of identification tags

We Sincerely Appreciate

Your

Support!