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Unveiling the Enclave Project
Sound the trumpets! The Conservancy now has a cohesive, manageable plan in place to approach the systematic acquisition of property it wishes to preserve. The effort to examine all of Kiawah and its environs in order to locate desirable habitat for wildlife began years ago. As Donna Windham, Executive Director describes it, Barbara Winslow, Conservancy Volunteer and Jim Jordan, The Town of Kiawah Biologist began with the real estate map. On it they marked deep paths and animal tracks-a star for where deer ate, an X on areas where they bedded. For bobcats, they used a red circle to mark their home range and a red X for their dens. The idea was to map areas of dense vegetation which functioned as resting and nesting places for wildlife. To consider every undeveloped lot of property island-wide for its habitat value was daunting if not overwhelming.
Then, a year ago, a computerized graphic imaging system, GIS, came to the Conservancy. Thanks to Katie Moss and Jennifer Lamar, a detailed, visual display of data such as the size and location of every lot and its proximity to lake, river or marsh access or to KICA held land gradually developed. As Katie explained, " GIS provides data layers." She explained that not only were locations of habitat nesting grounds, and the areas of greatest vegetation density noted, but data on disturbed areas both natural and manmade were marked as well. For instance, areas damaged by Hurricane Hugo are still evident as are bushhogged lots where the under-story of growth has been cleared away. On sites of old bush-hogging, the under-story may be returning, but the middle story will be missing. These factors affect the desirability of land for preservation.
Katie personally surveyed every lot using the known rating systems and adding stronger criteria of her own as she worked. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services gave their approval to the habitat
Welcome Back, Eagles By Nancy Edwards
Those of you who drive through the first gate at Kiawah several times a week, as I do, have probably witnessed a wonderful drama going on early this past spring. Toward the end of February, a baby eaglet appeared in the gigantic nest high in a loblolly pine tree visible from Kiawah Island Parkway and very visible from the real estate office parking area across the street. But let me give you a bit of history before I continue with the tale of our great birds.
A pair of bald eagles took over an old osprey nest in the tall pine in the winter of 2001. They added large limbs and did some refurbishing. The renovation was necessary, you see, since ospreys are a great deal smaller than eagles. They have a wingspan of 54-63 inches while an adult eagle is known to have an 80 inch wingspan. It ' s fortunate for all concerned that our maritime forest is
still rich with loblolly pines and dead limbs.
The eagles started to raise a family, and two eggs soon appeared. Perhaps because the parents were young and immature, they abandoned their new home( in spite of the upgrades), too inexperienced to take the next step into parenthood.
But … the eagle saga continues! In the winter of 2002, the pair returned to their home, this time intent on raising a family in the friendly confines of Kiawah Island. In December, Tom Murphy of the Department of Natural Resources, spotted two eaglets from his low-flying Cessna. Sometime later, another sighting was made from the ground. This time there was clearly one chick in the nest, not the twins we had hoped.( If there is not enough food for two chicks, and this was a cold
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Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy Enclave Preservation Program
winter in the low country, Mother Nature takes care of the situation. She can be a tough mom.) Since the egg-laying was in November, it was figured that the hatchling would fledge( learn the logistics of flying and leave the nest) between February 15 and March 1. So, at about ten weeks, the little guy( or gal) began growing rapidly, " eagle aerobics!" As a matter of fact, an eaglet is usually slightly larger than the parents at this stage because its feathers have not been worn by age. Sounds like what happens in a human family when kids grow into big old teenagers.
It ' s tough, too, being an eagle parent. You see, our baby( with an up to 80 inch wingspan) was so busy learning to fly for the first six to eight weeks of fledging that its parents, like any good parents, did all the hunting
and feeding for the young one. But by the end of April, Mom and Pop had had enough and they decided to head north. Our eaglet then had to learn to hunt for itself. We can assume that after four years, this young eagle will be ready to mate and have its own family. The parents, we expect-and hope, will continue to return to their homestead on Kiawah for the rest of their lives.
Some neat stories came out of our eagle saga. One was told by Patsy Cuthrell who pulled into the real estate parking lot during a fierce rainstorm to watch our englet. Having returned from one of its earliest flights, wobbly and not-so-sure-footed, it took a leap from its nest to a perch beside a parent. With rain pouring down, the adult lifted its wing to shelter its young. As the wing enveloped this
rating system she developed with GIS. They sited the Conservancy ' s mapping as a model for other communities to follow.
