The conservation-minded voter

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By Rosemary Staples

Contributor

As Election Day approaches, voters will want to know which lawmakers have been working to protect South Carolina’s land and natural resources. Where do you find that information?

A good shortcut is the online Legislative Scorecard, a window into the SC State House that shows which lawmakers have voted for and against important conservation matters. Spoiler alert - Beaufort County legislators score in the mid 80s. See more at https://www.cvsc.org/legislative/scorecards.

The scorecard’s creator, Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC), is a lobbying and advocacy group based in Columbia that drafts bills and helps create practical solutions with lawmakers, regardless of party, to protect land, water, air, historic sites and promote clean energy. This month, Hilton Head Audubon will host CVSC president, John Tynan, to chat about South Carolina’s conservation challenges.

First, a quick rundown of what our Palmetto State’s 19 million resource acres include — 13 million forest acres, 11,000 miles of rivers and streams, four major river systems and 187 beach miles. Not surprisingly, almost 25 percent of South Carolina is wetlands, primarily in the Lowcountry.

That’s a lot of land and water to protect for people, wildlife and birds.

Back in 2004, CVSC was one of the organizations helping to gain passage of the South Carolina Conservation Bank Act (CB). The bank provides funding to preserve state forests, farms, wetlands, historic sites and parks. To date, CB has removed 390,000 critical land acres from the possibility of development. At an average cost of $715 an acre, it’s an environmental deal for taxpayers and visitors, accomplished largely through the use of grants and conservation easements.

CB and other preservation groups have set aside three million acres - a whopping 15 percent of South Carolina. Conservation-minded lawmakers have introduced legislation to set aside another three million acres by 2050. A quick review of the CVSC Scorecard will determine who is voting to preserve land for the future.

“It’s important our local conservation groups work together, and that citizens know the issues before casting their ballots,” HHA President Kay Grinnell said. “We’re pleased to connect our local nature lovers with John at this October event.”

On local matters, readers will recall voters passed the Beaufort County Green Space tax in 2022 to protect critical lands from future development. This summer, a portion of those green funds were used to purchase Gregorie Neck along I-95. Although the land lies in Jasper County, preserving its 4,000 acres will benefit Beaufort’s Port Royal Sound from runoff, which in turn will benefit the Savannah River, ACE Basin, the Atlantic coast - and our birds.

A few years back, Hilton Head residents voted to set aside sensitive island spaces, a hugely successful approach that has protected 2,000 acres, including the 100-acre Mid-Island Tract off Union Cemetery Road. Its towering, dead pines are home to the only red-headed woodpecker colony on the island along with our resident birds and migrating species. Watch our website for upcoming tours through this natural wetland.

Migration season is well underway! According to https://birdcast.info, 15 million birds have crossed into Beaufort County since August 1, and some have landed for the winter. Join us on our Audubon journeys to site these annual visitors - tundra swans, stilts, wood ducks, spoonbills, falcons, and so many more - that make their annual Lowcountry stopover. Track our upcoming trips at https://hiltonheadaudubon.org.

Join HHA, Thursday October 10, when we host the CVSC president, John Tynan, at Hilton Head Brewing Company from 3-6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Drop by to sample craft beers, chat with John, meet HHA members and learn how legislators vote on conservation issues.

Rosemary Staples is a board member of Hilton Head Audubon, long time Lowcountry resident, writer, speaker, storyteller and Master Naturalist.