and a summer Junior Explorers event — Birds at the Beach . 28 kids and 19 adults gathered to meet local author , Lisa Donovan , as she read her children ’ s book Birds at the Beach and Beyond . They participated in an interactive discussion about local birds with SC Audubon ’ s Nolan Schillerstrom and created their own bird collage illustration . It was a wonderful morning of bird facts , crafts , and fun !
Our eventful fall season kicked off with Kiawah Island Bobcat Week . The Town of Kiawah Island and the Kiawah Conservancy collaborated to raise awareness about bobocats with two walks led by Meghan Keating , a graduate student studying bobcat behavior in rural and suburban environments , and provided valuable insights into the island ’ s most beloved species . The week concluded with a Bobcats & Bluegrass event hosted by the Town of Kiawah Island . The event featured a presentation by Meghan Keating and Town Biologists and included a local wine tasting and live music .
Later in October , the Kiawah Conservancy , Kiawah Island Golf Resort , and many willing volunteers gathered to install native plants in four new gardens near the Nature Center at Night Heron Park . This was a wonderful collaboration with Surculus Design , who created the native plant landscaping templates .
The following week , we kicked off South Carolina Native Plant Week with a lively walk through the Naturally Kiawah Demonstration Garden . This walk , led by Kiawah Conservancy ’ s Restoration and Enhancement Specialist Sean Cannon and native plant expert and Master Gardener Karen Madoff , explored the use and benefits of native plants in residential landscapes . Later that week , we hosted a Watercolor Workshop with returning artist , Abby Nurre . Attendees enjoyed painting in nature and took home the work they created that day along with an art kit provided by Blick and Derwent . We concluded Native Plant Week with Designing in Nature with Mary Reynolds . Mary joined us live from her home in Ireland to discuss native plants , her career , and land stewardship . Guests also learned about the Kiawah Conservancy ’ s current efforts and future plans to plant native and met with local landscape designers , professionals , and plant experts who gave great advice and answered their questions about landscaping with native plants .
A few weeks later we held our first native plant garden package sale . In total , 93 plant packages were purchased through the pre-order sale . That ’ s over 4,500 native plants distributed and planted on Kiawah , Seabrook and Johns Island !
Throughout the year , we continued our efforts to keep the habitats of Kiawah litter-free by hosting monthly island litter sweeps in partnership with South Carolina Aquarium . During each sweep , we cataloged the types of trash that were being picked up and recorded it in the Aquarium ’ s Digital Journal . This data is used to help us get a better understanding of the most common types of litter and help drive future conservation efforts . This year , our wonderful volunteers picked up an astounding 21,000 + pieces of litter ! We had several volunteer sponsors during the sweeps . A big THANK YOU goes out to : Arts , etc ., Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol , Inspirato , Ben & Jerry ’ s , Lilly Pulitzer , Scouts BSA Troops 63B and 63G , and Venturing Crew 63 . We hope to welcome more organizations and groups in 2024 . Contact Katie Warner ( katie @ kiawahconservancy . org ) if your organization is interested in sponsoring a future sweep .
Visit us online at kiawahconservancy . org , follow our social media ( Facebook , Instagram , X , LinkedIn ), or contact our Educational Outreach Specialist Katie Warner to learn more about our outreach and events .
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