2015 S.C. Plantation Managers meet in Walterboro

SCDNR's Jay Cantrell on Webb Center WMA 

Informal gatherings of plantation managers in South Carolina have been going on since the late 1970’s, so they can compare notes about planting season, prior to the busy onset of hunting seasons. The meeting place has usually been determined by which plantation might be able to host such as gathering, but in the 2010’s the need for a proper facility increased. Colleton County’s farmer’s market hosted the 2015 Plantation Manger’s meeting on August 20 since it is in a central location for much of the coastal plain.

            

The S.C. Plantation Managers Association (SCPMA) is a group of land managers in pursuit of excellence when it comes to wildlife habitat and crop production. A typical management block might be in the neighborhood of 5000-acres, so this group represents several thousands of acres in S.C. and they consult with their colleagues all the time about conditions in the field. In fact, this meeting commands the attention of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and they usually send several representatives to give updates and renew partnerships.

Plantation Managers listen to Paula Sisson with USFWS,
speaking about endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers

Billy Dukes is the SCDNR Chief of Wildlife and he addressed the crowd with updates on personnel changes, and touched on recent regulation updates. Dukes announced that SCDNR’s Dean Harrigal is now promoted to Region Four Coordinator for the entire coastal plain. Biologist Daniel Barrineau is now in charge at the Donnelly WMA and Bear Island WMA, which are both based in Colleton County. SCDNR biologist Jay Cantrell addressed the meeting about the latest research that is now underway at the Webb Center in Hampton County, with wild turkeys wearing GPS-type devices in order to track their patterns concerning a decline in reproduction rates.

To view this entire article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries from the S.C. Plantation Managers click 2009 - 2010 - 2011

To view past blog entries about Quail Habitat Managers click 2014