2023 Spring Island Trust Annual Report

Page 1


SPRING ISLAND TRUST

2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Photo courtesy of Joan Eckhardt

GREAT HORNED OWL A Great Horned Owl nest was spotted in the Nature Preserves in the spring of 2023. Photo courtesy of Bud Wilfore.

SPRING ISLAND TRUST BOARD MEET OUR NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Sally Swift (Chair)

Tommy Boyle

Dancy Cassell

Gaylynn Golden (Secretary)

Dean Harrigal

Charles Kalmbach (Treasurer)

Ruthann Ray (Club designee)

David Rich (Vice-Chair)

Carin Sherman

Jane Tierney (POA designee)

Mike Wheeler

Betsy Chaffin (Trustee Emerita)

We welcomed Chris Newton as our new Natural Resources Manager in June, bringing his years of experience in land management within the State Parks system as well as on private lands to Spring Island.

Sloane Wiggers joined the team in early 2024 as our new Environmental Educator. Sloane is an experienced educator with former positions at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Rock Eagle 4-H.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Spring Island Trust had a wonderful 2023, and we are excited to share this annual report with you to highlight our year. Our talented team of staff continue to impress me with their dedication, their expertise, and their eagerness to share their passion and knowledge of the lowcountry ecosystem. The collective efforts of this group are impressive, as you’ll see in this report.

Early in the Trust’s history, leadership realized that focusing solely on the island was not enough. Conserving our lands and waters depends on a healthy ecosystem in the Port Royal Sound and beyond. To balance our efforts, the organization’s mission now sits atop four pillars: Member Education, Natural Resources Management, Outreach, and Research & Monitoring.

Member Education is critical to our work on the island. The hub for our programming is the Mobley Nature Center. Faced with humidity-related repairs, the Nature Center underwent its first major renovation since its construction. After the repairs were completed, (including the staff banding together to repaint the interior!), we re-opened with several revamped exhibits, an updated library space that is now even more inviting for your family or club meetings, and refreshed taxidermy specimens. We hope that the Nature Center continues to be your first stop when friends and family visit the island.

With over 1,100 acres of Spring Island protected as Nature Preserves, our Natural Resources Management efforts make these areas a haven for wildlife. Two multi-year projects marked major milestones this year. First, the Memory Trail was completed. Entering to the left of St. Francis, you will find a plaque and an open space for quiet contemplation, featuring stately

Live Oaks. Second, the Duck Ponds have been the focus of several years of active management, and by early 2023 the southern end of the ponds were opened up by removing some trees and dense thickets, making this area more inviting to wading birds and waterfowl during the winter. Throughout the year, these ponds and their canals are home to turtles, frogs, dragonflies, and other aquatic life. Our work here is not complete, but 2023 saw the most dramatic changes in this area in many years.

Our many Outreach projects off-island include Master Naturalist, Native Plant Project, and public presentations. Our Emmy Award winning Coastal Kingdom television program officially became a co-production with South Carolina ETV. This shift brings more production staff time to the show, and an even wider audience to appreciate this impactful nature program. The Trust also collaborated with Nemours Wildlife Foundation to pilot a new, free program for young kids interested in nature. The pilot was a success, and we will have more to share in 2024!

Effective conservation relies on strong science, and the Trust continues to conduct and to support a variety of Research and Monitoring programs. For years, the alligator population on Spring Island has been intensively studied, with methods that provide scientific data as well as effectively hazing animals to maintain their fear of humans. This project added a new collaborator this year, with a graduate student from Clemson studying the diets of alligators and examining the presence of environmental pollutants in the tissues of these animals.

All of the work done by our incredible staff is made possible by your financial support as well as sharing your talents and your time with us. Thank you for all that you do for the Spring Island Trust!

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The Spring Island Trust manages approximately 1,100 acres of land with the goal of maintaining diverse habitats for flora, fauna, and people. This goal is obtained by consulting with regional experts in botany, wildlife, and land management.

PRESCRIBED FIRE

One of the major tools used for land management on Spring Island is prescribed fire. Mimicking naturally occurring fires that were common in the area for millenia, prescribed fire maintains rare habitats by reducing the establishment of species like Sweetgum and Red Maple which tend to dominate an unmanaged area. It also contributes to the safety of the island by eliminating large amounts of combustible material on the ground which could fuel wildfire. Over 900 of the Trust’s 1,100 acres of nature preserves are managed using prescribed fire, typically on a 1-to-3-year rotation. Some burn units require very specific weather conditions for fire to successfully manage the habitat, with effectiveness diminishing during extraordinarily wet seasons.