Eventually, 23 areas were mapped out, each as an Enclave i. e. a tract set aside for a special purpose. From the Conservancy ' s viewpoint, the special purpose is to create a sense of community within each Enclave on the matter of preserving habitat. According to Donna Windham, " Now, we can take data to property owners in an Enclave and show them where and how their lots, and other lots in their area, relate to green space."
Each of the Enclaves has natural boundaries of river, marsh, lake or dune. Some have manmade boundaries such as roads and resort properties. When the GIS map was completed, Katie and Jennifer found that their boundaries coincided with subdivisions to a considerable extent although the subdivisions are larger and fewer in number. Discussions about undeveloped lots in your Enclave are welcomed.
In time, the Conservancy hopes to identify residents willing to serve as Enclave Managers, people who will encourage interest in preservation. The goal is to involve their Enclave neighbors in the work of preserving local undeveloped spaces.
The GIS data also enables the Conservancy to encourage informed conversations with other island entities. All in all, the visual representation of Kiawah in all its maritime strand variety provides a helpful way to share ideas about preservation sites. The Enclaves define areas of manageable size within which people can share neighborly concerns and explore ways of keeping green space.
young but huge bird, the appearance became that of one enormous bird with four large, yellow feet. Patsy said this poignant scene lasted for 15-20 minutes. How fine to share this rather intimate moment with our eagle family.
Another story came from Nancy Swenson who observed from her dock on Ocean Course Drive an adult eagle chasing an osprey hauling a freshly caught fish( carrying it aerodynamically, head of the fish forward.) The eagle snatched the fish in midair and, though the smaller osprey pursued, it could not catch the swift eagle which enjoyed an easy meal that time.
And just a few fun facts here while I still
See Welcome Back, Eagles pg. 8
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MEET Justin Core:
THE CONSERVANCY’ S INTERN
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by Sophia McAllister, Volunteer
“ Data with maps” is how Justin Core
explains GIS – Geographic Information
System – an integral part of the
Enclave Project and a primary focus of
his internship at the Conservancy.
Justin is articulate and enthusiastic
about his contribution to the work at
the Kiawah Conservancy and feels he
is also helping forge a stronger connection
with the College of Charleston.
He brings optimism, patience, and a
flexible attitude to his job, and gets
high praise from everyone at the
Conservancy office.
Justin is a graduate student in
Environmental Studies at College of
Charleston, a native of Charlotte, NC,
and staunch supporter of NC State
where he received his undergraduate
degree. When he has time, he enjoys
basketball, snowboarding, and reading
; he loves the low country and
hopes to find work in the area after
graduation. This young man will be
an asset wherever he goes.
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We would be remiss if we did not start this issue of Currents with a thank you to Paul Roberts and his team of writers, readers and science professionals, whose efforts secured the new 1million dollar grant to preserve the gateway to Kiawah. As the Board of Trustees learned at their annual meeting in January from Charlie Moore of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, it was a major accomplishment to be funded on our first federal request. The announcement on the internet from Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior noted that ours was one of only 17 grants approved in this category. More importantly, the Kiawah Conservancy proposal had the highest accumulative rating score of any proposal in the country. Our gratitude for a job well done.
Once again this brings to mind the real mission of the Kiawah Conservancy which, since our inception 6 years ago, has remained the same. We work to preserve the natural habitat of Kiawah. We do this as a stand alone organization, focused only on Kiawah and its immediate environs. We receive only the investment of our many donors listed annually( see the list in this issue). While we cooperate with our state’ s Department of Natural Resources and such organizations as Ducks Unlimited, we are not connected to any other conservation organizations at the state, national or international level. Grants are beginning to play an important role in our funding for specific, usually large projects, but gifts from the overnight guest program and from caring individuals keep this organization strong and able to continue honoring its mission.
I hope you will take the opportunity to review the lists of contributors. Many donors have now reached our Sustaining Donor attribution, which is an accumulative giving level that exceeds 10 thousand dollars. We applaud your continuing generosity. No matter what the amount of the contribution, we say thank you to all our donors. You keep this organization focused on habitat preservation.
In the coming months expect to hear more good news on property preservation in the neighborhood enclaves. As neighbors become increasingly involved, you’ ll learn of their true commitment to keeping Kiawah Unique in America. This grassroots effort exemplifies what The Conservancy has striven to accomplish – a communal sharing in the caretaking responsibility of preserving one of the most spectacular ecosystems found only on barrier islands. The preservation we complete today stands forever. It will not only benefit us, but our children, grandchildren, and the many generations to follow.
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