South Carolina Earns Migratory Bird Joint Venture Awards

Swallow-Tailed Kite awards were given out to the Winners

Partners of the South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative (SAMBI) in South Carolina were recognized in November. That meeting to celebrate NAWCA was a part of the ACE Basin 25th Anniversary and was held at the ACE Basin NERR. The USFWS recognized several leaders for the work that their groups had completed regarding conservation of wetlands in South Carolina. Those groups included Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon and SCDNR.

Of course money from the federal government through the SAMBI gets the conservation choo choo train rolling and it further gathers steam by enlisting matching funds from willing partners. Those figures include $79 million from the federal government, that later became more than $365 million when leveraging the contributions of more than 450 partners. These figures have protected 378,000-acres in South Carolina, and here's an example of the various projects.

DU, Audubon, TNC and SCDNR were recognized

In the ACE Basin this equals 200,000-acres, of which about two-thirds are privately owned. There are also 135,000-acres protected in the South Lowcountry (SoLo) Focus Area. About 56,000-acres in the Winyah Bay area has been protected thus far, and more is expected. Finally, the 16,000-acre Francis Beidler Forest and its hardwood bottoms is protected and carries the added distinction of being one of only twenty-three Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance in the United States. Bravo!