•• Cooper’s hawks were rare on Kiawah, but they are now
fairly common.
the amphibian population given that it has been called an
“indicator species” for climate change.
longer observed here.
Climate change and Kiawah Island
•• Northern bobwhites used to be common, but they are no
•• Black-necked stilts were rare. They are now fairly common
albeit localized breeders.
•• Yellow-bellied sapsuckers were not recorded during the
1975 study, but they are now a common winter resident.
•• A loggerhead shrike was only found once during the 1975
study, but there are now at least several nesting pairs.
•• The red-eyed vireo and hooded warbler used to be
common breeding birds, but they probably do not breed
here anymore.
•• Eastern meadowlarks used to breed in grassy areas (such as
on Captain Sam’s Spit), but they no longer breed here.
There is no evidence yet that the apparent changes in bird
life on Kiawah are related to climate change, but it does bear
investigation. Similarly, we should encourage research on
As residents of a beautiful barrier island with such abundant
wildlife, we should learn as much as we can about our
environment and the possible effects of global climate changes.
As part of the Conservancy’s mission to preserve Kiawah’s
unique balance of nature and development, our research must
continually monitor issues such as these. Studies of changes
in both bird life and amphibian populations are steps in the
right direction. Monitoring the health of our beaches, dunes,
and marsh will grow ever more critical over time. Now is the
time to develop strategies that anticipate rather than react to
the changes that will surely come. With vigilance, planning,
and execution we can hope that the pristine environment we
so love on Kiawah will continue to thrive in the years, decades,
and centuries ahead. NK
Kiawah Island, Charleston and Climate Change
The Charleston Post & Courier has recently had a
series of articles related to climate change. Most recently
(January 2, 2015) the paper reported that heavier rainfalls
are expected in the future. The article was based on the
National Climate Assessment for 2014, a report issued by
the National Science and Technology Council and the U.S.
Global Change Research Program. The report makes three
key points relevant to our region (page 397 in nca2014.
globalchange.gov):
1. ea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats
S
to both natural and built environments and to the
regional economy.
2. Increasing temperatures and the associated increase
in frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat
events will affect public health, natural and built
environments, energy, agriculture, and forestry.
3. Decreased water availability, exacerbated by
population growth and land-use change, will
continue to increase competition for water and affect
the region’s economy and unique ecosystems.
The first key point is the subject of this article in
Naturally Kiawah, but attention should be directed to the
other two points in the future, particularly the third.
The National Climate Assessment has an enormous
amount of information and is quite readable. In addition,
there is a large number of documents on climate change
16
readily accessible to the lay person. Among them are:
• South Carolina Blue Ribbon Committee on Shoreline
Management, 2013
(www.scdhec.gov/library/CR-010631.pdf)
• Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Recent
Climate Change, C. Parmesan, Annual Review of
Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 2006.
(www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.
ecolsys.37.091305.110100)
• Climate Change and Wildlife Health.
(www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact_sheets/pdfs/
Climate_Change_and_Wildlife_Health.pdf)
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
2014 Report (www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/)
• Reducing Coastal Risk (National Academies of
Sciences) (Can be download at no cost at
www.nap.edu)
• AAAS-What-We-Know (American Association for
Science) (whatweknow.aaas.org/get-the-facts/)
• NOAA Temperature Global Analysis
(www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/)
• NOAA Tides and Currents (tidesandcurrents.noaa.
gov/sltrends/sltrends.shtml
• NOAA National Hurricane Center, Storm Surge
Overview (www.nhc.noaa.gov/surge/)
Naturally Kiawah