Mobile Home Sales in Rembert, SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As electric costs skyrocket, state lawmakers are studying ways to drive rates down, by possibly changing the way South Carolina buys and generates electricity.

Kierra Rembert who lives in Columbia said her power bills are higher than ever.

"They're about $300 a month," she said.

And as a household of five, there's little she can do about it.

"My mom was in school, she does work from home then you have me who takes online classes, the tv’s always running," said Rembert.

According to the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, Rembert isn't alone.

"We’ve got the fourth highest energy bills in the nation and some of our customers are paying 35% of their income just to energy bills," said government relations director Meagan Diedolf.

With this in mind, lawmakers passed a resolution in 2020 to study possibly moving away from the current business model for the state's electric utilities.

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Currently, South Carolinians' energy needs are served by Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, Santee Cooper, and several small cooperatives.

"What we're looking for is ways to make the power companies more competitive, so that the price of electricity in South Carolina is as low as we can possibly get," said committee member Sen. Brad Hutto.

Hutto said the committee has heard hours of presentations from consumer, environmental and solar advocates, and power company representatives.

Hutto said the most impactful avenue they're exploring is to either start or join a multi-state organization with a shared grid, allowing sales of electricity between utilities.

"The idea is that you would pool together your resources with a group of others to buy in bulk," said Hutto.

They're also studying ways to transition to clean energy sources like solar and wind, which Diedolf said is cheaper than coal or natural gas.

"As we increase renewable energy usage and increase diversity of energy mix, you’re gonna see downward pressure on rates," said Diedolf.

Hutto said the final report will take months to complete and any legislation stemming from it could take years to pass.

"You can't you can't just flip the switch so to speak without at least studying what your options are," said Hutto.

For ratepayers like Rembert, relief can't come soon enough.

"Because we need it, we shouldn't have to pay so much for it," said Rembert.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C.

The Eastern oyster is one of South Carolina’s most treasured coastal species – and now it’s receiving formal recognition in Charleston. Thanks to a proclamation by Mayor Tecklenburg, Tuesday, Nov. 22 will be declared Oyster Recycling Day in the Holy City.

South Carolina has a critical shortage of the oyster shell that’s needed to replenish the state’s oyster reefs. Just a fraction of the oysters consumed in South Carolina are recycled – which means the state must purchase increasingly scarce, out-of-state shells to meet its planting quotas.

With the Oyster Recycling Day declaration, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologists and city of Charleston staff hope to motivate more recreational harvesters, backyard roasters and restaurants to recycle their shells. Over 30 public drop-off sites across the state and participating restaurants from Greenville to Charleston make it easy for South Carolinians to make a difference.

“When we talk about preserving what makes Charleston so special, we mean not only our cobblestone streets and classical architecture, but the unmatched beauty of our natural environment as well,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “That is why I'm grateful to SCDNR for their commitment to important initiatives like this, and proud of our city staff's work in support of those efforts.”

“We’re already partnered with 36 restaurants in the greater Charleston area, and we’re asking patrons of these restaurants to thank them for their dedication to sustainable fisheries and restoring oyster habitat throughout the Lowcountry, said SCDNR biologist Stephen Czwartacki, who leads the agency's shell recycling program."

"If a restaurant would like to participate in our free shell recycling program, they simply have to reach out to our program at oystershellrecycling@dnr.sc.gov. An SCDNR biologist will bring receptacles to the restaurant, teach staff about oyster habitat and add the restaurant to our growing, bi-weekly route. We're so gratefult o the city, county and all of our valuable partners who are critical in our efforts to spread the word of our mission everyday.”

Oysters are hard-shelled mollusks that grow together in reef structures, and they play a critical role in South Carolina’s coastal economy, environment and culture. Reefs provide clean water through filtering, a natural barrier to protect coastal homes and communities from storms, a sustainable food resource and habitat to countless other marine species.

South Carolina’s coast is dotted with archeologically important shell mounds, a testament to the fact that humans have harvested and enjoyed the bivalves for thousands of years. Today, winter in the Lowcountry is synonymous with oyster roasts, and many South Carolinians enjoy harvesting the oysters themselves.

But oyster reefs need continual replenishment in order to remain sustainable – and the best way to provide that replenishment is by planting clean, quarantined oyster shells along the shoreline, which provides the preferred growing surface for baby oysters. That’s what SCDNR biologists and volunteers, through the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) program, have done along the coast for over two decades.

As oyster populations have declined in some parts of the country and competition for shells has increased, sourcing enough oyster shells to replant South Carolina’s reefs has become a challenge.