In 2023, the Trust burned 260 acres as the annual contribution to this effort. The western half of Bigneck, along the Great Salt Pond, was burned, leaving the eastern side for next year. This alternation of burns is based on expert advice to leave half of the winter’s vegetation intact as overwintering homes for the diverse insect community on the island.

MEMORIAL TRAIL OPENING

On February 8th, the Memorial Trail was opened to Members, providing a tranquil space for visitors to remember those who came before us and those who have had myriad impacts on the island. The beginning of the trail, next to St. Francis, is marked with a simple plaque inviting quiet contemplation. The trail takes you through several beautiful openings in the forest that are highlighted by specimen Live Oaks and dotted with benches to pause and reflect.

EXPERT ADVICE

The 30th Annual Land Management Meeting was held on November 9th. Specific areas that were reviewed included the Duck Ponds, Osprey Woods, Star Mountain, Straight Road, Wirebender, Littleneck, and the water control structures of Great Salt Pond.

The Trust staff then formed the 2024 Annual Action Plan based upon the experts’ recommendations and staff priorities, including the 2024 Prescribed Fire Plan to maximize habitat quality on Spring Island.

Experts from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Folk Land Management, National Audubon Society, Nemours Wildlife Foundation, and Clemson University provided land management guidance in 2023.

DEER MANAGEMENT

Managing the deer herd is critical to the long-term ecological health of Spring Island. A healthy herd density is approximately 1 deer per 10 acres in coastal South Carolina. State wildlife biologists have recommended that Spring Island, with approximately 2,500 acres of deer habitat, should have a herd of no more than 250 deer. The objective is to maintain a population density that does not damage the Island’s habitats, as well as a balanced sex and age structure that keeps the deer herd healthy. The 2023 spotlight surveys indicated a healthy population and the harvest quota for the season was based on these spotlight surveys. The management team harvested 41 deer – 21 does and 20 bucks. We appreciate the coordinated effort of the management team to keep safety at the forefront, and to benefit the plant and animal populations that share the island with us.

NATIVE SEEDING PROJECTS ON

SPRING ISLAND

Areas around Waterfall Farm and Walker House Landing served as test sites for planting native pollinator plants. At the farm, the goal was to add flowering plants with staggered bloom times throughout the season. The plantings attracted pollinators, added visual interest, warded off pests with beneficial insects, and provided cut flowers. At Walker House Landing, seeds were selected with an eye towards providing four seasons of structural interest from a combination of native grasses and forbs. Based on the success of these plantings, more fields around Spring Island will be converted with native seed mixes.

LIGHT FOR LONGLEAFS

The intersection of Mobley Oaks Lane and Spring Island Drive was restored to allow more light for Longleaf Pine seedlings to grow. This initiative will be a highly visible example of habitat restoration and management while maintaining the open vista. During the November 2022 Annual Land Management meeting, professionals from around the region recommended a low intensity burn in this area, followed by mowing the patches of taller shrubs and saplings, and removal of some mature Laurel Oaks and Water Oaks. The additional light also allows the Live Oaks and palmettos to flourish.

DUCK PONDS MAINTENANCE

The Duck Ponds provide an important breeding site for amphibians, reptiles, aquatic insects, and bird species. Water levels are maintained by riser boards and are adjusted seasonally to match natural rainfall patterns. Following the advice from our annual Land Management experts’ visit, the Duck Ponds underwent a major transition. We removed encroaching trees to create more open space and reduce the effects of succession. The open, flooded area became a welcome stop for visiting birds. The habitat modification work brought out plants from the seedbank, encouraging a combination of both desirable and undesirable species that we are now managing. In the photo to the left, Sesbania (an aggressive weedy plant) is being managed via mowing.

OUTREACH

Through our outreach programs, the Spring Island Trust interacts with the public and provides guidance for policy makers throughout the region. In addition to running two Master Naturalist classes, Trust educators taught over 35 programs throughout the local community in 2023.

MASTER NATURALIST

2023 saw the graduation of 42 new Master Naturalists, including 13 Spring Island Members. Participants received the best in environmental education with over 72 hours of instruction –mostly in the field rather than in the classroom – by the Trust’s own naturalists and several local guest speakers. The class covers all of the Lowcountry, from Congaree National Park to the marshes of the ACE Basin and the sands of the Atlantic Ocean. The Lowcountry Master Naturalist program continues to be the premier education opportunity for community members to learn about the unique habitats in their backyards. All Spring Island Members are stewards of the habitats on Spring Island, and this class is a great resource to learn more about the diversity of life here. If you are not already on the wait list, please contact Sloane Wiggers swiggers@springislandtrust.org.

