The Kiawah Conservancy:
20 Years and Counting
20 years ago this coming October a few Kiawah friends gathered to talk about the beauty of the Island’ s natural habitats and its extraordinary wildlife. From this informal beginning the Kiawah Conservancy was born. Now 20 years old, we are dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of everything that has ever prompted anyone to visit our Island.
Visitors on day trips come to check out where major golf championships have taken place. Families from all over the world have heard about a special island near Charleston and have decided it seems like a nice place to vacation. Residents once visited and ultimately made Kiawah home because leaving was just too difficult.
Over two decades together we have accomplished much, and along the way we have become a community dedicated to ensuring that Kiawah Island will remain the magical place for our children and their children that it has always been for us.
We have:
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Preserved almost 350 acres of property, assuming the stewardship of it, and ensuring that it will not be developed but will remain as it has been for centuries.
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Started a simple newsletter designed to keep anyone who believes in preserving Kiawah informed. Today that newsletter( originally about four pages with photos of people strangely colored blue) has become Naturally
Kiawah, the publication you currently hold in your hands.
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Organized educational programs designed to challenge attendees to learn more and do more to protect our wildlife and the habitats that support it. Special symposia held once each year have featured some of the best of Kiawah: loggerhead turtles, alligators, and shorebirds.
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Reached out to nearby schools, offering tours and educational programs for students and their teachers.
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Created the Naturally Kiawah Demonstration Garden in Night Heron Park, a place to simply relax and enjoy or to learn about gardening with native plants.
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Produced seven interactive tours of various Island locations designed to demonstrate special points of interest and provide relevant historical information to all who travel them. These are the Naturally Kiawah Pathways apps easily downloaded to any smartphone or tablet.
Who has done all this? The Kiawah Conservancy with support from our partners, the Town of Kiawah Island, the Kiawah Island Community Association, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and the Kiawah Partners, as well as everybody who has done anything to preserve and enhance this unique island.
The best news is that we truly have only just begun. Just think what we can accomplish together over the next 20 years! NK
Photo by Howard Snelling
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