DO: Remind the sand engineers in your party that after
a fun day in the sand they will be doing a new generation of
turtles a great favor by leveling their construction site before
they leave the beach.
DO: Remind nighttime beach users that we are serious
about “lights out for turtles.” House lights, flashlights, and
even camera flashes can disorient them and disrupt their
journey. We want to give them every chance to live long
and prosper.
DO: Out for an early morning beach walk? From mid-
May through mid-October look for Kiawah’s turtle patrol
volunteers out early to assess the night’s turtle action. Watch
what they are doing. Ask them questions; they have a wealth
of information.
SEE: On Kiawah, we appreciate our alligators (Alligator
mississippiensis). These armor-coated reminders of an earlier
age haven’t changed much in 150 million years. You are
most likely to see them in and around freshwater ponds.
They represent an essential part of our ecosystem. As apex
predators, they contribute to keeping a variety of small animal
populations in control.
They also are a key indicator of the health of our freshwater
ponds. They are definitely not tame, but in general, they are
afraid of humans and stay out of our way. The exception
is once they have been fed, they associate easy food with
humans and lose their fear. When this happens, they must
be destroyed.
DO: View these fascinating beasts from a bridge or
raised deck. Keep your camera handy for some great gator
shots, always maintaining a safe distance. They are fast and
surprisingly agile in the water and on land. Remind others to
keep children and pets well away from pond edges, and never
feed or harass an alligator.
SUMMER/FALL 2018 • VOLUME 40
SEE: Huge flocks of shorebirds feed on our beach in the
fall. They are resting and refueling after gruesome flights
from their nesting grounds in the north to places as far away
as the southern tip of South America. They need to feed
undisturbed to have the strength to complete this challenging
journey. In the spring they pass through again, this time
on the way north to produce their next generation. The
success of these stopovers affects their ability to reach their
destination and to lay viable eggs. Shorebird populations are
estimated to have suffered declines approaching 70 percent
over the past 50 years.
DO: If you see playful dogs or exuberant bikers who
appear tempted to take a run at sending the flock airborne,
remind them why we need to care for these visitors to our
island. It’s a matter of life or death.
SEE: What about plastic? Although you may not see them
often on our beach, the World Watch Institute points out that
the number of straws used and discarded daily in the U.S.
could circle the earth two and a half times. They are just a
small part of the tons of plastic ending up in the ocean every
year, some eight million tons in aggregate. Plastic bags make
up a significant percentage of that eight million tons. All this
affects the wildlife that calls the ocean home. It’s not good for
us either.
DO: Politely decline plastic straws whenever possible. Ask
for paper bags for your purchases; for even more impact bring
your own reusable bags when shopping. Stop by the Kiawah
Conservancy office at 80 Kestral Court to pick up a free
reusable shopping bag.
Fun to SEE. Easy to DO. All designed to keep our resident
wildlife and you thriving. And you can feel good about
making a difference! NK
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