SINCE THE SOUTH CAROLINA MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM BEGAN

2,632 MASTER NATURALISTS GRADUATED

OVER

92,000 PEOPLE REACHED DURING VOLUNTEER EVENTS

13,200 ACRES OF LAND IMPACTED FROM VOLUNTEER WORK

COASTAL KIDS

In 2023 the Trust developed a new education program in collaboration with Nemours Wildlife FoundationCOASTAL Kids (Cultivating Outdoor Adventures and Scientific Thinking through Active Learning). COASTAL Kids went through its pilot season during the fall, with six Saturday sessions where kids had hands-on experiences in the saltmarsh, handling birds, seining at Hunting Island, and flipping tin for snakes.

The COASTAL Kids’ program was created to provide children who have an affinity for nature an opportunity for hands-on experience and mentorship from local biologists. The mission is to provide the children of the Lowcountry with fun and engaging hands-on nature experiences inspiring lifetimes of muddy boots, outdoor joy, and conservation advocacy. Many folks in environmental fields had key experiences or people in our lives that introduced them to this profession. Our goal for this program is that the classes will have a lasting impact on the next generation of biologists and conservationists!

WHO BETTER TO PILOT A PROGRAM ABOUT NATURE THAN NATURALISTS’ KIDS? The Trust’s Landscape Ecologist, Matt Turnbull, and Coastal Kingdom cinematographer, Rob Lewis, volunteered their kids to take part in the pilot program.

NATIVE PLANT PROJECT

The Native Plant Project continues to have a huge impact in getting native plants into the hands of local community members. With over 100 species in cultivation and propagation, the Member volunteer project is able to provide an array of native species that are not normally available to landowners. Members sow seeds, water and repot plants, and much more throughout the year, including in the heat of summer and when biting insects become intense. Combined, the Spring and Fall Plant sales sold over 2,000 plants with over 150 community members purchasing plants.

COASTAL KINGDOM

One of the most important accomplishments in 2023 was formalizing our partnership with the South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV). Up until now, the show had been a co-production of the Spring Island Trust and the Beaufort County Channel; moving the partnership to SCETV brings the show to a larger audience and brings production improvements as well. Cinematographer Rob Lewis now works full-time at SCETV and can devote more hours and resources towards the show. This year, the Coastal Kingdom team wrote, filmed and produced six new episodes: “The ACE Basin,” “Signature Species 1,” “Signature Species 2,” “The Saltmarsh,” “The DIY Naturalist,” and “Safety in the Field.” All episodes are available on www.coastalkingdom.com.

The team also worked closely with the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) education department and provided multiple field trips for USCB instructors, students and teacher candidates on how to use Coastal Kingdom for their students.

VOLUNTEERING AS A FAMILY John Pinckney and some of his grandchildren potting native plants before the Spring Plant Sale.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The Spring Island Trust completed over 100 nature programs in 2023!

CAMP SPRING ISLAND

Camp Spring Island is one of the hallmark programs of the Spring Island Trust. Each year, Trust staff create entirely new activities, crafts, and games for campers to explore Spring Island and enjoy unique nature experiences. Some of the activities included: learning how to catch bugs and then using microscopes to further examine them, a tournament to create the best pollinator, and catching turtles and other animals in aquatic traps. As a special treat, Savannah Tie-Dye came out for an afternoon and all campers got to tie dye their own Coastal Kingdom shirt and enjoy some ice cream in the shade of the Nature Center. Thank you to all the Member volunteers that help make Camp Spring Island possible!

A VISIT TO AULD BRASS PLANTATION Spring Island Members spent time exploring Beaufort County and further afield in 2023. The mission of the Trips and Tours Committee is to provide members with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of the Lowcountry history, nature, culture and art.
TRAILBLAZERS Members take the lead on Saturday mornings to share their favorite trail routes around the island. Thank you to Margy Anderson for her dedicated leadership for more than a decade in leading this program!

