Community of Builders
The Conservancy’ s multiphase plan for the Kiawah River has been years in the making. Permits secured through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources( SCDNR), funding commitments from the Town of Kiawah Island, and the steady support of landowners and residents have helped carry the mission forward.“ It’ s taken three or four years to lay the groundwork,” Sean says.“ We couldn’ t have reached this point without community buy-in and the support of our partners.”
Among these ardent supporters is Buddy Franklin, Conservancy trustee and a familiar presence at volunteer events. He has worked closely with Sean to design the workstations at the Betsy Kerrison Nature Area, streamlining the assembly line where MWR construction will begin in October 2025.“ Sean has a big project lined up for us, and we want to build the MWRs ourselves with SCORE and the Sustainability Institute ' s help,” Buddy explains.“ We have so many to build to really make a difference, so we need to be efficient. Once we streamline the process and teach the volunteers, it’ s going to really move.”
Buddy credits the Conservancy’ s cohesive work for making this project possible.“ It’ s the total effort of the whole staff. Lee’ s work identified the erosion problems. Sean facilitated
VOLUNTEERS POWERING THE SHORELINE The expansion of Kiawah’ s living shoreline depends on a steady stream of volunteer hands. Between October 2025 and March 2026, the Conservancy anticipates hosting fifteen build events, each drawing between fifteen and fifty volunteers. At each session, a volunteer team will assemble roughly fifty manufactured wire reefs, collectively totaling around 800 MWRs ready for deployment.
Installation follows the tide. During low tide, led by SCDNR’ s SCORE staff, volunteer crews will place and anchor fifty to one hundred reefs in a few hours. Over the course of the project, an estimated ten installation events will be needed to set the full array of reefs along the Kiawah River’ s edge.
Partnership makes this scale possible. Director of Outdoor Programs Liz King and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort have opened their docks, boats, ramps, forklifts, and staff support to the Conservancy, ensuring that the reefs could be ferried, staged, and installed efficiently. Each wire box that touched the river’ s edge was the product of a shared effort— neighbors, staff, partners, and volunteers aligned in the work of restoration.
Special thanks to the Town of Kiawah Island, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Lowcountry Land Trust, Kiawah Island Community Association, Kiawah Partners, The Sustainability Institute, and Shoreline Restoration Group.