By recycling your shells, you can make a difference toward a healthy future for these iconic Lowcountry resources.

Tips for Recycling Your Oyster Shells

For additional information, contact: Erin Weeks at (843) 953-9845 WeeksE@dnr.sc.gov

SCDNR News

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C.

The long-term resilience of Beaufort County’s military installations got a boost this week with the announcement of a major grant to reduce climate impacts at Parris Island and surrounding communities.

The Coastal Conservation League, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Sustainability Institute (SI), Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, and The Pew Charitable Trusts were awarded nearly $1.2 million to establish living shorelines near MCRD Parris Island in an effort to improve the area’s natural infrastructure. Unfolding over four years, the project will employ a diverse group of volunteers in oyster reef construction.

The completed project will have a total restored footprint of approximately 3.1 acres, which will ultimately protect about 390 acres. The grant was awarded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and was announced earlier today.

“Parris Island values our partnerships with the local community and environmental organizations," said Tracey Spencer, Parris Island Environmental Division Director. "This grant funding provides us the opportunity to continue our art-of-the-small by implementing nature-based solutions to enhance resiliency within the Lowcountry.”

“We are excited for the opportunity to help preserve the MCRD, Parris Island and to work as partners with the Department of Defense,” said Faith Rivers James, Executive Director of the Conservation League, which established a Beaufort office in 1994. “We look forward to continuing our work in the South Coast, engaging and educating community members about the importance of protecting and restoring the local estuarine natural resources.”

Living shorelines are an increasingly popular strategy for addressing erosion by stabilizing shorelines with natural materials. In South Carolina, that often means using two of the most dominant features of the estuarine environment: oyster reefs and salt marsh grasses. SCDNR biologists have been constructing living shorelines using recycled oyster shells for two decades and, more recently, planting Spartina grass to restore salt marsh. This restored habitat reduces storm surge impact, absorbs floodwaters, dissipates wind and wave energy, improves water quality, and provides habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

“Living shorelines like these at Parris Island can also play a vital role in current efforts to protect a million-acre swath of salt marsh from North Carolina to northeast Florida that is at risk of disappearing under rising sea levels and that is crucial to recreational and commercial fishing, waterfowl hunting, birding, and other activities," said Lora Clarke, an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ conserving marine life in the United States project.

The project at Parris Island will rely heavily on volunteers to build the living shorelines and will use a “train the trainer” model to further expand the project’s impact.

“We’ll be working closely with the Sustainability Institute to train its AmeriCorps service members to coordinate and implement community-based volunteer events,” said biologist Michael Hodges, SCDNR’s lead on the project.

The project sites were identified through stakeholder collaboration and are located along significant waterways in Beaufort County on the Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway), Battery Creek, and Archers Creek.

Access to MCRD, Parris Island is only available via a causeway, US Highway 21, that is extremely vulnerable to flooding. Similarly, the surrounding community—including infrastructure and community resources like Beaufort Naval Hospital and Fort Frederick Cultural Reserve—is threatened by flooding events. Neighboring communities are mission critical to the infrastructure that supports the human capital needed to maintain Parris Island. Enhancing the habitat that helps strengthen the resilience of communities surrounding Parris Island will improve the resilience of the installation, and ultimately of the region and nation.

For additional information, contact: Diane Knich, Coastal Conservation League, dianek@scccl.org, (843) 530-0211 Erin Weeks, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, weeksE@dnr.sc.gov, (843) 953-9845 Bryan Cordell, Sustainability Institute, director@sustainabilityinstitutesc.org Phil Kulczewski, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, (843) 228-3710, philip.kulczewski@usmc.mil Debbie Salamone, The Pew Charitable Trusts, dsalamone@pewtrusts.or, (407) 982-0958

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C.

Last week, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) was awarded $1.5 million to work with partners and volunteers in the Charleston area to restore seven acres of degraded salt marsh in a historically important area. The project will unfold over four years and use volunteers to plant salt marsh grasses and construct oyster reefs through SCDNR’s South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) Program.

"We’re ecstatic to receive funding for this project," said Michael Hodges, SCDNR shellfish biologist and lead on the project. "We’re excited that we will get to involve so many volunteers and partners in the project’s implementation. This will be a unique project, using novel, nature-based solutions to restore the degraded tidal marsh in this historically significant part of the Lowcountry."