TRUST TALKS

Thursday night Trust Talks have been a staple of the Spring Island community since their inception over 25 years ago. In 2023, close to 30 talks were held in season, with an average of 100 Members and guests enjoying cocktails and learning. Some of the most popular programs included a sneak peek of upcoming Coastal Kingdom episodes from Tony Mills, a presentation by Member David Roscoe about artificial intelligence, and a presentation from historian John McCardell about the Civil War. You can watch many of the past Trust Talks on the Trust’s YouTube channel.

Scan this QR code or visit the Trust’s YouTube channel to view over 100 past lectures! www.youtube.com/@SpringIslandTrust

HOME SITE VISITS

The Trust’s Landscape Ecologist Matt Turnbull serves as a valuable resource for property owners by providing technical advice about managing the undeveloped portions of their property, and how to maintain or improve the landscape around their home. Matt made a record 310 site visits in 2023 as compared to 224 site visits in 2022 (which was a record-high year itself!). In addition to the benefits to existing property owners, these site visits have become a way to give new property owners an orientation to their homesite’s habitat as well as learning site-specific information about selection of landscaping plants, vista pruning, nature curtain management, and tree removal.

To schedule a site visit contact Matt at mturnbull@springislandtrust.org

NATURE CENTER UPDATES The Nature Center got a much needed face lift! Since the building required some repairs to the sheetrock and parts of the ceiling, the staff took the opportunity to do some painting, spackling and even some team bonding! We enlisted the services of professional taxidermists to do a makeover on many of the taxidermy mammals that are on display.

SUMMER SEMINARS While the number of people on the island drops off in the summer, the Trust staff continue providing various activities for Members. Staff presented summer talks for Members on a variety of nature topics, like new bird research, reptiles of the Lowcountry and stories of pollinators and plants. We had a great turnout, and the talks were a lot of fun!

& TECHNOLOGY

and Andy

hosted a series of iNaturalist events for Members, teaching the basics of using this powerful community science application.

over

NATURE
Juliana Smith
Jones
The Trust manages a project on iNaturalist with
1,000 species identified on Spring Island! 15

RESEARCH

The Spring Island Trust worked with researchers from Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and Cornell University amongst other organizations to study local fauna. Through citizen science efforts, Spring Island Members aided in these studies.

ALLIGATOR STUDIES

The Trust staff continues to partner with Dr. Thomas Rainwater and students from the Yawkey Wildlife Center and SCDNR to capture adult alligators on Spring Island. Using a rod and reel, alligators are snagged in their dorsal scutes. This method is a humane and effective way to catch the animals without doing any long-term damage. An added benefit to capturing the animals is that it negatively conditions them to humans. Data from prior studies on Spring Island suggests that it makes them less likely to approach humans. In 2023, Clemson PhD candidate Miriam Boucher joined us to stomach flush captured alligators to look for the presence of harmful chemicals and microplastics in their digestive systems. The data collected will be published in scientific papers and shared with the scientific community. Our work will further explore alligator biology on the island and in the region. Additionally, the information obtained will be used to help us minimize human-alligator interactions.

KINGSNAKE PROGRAM

In 2023, we released over 70 baby snakes into the island’s nature preserves as part of our conservation project to supplement the population of the nonvenomous Eastern Kingsnake. During this time, Tony experimented by head-starting hatchlings in the lab before release. All hatchlings were kept in captivity for 8-12 weeks and fed multiple times. All individuals were photographed with highresolution images of their head and neck patterns. These photographs were catalogued so individuals can be identified if they are recaptured. We had numerous recaptures from prior releases, so it is evident that many of the animals are surviving and even thriving in the wild. It is too early to tell if the head-started animals will do better than the ones we didn’t feed. Eastern Kingsnakes have declined drastically throughout much of their historic range, so proper understanding of the ecology of this snake is essential to help us protect this beneficial species.

A DECADE OF RAIN

Did you know that Lisa Gravil has been recording daily rainfall amounts on Spring Island for over a decade? As a CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) volunteer, she reports rainfall both at her home in Okatie and at the Nature Center. She was awarded with a certificate of recognition for her 10 years of citizen science by CoCoRaHS this past month.

Since she began recording in 2013, she’s made over 3,000 observations for a total of 439 inches of recorded rainfall! The greatest amount of rain she’s recorded on Spring Island was on September 21, 2021, with 7.04” of rain in one day. Rainfall patterns in the Lowcountry are particularly interesting, with intense but localized rainfalls throughout the year plus occassional dramatic events like hurricanes. This citizen science effort provides more data for gobal climate change research efforts.

