Newly hatched loggerhead turtle heads to the ocean.
A total of 22 plants are on the South Carolina threatened
and endangered list. Six plants are listed as threatened, and 16
are endangered. Only one of the four threatened plants may
be found along the coast: seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus
pumilus). This plant is rare, so see if you can find one on the
Kiawah beach.
Seabeach amaranth.
According to the South Carolina Plant Conservation
Alliance (www.facebook.com/SouthCarolinaPlant
ConservationAlliance), there was a population of seabeach
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amaranth at Huntington Beach State Park, but it has been
depleted. Replenishment efforts are being made there and
at Cape Romain.
Besides the animals and plants listed above, many others
are of concern and can be found in our area. These include
the spotted turtle, the monarch butterfly, indigo snake,
eastern diamondback rattlesnake, saltmarsh sparrow, and
MacGillivray’s seaside sparrow.
Animals and plants get listed by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife
because of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Some
scientists say it is arbitrary at times and has given state
governors veto power over decisions. The U. S. Congress
is currently considering revisions to the Act (Senate bill
S.935—115th Congress [2017–2018], Endangered Species
Management Self-Determination Act) because, according
to the bill, the ESA has “not achieved its stated goal of
recovering threatened species or endangered species.” Further,
“of the species listed in accordance with the ESA, less than
1 percent of the total number of species in the United States
have been recovered and removed from the list, mainly due to
data errors or other factors.”
Kiawah Island residents and visitors are fortunate to be
able to see some threatened and endangered species regularly
and engage in efforts to conserve and protect them. And,
we might even be able to reintroduce such species as the
seabeach amaranth. NK
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