Longleaf Alliance and Pine Straw

Daniel West on the pine straw rake

The 11th Biennial Longleaf Conference met in Savannah on November 1 – 4 at the Marriott Riverfront hotel. The Longleaf Alliance was formed in 1995, and they are partnering with state and federal efforts in order to see that the surge in longleaf recovery continues. Private landowners across the Southeast will also play a role in the future of the longleaf ecosystem, and conference participants traveled to Colleton County on Nov. 3 for a workshop about commercial pine straw production.

The Biennial conference field trip came to western Colleton County where about 400-acres of longleaf pine trees set up for pine tree production. The tour bus brought forestry professionals and landowners to the sandy soils along Highway 21 that make it a natural site for longleaf pine trees. The same xeric soil tends to grow less woody vegetation than other heavier, wetter Lowcountry soils which is better for producing clean pine straw.

            

The Longleaf Alliance field trip attendees

Tom and Wendy McNeil welcome the visitors

Tom and Wendy McNeil issued a warm welcome to the visitors and shared that their family ownership group wanted to try out pine straw production as an additional revenue stream in addition to timber harvests. As with all timber management, it takes years to implement any new plan, and in this case it took about 12 years for the longleaf pine seedlings to grow to a size that would produce enough straw to bale. Essentially they lease out the acreage for a fee to an entity that wants to bale and then market the pine straw.

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

To view past blog entries about The Longleaf Alliance click on 2015 Longleaf Academy - Longleaf Book - America's Great Outdoors

To view past blog entries on Prescribed Fire click on Education Options - 2015 Prescribed Fire - Plowing Firebreaks - 2014 Dry Weather Fire Threat - SCDNR Prescribed Fire - 2013 Prescribed Fire - 2012 Prescribed Fire - 2009 Wildfire - 2009 Prescribed Fire Council

Round pine straw bale production

2016 Edisto Island Open Land Trust - Sand Creek Farm

Title Sponsor Calvert Huffines
 with EIOLT director John Girault (in costume)

The Wyatt family shucks oysters with a smile!

The annual Edisto Island Open Land Trust oyster roast normally raises funds for their property conservation efforts. In 2016 the land trust board decided that all profits should go to a local organization that provides building materials and services to those in need on Edisto Island. Despite temperatures that soared to 85 degrees, the large crowd kept cool along the salt marsh banks at Sand Creek Farm, with a Halloween costume contest providing entertainment.

            

Melinda Hester is the Administrator for EIOLT, and she was busy checking in guests during the event. “The Mission Team consists of all volunteers, and our funds will go towards building materials,” said Hester. “They take applications from residents of Edisto Island who can’t afford repairs, and they do non-structural repair work, usually roof repair and work on porches and decks.” EIOLT past President Bobo Lee shared that the Mission Team completes their work with no charge to the applicant. 

Edisto Gumbo plays tunes for the large crowd

The title sponsor for the 2016 oyster roast is The Huffines Company of Walterboro. Founder Calvert Huffines spoke at the event and singled out those who have led the clean up at the beach including Mayor Jane Darby, Fire Chief Denney Conley, and Police Chief George Brothers. Huffines also extolled the virtues of the younger residents of the island that have exerted great effort since Hurricane Matthew for the good of the overall community. The event lasted from 2 until 5 on Sunday afternoon, and everyone lingered, glad to help conservation play a role in ongoing hurricane relief efforts.

To view this entire feature story in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view a past blog entries about EIOLT click 2014 Oyster Roast - 2013 Oyster Roast - 2012 ACE Basin Mtg. - 2009 Spring Birding - 2014 Spring Birding.

To view a past blog on conservation click on 25th Anniversary of the ACE Basin.

To view past blog entries from 2016 at Edisto click on Jim Bost Memorial - Dolphin Slam - Cobia Tourney - Spring Shorebird Synergy - Bovine Bones on Beach - Edisto River book - 2016 Edisto Billfish Tourney

The Morris family reps She Crab Soup!

Edisto Mayor Jane Darby as Geraldo Rivera,
with a cowgirl and a zombie artist

2016 Birding Journal Observations - September / October

Bald Eagle at rest on Sept. 30

As a lifelong birder, once comes to understand that a birding observation or photo opportunity can arise at any time, and my image from September 30 of a bald eagle at rest in a snag tree is the lone highlight from this bimonthly report. I still had plenty of hummingbirds at the outset of September, but by the end of the month my nectar feeders were barren. My migratory songbird sightings were bunched around September 16 and 17 when I recorded American redstart, brown-headed nuthatch and Tennessee warbler, common yellowthroat, parula warbler and yellow warbler. My guess is that all the birds were moving ahead of the weather that Hurricane Matthew brought to the lower Atlantic Coast, and the 10-inches of rain recorded in the Lowcountry!

Other observations included cardinal, summer tanager, bluebird, dove, tufted titmouse, downy woodpecker, Carolina chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, red-bellied woodpecker, blue-gray gnatcatcher, blue jay, mockingbird, pileated woodpecker, Carolina wren, ruby-crowned kinglet, fox sparrow and chipping sparrow.

To view the most recent Birding Journal Observations click on July / August 2016.

To view past Birding Journal Observations for September / October click 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009