ADOPT-A-STREAM

Spring Island Members have twice answered the call to collect high quality data about the water conditions surrounding Spring Island. First, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) sought to expand their monitoring protocols from solely monitoring freshwater systems to now include high value brackish and marine systems; Port Royal Sound and its tributaries are of great regional significance. After taking monthly samples since 2022, the group expanded their sampling to now take weekly samples.

Second, this group added to the range of sampling, and now includes concentrations of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as eDNA (environmental DNA, i.e., DNA present in the water that was shed by plants, animals, and other organisms) samples that will allow for broad sampling of the organisms living in our waters using just DNA sequencing. Both new sample types are being processed through USCB research labs. The Trust has been eager to support these efforts and in 2023 we purchased upgraded monitoring equipment and paid for part of the nutrient analyzer.

Thank you to all of the Members who have dedicated their time to this project!

NEW MONARCH DISCOVERY

The epic migrations of Monarch butterflies that winter in Mexico are well known, but more recent work has focused on the eastern North American populations that winter in Florida. In 2023, a publication in Scientific Reports documented that South Carolina has yet another phenomenon – a population of Monarchs staying in the Palmetto State year-round. This work showed that populations of Monarchs move to the sea islands (like Spring Island!) and barrier islands in winter, and then head inland for the rest of the year where they feed and reproduce on Aquatic Milkweed and other related species. Several of these tagged Monarchs have been documented on Spring Island, including some tagged by former Trust staff member Kristen Mattson.

POLLINATOR PROJECT

Drs. Dwight Williams and Merle Shepard continued the long-term survey of insects including pollinators and other beneficial species on Spring Island. Each species was photographed and baseline data collected to gather information on what species live here and the plant species that they were found on. Spring Island is one of the only places in South Carolina that is collecting this data. The information we gather on insects on the island will help us with our management practices in the nature preserves and other natural areas. We also share the data with other institutions and the greater scientific community.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Before joining the team at Spring Island Trust, Dr. Andy Jones worked as a researcher and curator at a natural history museum, focusing on bird genetics in northern North America. Some of the projects he initiated or collaborated on are continuing, and he’s passed the baton to other researchers who have taken the lead on these projects. One major paper came out this year in Proceedings of the Royal Society, using nearly 800 genetic samples across 19 species of boreal birds. A second paper was also published, in Molecular Ecology, examining the genetic diversity of the microorganisms that live within the guts of thrushes.

CONSERVATION BY COUNTING

Some of the most important conservation research involves the seemingly simple task of counting animals. Importantly, these counts must be done systematically and carried out year after year. Spring Island Trust staff and volunteers have been hard at work again this year, contributing data that provides big picture stories on how various animal species are doing. Birds are a typical focus of these efforts, thanks to their high visibility as well as the large numbers of enthusiasts who are willing to dedicate time to them.

The long-running Eastern Bluebird program led by David and Cindy Rich kept careful tabs on more than 300 nest boxes around Spring Island. This year, there were 1,282 eggs laid, leading to 1,024 successful fledges. These next boxes are used by other species as well, and this year documented 226 Carolina Chickadee and 73 Carolina Wren fledges. Predation rates remain low, and the overall program is documenting consistently high success in fledging bluebirds. Surely, our bluebird efforts help keep our region’s population thriving.

Spring Island Members contributed to the Christmas Bird Count again this year. Dr. Jones is the compiler for the entire count, covering Sun City, Okatie, and other regional developments, as well as the rich habitats here on Spring Island. This year, 17 members and regional bird experts were afield, and found 2,475 individual birds representing 92 species. We also track the breeding birds on Spring Island through a survey of 50 three-minute counts that are primarily by ear, a count completed in late May for more than two decades. This year we found 57 species of birds on the island. To no one’s surprise, Carolina Wren is the most reported species.

Other surveys around the region that are conducted by Trust staff and volunteers include the Wood Stork rookery nesting inventory, four spotlight surveys per year of the mammal population on the island (including deer numbers for effective and sustainable management), Wood Duck nesting success, and a Breeding Bird Survey in nearby Georgia. All these surveys provide critical annual status checks of a variety of important species, and are shared in publiclyaccessible databases.

2023 OPERATING OVERVIEW

REVENUES

OUTLAYS

The Spring Island Trust depends primarily upon charitable gifts to achieve its mission of environmental protection, education outreach, and conservation leadership. This year, 66% of the Trust’s revenues came from the generosity of our donors. The Trust is forward-funded - gifts received the prior year are used to fund the current year’s budget.

