Reminiscences:
The Wonder Was There All Along
Stories by Tina Schell, Susan Schaffer, and Shauneen Hutchinson
Barbara Winslow
of Kiawah’s herd, their health, and whether they were a sub-
species of white-tailed deer due to their smaller size (they
are not). Jim Jordan, currently a Town Wildlife Biologist
and who was a graduate student at the time, worked with
Barbara on the field studies for the project. Barbara laughs
at the time the power went out on Kiawah, and the deer
they had stored in freezers across the island for later analysis
were very much in danger of defrosting and creating a
horrific odor. Fortunately, the power came back on in time
to avoid a mess.
Barbara fondly remembers sitting on her deck early
mornings during spring and summer watching the deer and
bobcats meandering through the hammock islands across
the marsh. One of her very favorite moments was observing
the weighing and sexing of twin newborn fawns as they took
their very first steps.
Sadly, Barbara’s husband developed some health issues
that necessitated their moving off-island, but she continues to
maintain her friendships with Kiawah residents and her love
of all things wild on Kiawah.
Barbara and her husband Harold first visited Kiawah in 1983
and moved here full-time in 1988. A journalism graduate
from the University of Nebraska, she was a natural fit for
writing and later became the editor of Talk, the newsletter of
the Kiawah Island Property Owners Group (KPOG).
Her reminiscences of Kiawah’s early days focus primarily
on her love of the amazing wildlife here. She remembers
well the dirt roads that she traveled out to the east end of
the island, where she was once stuck behind the locked gate
having stayed past closing time by accident. Other memories
include the beach that she walked daily as an ardent
turtle patroller for 13 years and the cougar she swears she
encountered more than once while walking her dog Lily near
Trumpet Creeper Lane.
Her favorite memories center around her participation in
the Town of Kiawah Island’s wildlife program. Barbara was
intimately involved in the Town’s deer study, working closely
with Dr. Robert Warren, a leading expert in the field with
the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and
Natural Resources. The study focused on assessing the size
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Naturally Kiawah