Managing Tidal Wetlands - USACE General Permit

Travis Folk, LTC Chamberlayne and Ernie Wiggers at Nemours

Nemours is located along the Combahee River

What does the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have to do with hunting ducks in the historic rice fields in the Lowcountry outdoors? The earthworks that surround these impoundments date back in time and are subject to erosion due to Mother Nature. Therefore it takes a constant regime of maintenance to keep them in working order, and the USACE oversees the permitting process for that work. Private landowners in the ACE Basin led the efforts to partner with the USACE to streamline that permit process for the future. This reduction of 'red tape' will help wildlife managers provide a higher level of care for those waterfowl, wading birds and more that visit these impoundments during their annual migration. Essentially, this is a modern day tweak to historic engineering technology - using trunks and gates as a way to control water flow, to increase wetland habitat for all wildlife.

Nemours Plantation hosted both a stakeholder meeting two years ago that began this process, and a luncheon celebrating the new General Permit on August 15. Video shows Craig LeSchack with DU speaking before the luncheon.

To read my feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.
To read an except from the Waterfowl Advocate click Ducks Unlimited.
To view past blog entries about bird watching and rice fields click here.

Mike McShane presents a model trunk to LTC Chamberlayne

Travis Folk, USACE staff, and Ernie Wiggers