15
No.
Jamie Rood
Jamie Rood is the manager
of Night Heron Park Nature
Center, the go-to spot on
Kiawah Island that visitors and
residents alike know well for its
nature activities and programs.
Jamie and the Kiawah Island
Golf Resort naturalists and
staff members work tirelessly
to answer questions, provide
hands-on experiences and arrange
walks and excursions into the
natural world of Kiawah. In
addition, Jamie is a generous,
supportive and cheerful partner
in the Kiawah Conservancy’s
mission and its educational
outreach activities. She serves
as a liaison to the Kiawah
Conservancy Board of Trustees
and, with camera in hand, she
documents many of the Kiawah
Conservancy’s Conservation
Matters programs, Painted
Bunting Society events and
fundraisers, always pausing to
share her knowledge of the Island
and its natural resources. “I learn
something new every day,” she
says and she wants to share that
with everyone who loves Kiawah.
16
No.
The Birdman
of Kiawah
When we asked Kiawah
Islanders to tell us their favorite
thing about Kiawah we heard
a chorus of “The birds! The
birds! The birds!” So, of
course, we have to add Aaron
Given, the Birdman of Kiawah,
as one of our favorites. See
an unusual feathered creature
trotting along the shore and
wonder what it is? Ask Aaron.
Want to take a walk along the
beach beside an expert who can
help you recognize any bird
that passes? Walk with Aaron.
Aaron is a Wildlife Biologist
with the Town of Kiawah
Island. Under his guidance
the Town’s birdbanding station
has developed from a small
operation to one of the largest,
most respected stations in
the southeast. The Kiawah
Conservancy provides much of
the support for the station that
now includes four interns who
assist with Aaron’s research.
- Photographs courtesy of
Pamela Cohen