Granted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the National Coastal Resilience Fund, the award is one of eight funded across the country and represents a continuation of federally funded work on Old Towne Creek in West Ashley. Phase one of the project, led by the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), involved developing engineering and design plans for coastal marshes in West Ashley. A team led by Dr. Joel E. Kostka, Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Schools of Biological Sciences and Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at GT, will lead post-restoration monitoring and quantify habitat improvements as well as collaborate with SCDNR to train volunteers and citizen scientists. Other partners in this phase of the project will include Robinson Design Engineers and the South Carolina Aquarium.

"This project is a win-win for the Charleston area as it will restore critical wildlife habitat while strengthening the resilience of the coastline to damage from storms and erosion made worse by climate change," said Dr. Kostka. "We at Georgia Tech are excited to participate in the project, in particular to leverage science to develop metrics and improve strategies that will ensure the success of nature-based restoration activities across the U.S."

The restoration site is in what was formerly Maryville, a small town with an important role in Charleston’s history. Chartered and settled in 1886, Maryville was one of the area’s most prominent settlement communities – self-sustaining, all-Black communities that offered the region’s formerly enslaved population safer places to buy land, raise families, and pursue farming or trades in the Jim Crow-era South.

Despite later annexation by the city of Charleston and rapid development of surrounding West Ashley, the area is still known to some locals – including descendants of the town’s founders – as Maryville.

Old Towne Creek is the tidal waterway that connects this area to the nearby Ashley River. In 1670, it saw the first English settlers arrive and establish ‘Charles Towne’ on its banks. Later, the fishermen of Maryville plied its waters for crab, oysters and fish. Today, the creek is popular among kayakers and birdwatchers. But like many urban waterways, Old Towne Creek and its surrounding marshes have degraded over time, particularly after a severe drought in 2012 and another salt marsh dieback event in 2016. Researchers have found that the salt marsh within the project area has not recovered naturally like other areas with similar conditions.

The recent $1.5 million in funding will allow for the restoration and monitoring of seven acres of degraded salt marsh through community-based restoration efforts. Members of the community and the Ashleyville-Maryville Neighborhood Association, who initially noticed that the marsh vegetation was dying back, participated in the initial site assessment and will now be engaged as volunteers in the restoration.

SCDNR biologists have been constructing ‘living shorelines’ – shorelines made of natural materials – for two decades, primarily using recycled oyster shells. These shells attract young oysters, which settle on the hard materials and collectively grow into reef structures that filter waterways, provide habitat for fish and buffer shorelines from erosion.

Please click here to sign up to receive updates about marsh restoration volunteer events.

For additional information, contact: Erin Weeks at (843) 729-3531 WeeksE@dnr.sc.gov

A record number of wood stork nests were recorded in South Carolina in 2022, the third time in the past four years a new mark was set for the state.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources biologists and technicians counted 3,928 of the wading birds’ nests this year, up about 400 nests from what was a record number in 2021 and nearly twice as many nests as were counted in the state a decade ago.

Wood storks were reclassified from federally endangered to federally threatened during 2014 in response to increasing population trends. Much of the wood stork population’s recent growth in the United States has occurred in South Carolina. While the highest numbers of nests remain in Florida, the South Carolina Lowcountry – particularly the ACE Basin – has during the past decade become a site with one of the highest densities of wood stork colonies along the East Coast.

The rise in recent years could be attributed in part to storks moving up from Florida during years when the Everglades are less suitable for nesting and foraging. The increased numbers are also a testament to the successful management of impoundments and wetlands conservation efforts in the ACE Basin, a triumph not only of the work of state and federal biologists but also of private land managers’ increasing willingness to manage wetlands for the benefit of wading birds and shorebirds in addition to waterfowl.

For instance, periodically drawing down the water level in waterfowl impoundments throughout the summer and fall as part of the management cycle to provide feeding habitat for wintering ducks can allow wood storks to move in and feast on shallow pools full of small fish.

Wood storks are larger than other wading birds and require a lot of food in areas they plan to nest. The birds forage for food in tidal impoundments, flooded forests and other floodplains where receding water forms shallow pools that trap fish and make easy, fulfilling meals for the wood storks.

"We have this diversity of wetlands where storks can feed," said Christy Hand, wading bird biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. "And it means that if one type of wetland is not optimal for storks, they have several different options."

Long-term threats to the wood storks’ continued breeding success include the Cuban bulrush, an invasive plant, and the effects of climate change and sea level rise.

Cuban bulrush grows in dense mats that cover water, crowding out native plants and forming walkways for predators such as racoons to raid wood stork nests for eggs.