12
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A Community
of Mentors
I’ve been mentored by the best
of the best, and could never pay
for the education I’ve received
from them.
- Tammy McAdory
14
Number
No.
13
Norm Norton: Passion for Plants
When I joined the staff of the Kiawah Conservancy in 2002,
Norm Norton was chairman of the Board of Trustees. Norm,
a native plant enthusiast and Botany PhD, shared his passion
for the natural flora of Kiawah with all of the Board during
his chairmanship and through a series of presentations to
property owners, focusing on the wildflowers of Kiawah. A
staunch supporter of the preservation of Little Bear Island and
the Kiawah Conservancy’s original “Little Bear Tour Leader,”
Norm continues to share his knowledge of the Island’s plants
through his support for the Kiawah Conservancy’s field trips
and making sure I cover all of the pertinent information on
plants during these outings! Norm also continues to support
the Kiawah Conservancy by lending a hand with identification
of plants and plant communities on properties that are being
considered for preservation. He is an invaluable resource for
those with an interest in Kiawah’s native plants, and whenever
I encounter a “new” plant on Kiawah, or a species I’m
unfamiliar with, my first call is to Norm!
- Justin Core
Jim Chitwood: Catalyst for Research-Based Conservation
What do you think of when someone mentions bobcats on Kiawah? Do you recall a chance sighting you’ve had, or
perhaps a story from an excited friend or neighbor who caught a glimpse of this elusive Island icon? Well, I think of Jim
Chitwood! Odd, you say? Well, let me explain…
Soon after he assumed his role as Kiawah Conservancy Trustee in 2005, Jim became the chairman of the Kiawah
Conservancy’s Environmental Science Committee – the group charged with determining research studies that can be used
to further the Kiawah Conservancy’s programs and help us gain a better understanding of Kiawah’s overall ecology.
Obviously, bobcats are a long-standing topic on this committee’s agenda and the majority of the Kiawah Conservancy’s
work aimed at understanding Island bobcats was developed by this committee, under Jim’s direction. This included the
inception of the Bobcat GPS Project in 2007 – a project that continues today, allowing Town Biologists and the Kiawah
Conservancy to collect and analyze large sets of valuable location information.
Jim’s support for research, coupled with his contagious desire to understand the “nuts and bolts” of the bobcat population,
led to the development of key management plans, conservation actions and the placement of several conservation
easements protecting known dens and important daytime resting habitat areas. His leadership on the committee provided
the catalyst for the development of research-based land conservation efforts and provided the framework for other
important research, including Sarah Latshaw’s Painted Bunting Study and Keith Hanson’s Reptile and Amphibian Survey.
So, when folks talk about bobcats on Kiawah, I think about all the progress we’ve made in understanding their population
and perhaps more importantly, their habitat needs on the Island. I also reflect on the steps we’ve made to permanently
protect several of their important habitat areas and the conservation work we continue to pursue. I think that much of
what we know about Kiawah’s bobcats can be attributed to Jim’s unwavering support for research of Island wildlife. The
Kiawah Conservancy’s “Dr. James L. Chitwood Science Fellowship” is indeed aptly named!
- Justin Core