The Spring Island Trust Reserve Fund ended the year at a level of $1,806,040 and, thanks to our generous donors, the Trust Endowment was valued at $3,829,701. Information about joining the Trillium Legacy Society is available at the Nature Center.

Many thanks to our donors. Your generous support ensures the success of our mission!

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!

Leadership Circle ($5,000+)

(1) Anonymous

Penny and Bill Agnew

Sonja H. Allin

Susan Ambrecht

Margy Anderson

Pat Ano

Bonnie Kintzer and Eric Baker

Eileen Gebrian and Timothy

...Barberich

Gaylynn Golden and Jim Basara

Linda and Walter Bay

Gaily and John Beinecke

Patricia and Robert Bogart

Marty and Dan Boone

Connor Boyle and Joseph Pulitzer

Mimi and Tommy Boyle

Cindy and Terry Brown

Joan and Michael Burke

Eileen and Bill Bush

Charlsie Cantey

Dancy and Mike Cassell

Betsy and Jim Chaffin

Lora and Dick Childs

Robyn and David Cole

Cathy and John Cooney

Diana and Lyman Delano

Carolyn and Charles Dunlap

Bobbie and Norm Eckstein

Cynthia Warrick and John Folts

Rain and Porter Galloway

Gail and Michael Garcia

Cathy and Myron Garfinkle

Anne Garonzik

Weezie and Bink Garrison

Gillian Granger

Judy and Ned Grassi

Dell Hancock

Ann Hand

Patricia La Valley and Geoff Hargadon

Diane White and Steve

Harrington

Karen and Tim Hawkins

Mary Jane and Gig Hender

Carol and Tom Henry

Bob Hochstetler

John Hoffmann

Jan and David House

Pat and Jim Houser

Judy and Ted Howells

Bettysue Hughes

Karen and Jerry Johnston

Susan and Charles Kalmbach

Shelly and Steve Karol

Carol and Jeff Kellar

Nancy and Chip Kendall

Marla and Ed Keppler

Peggy and Sandy Keyes

Wendy and Rick Kilcollin

Kathryn Kimber

Chico Lager and Yvette Pigeon

Phoebe and Cris Lamdin

Betsy Lavin

Susan and Craig Leister

Terri and Thomas Lodge

Kate and Bob Loftus

Jocelyn and Andrew Lyss

Elizabeth and Bruce Macgregor

Bonnie and Earl Mason

Carol and Rusty Mather

Sally and John McAlister

Debbie and John McCarter

Karin McCormick

Nanny McDowell

Anne and Walter Meier*

Ginger and Ed Mitchell*

Betts and Chip Montgomery

Mary Jean and Richard Morawetz

Linda and Ned Morgens

Ron Morrow

Maggie and Wil Myers

Trudy and Jeffrey Palmer

Douglas Paul

Pamela and John Pierce

Mindy London and Scott Price

Dian and Pete Ramey

Alice and Mike Reid

Cindy and David Rich

Cherie and Chuck Riesenberg

Karen and Bob Ritter

Martha and Todd Robbins

Laura and Dave Robinson

Linda and David Roscoe

Alesia and Gregory Saboeiro

Joan and Dick Schmaltz

Rita and David Selheim

Nancy and Joe Serafini

Marilyn and Troy Shaver

Sally and Robert Siebold

Sally and Tom Simons

Anndel Kininmonth and Bruce

...Smith

Jennifer and Tom Smith

Susan and Mark Solow*

Jean Woodworth Sorem and Steve Sorem

Marianne and Richard Stankiewicz

Suzn and Bob Stewart

Marenda and Todd Stitzer

Cecily and Jim Stone

Robin and Sandy Stuart

Shanna and Bill Sullivan

Sally and Kerry Sundstrom

Sally Swift

Jeanmarie Roth Tener and Damien Tener

Natalie and Jack Theriot

Jane and Steve Thompson

Jane and John Tierney

Cathy and Tom Tinsley

Abby and Jeff Troiano

Sally and Bob Truesdale

Cathy and David Tuley

Cam Varner

Anita and Tom Veldman

Wendy and Greg Vezzosi

Carla and Larry Vitez

Deb and Bill Ward

Tina Wardrop

Dana and Ron Weltmann

Hall Wendel

Ann and David Westerlund

Kathryn and Casey West

