Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Felicia Sanders
and Janet Thebault. They are among the most knowledgeable
and experienced biologists in the Atlantic flyway, and they
have succeeded with conservation against the odds. In
my years as head of a state endangered species program, I
have learned that successful conservation must be carefully
nurtured even in times of good resources and political
support. Most agencies have conflicting or shifting goals and
priorities that can leave responsible biologists abandoned to
their own resources, always keeping a constant vigil for the
needs of the wildlife under their care. This is especially true
in times like these when there is seemingly less focus on the
welfare of wildlife. Then the job only gets worse. But Kiawah
enjoys two dedicated state resource biologists standing ready
to help craft a community stewardship project.
Fortunately, the conservationists of Kiawah find themselves
in the enviable position of working in a place with good
ecological cheekbones and supportive resource agencies
willing to provide guidance. So what can a concerned
conservationist do for the shorebirds of Kiawah? In this effort
our experience on the Delaware Bay helps. Here we have
broken with traditional U.S. conservation because most of our
group comes from England, mainland Europe, Australia, and
other places where shorebird protection has taken place for
SUMMER/FALL 2017 • VOLUME 38
decades. In the U.S. we would prefer that conservation to be
the responsibility of the government. Our agencies are much
larger than our counterparts in other countries, and at least
in my experience, far less successful. Rather than pretend the
government will provide wildlife a better place and allow the
public only a minor role, they flip it around. The government
gives local communities and the people who love wildlife the
opportunity to ply their passion.
In Delaware Bay most of the work is conducted by
volunteers. Our scientific program, which includes trapping,
counting, and re-sighting shorebirds, is led by paid staff, but
mostly carried out by volunteers—some from the area, many
from all over the world. And it works. Our data support
some of the most advanced modeling and natural resource
assessments in the world. This year we had a British couple
with long experience in British shorebird work tell us they
have never seen it done better in the U.K. High praise indeed.
Our stewardship program includes protecting birds from
disturbance, rescuing crabs from impingement, and outreach
to the public on the need to keep their distance from feeding
or roosting birds. It is entirely carried out by people who live
in the area. The agencies provide lodging and expenses for
our volunteers, but little more. Volunteers even provide the
nighttime dinners, sometimes for up to 40 people. And the
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