South Carolina

In Just One Week: Sustainable Tourism Experts Welcomed to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, Sept. 19th-21st, Offers Wide Range of Learning and Networking Opportunities for Tourism Stakeholders

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC, September 12, 2011 - Next week, as The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) gathers sustainable tourism experts and industry influencers to Hilton Head Island, at its 5th annual Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), regional tourism stakeholders are encouraged to take advantage of this "brain trust" in their back yard from September 19-21, at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa.

Traditional Basket Making Lives on as an Art Form

Michael Smalls and Daurus Niles, both from Charleston, South Carolina, make it their life's work to preserve the craft of sweet grass basket making. The two are distant cousins from the Mount Pleasant area who learned the time-intensive practice of coiling sweet grass into baskets from their great-grandmother. They're best known locally for teaching classes on the craft, including selling and making their baskets at the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce's Welcome Center on the north end of the island.

The ESTC 2011 Host Destination, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has formed a local Sustainability Advisory Committee in order to advance its environmental stewardship and become a more sustainable community. An introduction of the effort will take place during the ESTC 2011, on Tuesday, September 20th at 3:30pm - Lowcountry Leadership in Sustainability Roundtable.

Photo: South Carolina National Heritage Corridor

Great Swamp Sanctuary

Located within the ACE Basin (one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast), the Great Swamp Sanctuary, Walterboro, South Carolina, is a nature based conservation area that combines history, culture, recreation, and education in a singularly southern lowlands setting. The more than 600 acre sanctuary, which may be the only "braided creek" swamp accessible to the public, is centrally located about an hour from Hilton Head Island, Savannah, Columbia, and Charleston, and is one of the East Coast’s largest estuarine preserves. The Sanctuary’s Washington Street entrance is located only steps from the City of Walterboro's main historic district.

Waddell Mariculture Center

The Waddell Mariculture Center (WMC) is a field experiment station of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The Center was constructed in 1983-84 to develop propagation and farming techniques for marine and brackish water species of finfish, mollusks, crustaceans and plants. In addition to developing techniques for commercial aquaculture, the center produces juvenile fish for use in fishery management and stock evaluation by the Marine Resources Division. The Center is one of the country's largest and most sophisticated facilities for mariculture research, which focuses on the farming of plants and animals in saltwater, seeks to develop propagation and farming techniques for marine and brackish water species of finfish, mollusks, crustaceans and plants.

Beaufort Kayak Tours: More Than Just a Paddle!

"Each day on the water is different and unique, and brings its own set of surprises," says David and Kim, owners of Beaufort Kayak Tours. "A dolphin breaking the water's surface for a breath, a skimmer parting the creek with its bill, an osprey catching a fish, millions of fiddler crabs waving their claws at each other; all of this and more awaits them on each tour." Three things that are key to Beaufort Kayak Tours are:

Gullah Traditions and Legacies

Gullah is the West African traditions, customs, beliefs, art forms and family life that have been retained among African Americans in the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands. The culture has survived centuries of slavery and more than a century of free lifestyle. Modern resort development began influencing the culture in the 1950's. (Source: Gullah Heritage Consulting Services)

Loggerhead hatchling (Photo by Cory Tressler)

Sea Turtle Conservation in South Carolina

Loggerheads are the most commonly found sea turtles that nest in the southeastern United States, and, in 1988, were deemed the official state reptile of South Carolina. They can be found in South Carolina’s near shore waters between April and November or nesting on the beaches between May and October. These enormous reptiles—adult Loggerheads can weigh 300 pounds and reach four feet in length—take 25 to 30 years to mature and reproduce. Consequently, sea turtle conservation is critical in areas where commercial fishing, pollution, and beachfront development pose a threat to their natural habitat.