Dana and Michael Wheeler

Dana and Mike White

Susan Wierdsma

D.J. McPherson and Bud Wilfore

Marchell and Jeff Willian

$2,500-$4,999 (1) Anonymous

Colette and John Adams

Val and Chris Allen

Sukie and Doug Azar

Adele and Mark Bartlett

Eleanor and Charles Beasley

Mary and Tim Bernard

Deedie and Michael Bouscaren

Connie and Mike Broomfield

Jacqueline and Sam Cannon

Anne and Thomas Clark

Kathy and Mike Cooper

Tammy and Rob Corrie

Gene Anne and Kurt Culbertson

Ruthann Ray and Rex Deloach

Nancy and Peter Drake

Andree and Peter Ebell

Lisa Buehler and William Escamilla

Vivian and Roger Farah

Gloria Pinza and Andy Geoghegan

Al Gerber

Trish Gomez

Lochrane Grant and Kai

...Evensen

Pam and Jeff Haas

Diane and Tommy Harmon

Debbie and Bob Harris

Elizabeth Heck

Michelle and Doug Hinson

Lynne and Rod Jensen

Denise and Larry Kaplan

Chris and Ken Ksionek

Cynthia Leaf

Suzanne and Bruce Lindsay

Cecily and Michael Lynch

Judi and Scott MacGlashin

Penny Martyn

Becky and Will McKee

Martha and Bill McMahon

Kathleen and Barry Neal

Maribeth Winslow and Rob

Nizolek

Pia and Simon Pearce

Karen and Nick Penchuk

Randall Perkins

Joan Walsh and Gerard Purcell

Ellen Quilty and Dave Williams

Phyllis and Patrick Reynolds

Nicole and Robert Rives

Lesley and Randy Rogers

Debbie and Peter Rood

Carol and Sam Rossa

Theresa and Ted Scheetz

Carin and Jim Sherman

Natalie and George Sine

Nancy Skoglund

Nancy and Donald Smith

Tracy and Steve Smith

Susan Fairhurst and Bob Stewart

Susan and John Tew*

Dudley Tye

Pam and Lee Ullman

Chamie and Henry Valentine

Betsy and Jim Westra

Sally Wheeler

$1,000-$2,499 (1) Anonymous

Janet Andrews

Logan and Robert Bernstein

Laura and John Booth

Peter Brower

Alex Bullock and Elizabeth Avery

Deborah and Dennis Chevalier

Nancy Conde

Brooke and Mark Cragan

Sue and Joe Credle

Stephanie and Victor Curtis

Anne Noel and Alec Dawson

Clare and Joe Eaton

Carol and Brian Eidt

Nicole Elliott and Mark Karvosky

Janet and John Engelbrecht

Holly Evans

Patricia Gruber and Frank Faillace

Robert Fleischer

Arlene and Bob Flick

Robin Galloway

Claudia Jacobs and William ...Gaskins

Ellen Gleberman and David Laufer

Betsy and William Godshall

Anne and Archie Gwathmey

Stella Hall and James Fordyce

Kathleen and Frank Hayn

Lucile Hays

Cindy and Randy Heck

Catherine and Steve Hill

Gail and Bill Himmelsbach

Beverly and Jim Kothe

Joan and Jim Lancaster

Holly Sampson and Dale Lewis

Dianne and Jim Light

Niel and Geoff Lorenz

Jean and Russ Macaluso

Sharie and Tim Maloney

Carla Marsh

Linda Foell and Will Mayhall

Paula and Tom McGilly

Gratia and Rob McLane

Miden and Carl Meares

Wendy and Cleve Meredith

Nancy and Doug Metz

Kay and Tom Mills*

Joan and Tom Mistler

Anne and Dave Morris

Carol and Gary Nordmann

Melissa and Rick Owens

Nancy and Jack Palmer

Sally Papineau

Cathy and Glenn Ragsdale

Barbara and Ted Rouse

Kate Enroth and Dana Schmaltz

Solon-Andreas Foundation

Lee Spinks

Travis Stewart and Bob Nutton

Meredith Stines

Lindsey and Peter Strong

Joan and Bob Sydnor

Steve Tabor*

Gloria and Nick Tamburro

Bettina and Marc Terfloth

Kelley and Galen Thackston

The Chicago Community Foundation

Wendy and John Towle

Helen and Whit Wagner

Rebecca Barnes and Rick Webel

Sally and Winston Wilfong

Terry Williams

Worldwide Small Change Foundation, Inc.

