Water, Water, Everywhere
W
Story by Frances Boyd; photographs by Jack Kotz
hether you are a resident or a visitor on Kiawah Island, you
are never far from water. The Island is long and narrow, so the
Atlantic Ocean, the Kiawah River, tidal creeks, lagoons, ponds,
and marshland are within a short walk. Of course, too often,
golfers often find that their golf ball is IN the water—an unmistakable plopping
sound usually followed by an expletive from the golfer indicating that the golf
ball has made its way into a pond or lagoon, better known as “water hazards”
in golf lingo.
Despite the fact that we spend so much time playing in the surf, kayaking on
the River, or fishing from the banks of a pond, we seldom stop to understand the
interacting bodies of water around Kiawah. The Atlantic Ocean is the controlling
source of the water. Twice a day, the tides spill saltwater into the River, which, in
turn, disperses its contents throughout the creeks and ponds. At high tide, the
marsh acts as a filtering system, a breeding ground, and a wildlife habitat. The
marsh is perhaps Earth’s most complete and efficient ecosystem and is truly
the heart of barrier island ecology.
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