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VOLUME 17 ISSUE 16
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
Put a Sticker on It… Or Not
Oh, Deer!
BY THERESA STRATFORD
W
For The Island Connection
hen the Kiawah Goes Green initiative began in the early summer of this year, with Council Member Michael Heidingsfelder at the helm, they knew that educating the community on environmentally friendly efforts would be the main objective. The reason being: Green initiatives are only as good as the community buy-in. This is definitely the case with the recent recycling challenges on Kiawah Island. Due to co-mingling many garbage items with recyclable items, the Island’s recycling contractor, Carolina Waste, has to dump much of the community’s recyclables into the landfill, rather than at the recycling center. Contaminated recyclables cannot be sorted out at the recycling center, and therefore the loads become trash. Some communities on Kiawah Island have notoriously contaminated their recycling bins with trash. In order to mitigate this issue, the Kiawah Goes Green working group suggested placing stickers on all the recycling cans on the Island. This initiative came before the Town Council for approval at the October 3 meeting as a recommendation from the Ways and Means Committee. The proposal was for 8,000 stickers, which would cost about $21,000. These stickers would go on the residential recycling cans. Council Member John Moffitt said, “To buy 8,000 stickers for $21,000, most of which will never be read, doesn’t seem like a prudent use of money. I support the effort to not co-mingle the stuff and to do a better job of recycling, but I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem to be a prudent use of funds.” Council Member Russ Berner agreed. “I’m just (continued on page 2) surprised we have to do all this. I have concerns on
Nothing But Support for the Urban Growth Boundary UNANIMOUS ON KIAWAH BY THERESA STRATFORD
I
For The Island Connection
t was unanimous, and as Kiawah Island’s Mayor John Labriola put it, “We had some very nice things said about us, so let’s take advantage of it.” He was talking about the overwhelming support that the Town of Kiawah Island has for Charleston County’s Urban Growth Boundary, which would prevent urban development going out towards the Sea Islands and over toward some of the farmlands on Johns Island. Kiawah Island’s Planning Manager John Taylor spoke about what supporting the urban growth boundary really means for the town at the October 3 town council meeting. By definition, the urban growth boundary is a growth management tool implemented by local governments to clearly define two distinct growth management areas, rural areas and urban/suburban areas. An urban growth boundary circumscribes a region which is utilized as a guide by local governments for land use decisions and by utility and other infrastructure providers to improve long range planning. Taylor said, “At the retreat earlier this year, concerns were expressed about the Town needing to be more attentive to what is happening beyond the front gate to include areas adjacent to (continued on page 3) Freshfields and our front door. This is one of
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s the state’s population increases, and more people commute on South Carolina’s roadways, the chance of deervehicle collisions is greater. Drivers throughout the state should be cautious of roaming white-tailed deer throughout the year, but especially during the rut or breeding season, typically from October to November. Studies show that about 45% of deer-vehicle collisions occur during this time, and it is related to the fact that deer naturally increase their movements related to breeding. Most vehicle collisions occur near dawn and dusk because deer tend to move more during these times. Unfortunately, these are also the times that most humans commute to and from work in their vehicles. Although deer-vehicle collisions are an issue in South Carolina, the state is in a much better position than most states, particularly states in the Northeast and upper Midwest where there are a reported 30,000-50,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually. But there have been more such collisions in South Carolina recently, according to highway data. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety reports about 6,000 deer-vehicle collisions each of the last two years. Sound deer management through regulated annual harvest is the most effective way of curtailing deer-vehicle collisions, but the following common sense rules for driving defensively in deer country will make the trip safer.
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• White-tailed deer are masters at evading predators. However, these same instincts often cause deer to bolt in front of oncoming vehicles. • When deer are sighted well ahead of the vehicle, sound the horn several times, flick headlights (if no oncoming traffic is present), and reduce the vehicle’s speed. • If deer are sighted only a short distance in front of the vehicle, these same techniques - horn and flicking lights - may spook the deer into running across the road, so, in that case, it’s best to just slow down. • Always anticipate another deer if you see one or more crossing the highway, and do not expect the deer to get out of the way. • Most serious injuries occur when the motorist loses control of the vehicle in an effort to avoid a deer and hits an immovable object like a tree or embankment. If a collision with a deer is imminent, it is best to hit the deer rather than risk losing control of the vehicle. • Motorists should understand that deercrossing signs mark a stretch of road where deer have been hit previously. However, these signs do not mark specific deer trails. Deer may frequently cross for several miles where the signs are posted. • Pay attention to changes in habitat types along the highway. The zone between habitat types is a likely place for deer to cross a road. Creek bottoms and where agricultural fields meet (continued on page 5)
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