$1-$999

(3) Anonymous

Karen Anderson*

Sandra and Jack Baggette*

Roberta and Ray Beech

Karen and Terry Bernat

Christina Bryant*

Susan Dinges and William Burak

Mimi Burke and Bernard Clark

Ellen Bylsma

Gabby Bruno and Matt Caldwell

Val and Tuck Cline

Lynn Collins*

William Cook and Michael Wharton

Alison and Bill Crossman

Mike Dennis

Wendy Dickes*

Warren Disbrow*

Marilyn and Dick Doerr*

Susan Dressler*

Emily Durso*

Jennifer and David Evans

Dianne and John Faucette*

Jan Ferrari*

Bradford Fleming*

Pam and Chip Floyd*

Sharon and Trent Germano*

Jean and Dean Harrigal*

Jean Fruh and Frank Hartman*

Mark Hyner*

Dory and George Ingram*

Barbara and Randy James*

Carolyn and Bill Jirousek*

Jennie Johnson*

Deborah and Frederick Johnston*

Ted Kalutz*

Barbara Kelly*

Maugha and Dan Kenny

Amy and John Kraft*

Diana and Gary Kubic*

Darryl and Lucius Laffitte

Linda and Donald Lyon

Debbie and Pete Marzluff*

Anne and Brem Mayer

Marie McClune*

Maggie and Andy Mellen*

Abby and Doug Newton*

Lorraine Griffen and Chuck ...Pardee

Jan and John Pinckney

John Popp

Janine Propst

Karen Renshaw*

Sandra and Kevin Rice*

Marian and Ray Rollings*

Laura de Frise and Steve Rugo

Susan and Bob Sadlier*

Lauren Morgens and Matthew Sarver

Cynthia and Terry Smith

Pam and Robert Smith*

Kim and Tom Snowberger

Gordon Sproul*

Donna Ridley and Don Starkey*

Martha and Hal Stibbs

Barbara and Brian Thoreson*

Diane and Terry Torbeck

Vicki and Jon Verity

Holly and James Watson*

Sara and Peter Wilds

Delores and Johnny Wong*

Martha Worthy and Bob Speare

Victor Wright*

Honors

In Honor of Val Allen

Pam and Jeff Haas

In Honor of Connor Boyle and ...Joe Pulitzer

Peter Custer

In Honor of Ruthann Ray and Rex Deloach

Barbara and Stuart Ray

In Honor of Holly Evans

Chris and Ken Ksionek

In Honor of Michael and Gail ...Garcia

Chico Lager and Yvette Pigeon

Dan Feeney

Gordon Winters

In Honor of Bob Hochstetler

Chris and Ken Ksionek

In Honor of Jim and Bev Kothe

John Popp

In Honor of Chris Marsh

Bev and Keith Jennings

In Honor of Becky McKee

Kim Matthews

In Honor of Rick Webel and Rebecca Barnes

Elizabeth Heck

Memorials

In Memory of Brock Anderson

Connie and Daniel Mereness*

Beth Wittcoff

In Memory of Lynor Bachman

Marla and Ed Keppler

Cindy and David Rich

Joan and Dick Schmaltz

Marilyn and Troy Shaver

Ann and David Westerlund

In Memory of Eli Basara

Cindy and David Rich

In Memory of Pat Cooke

Jim Nangle*

In Memory of Jim Edwards

Joan and Dick Schmaltz

Ann and David Westerlund

In Memory of Larry Fuller

Priscilla Adams

Augusta National Golf Club

Elizabeth and Christopher Buchan

Marilyn and Troy Shaver

Sally Swift

Terry Williams

Jacqueline and Eric Wolin

In Memory of Punch Martyn

Ann and David Westerlund

In Memory of Gerry McEldowney

Sandy and Gary Cross

In Memory of Steve Wheeler

Robin and Sandy Stuart

Eleanor and Charles Beasley

In Memory of Joe Williams

Anne and Walter Meier

Analea and Richard Bowers

Charlsie Cantey

Jean and Dean Harrigal

Peggy Hendrick

Joan and Dick Schmaltz

Sally Swift

SPRING ISLAND TRUST STAFF (FEBRUARY 2024) Matt Turnbull (Landscape Ecologist), Sloane Wiggers (Environmental Educator), Andy Jones (Executive Director), Chris Newton (Natural Resources Manager), Rachel Walman (Communications Specialist), Tony Mills (Education Director), Kristen Ward (Animal Care Technician) and Sophie, Lisa Gravil (Executive Assistant) and Starr.

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.