Barrier Islands

Barrier Islands, like Hilton Head Island, run parallel to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Maine to Texas. Because they are exposed to the open ocean, barrier islands take the full force of tides, currents and storms that lash the coast. They protect the inland marshes and tidal creeks from waves and swells. Barrier Islands are especially attractive to people, who love to build towns, resorts and residences on their ocean-facing shores. Barrier islands consist of the ocean beach, primary dunes, secondary dunes, a maritime forest (if the island is wide enough), a saltwater marsh and tidal flats.

Source: Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast, by Peter Meyer, 1998.

Hunting Island State Park hosts sand fest

If you need a reminder of why you love the Lowcountry, go read this story and look at the photos of the sand sculpture co test held on Hunting Island State Park.

Read the Island Packet story here.

Effort to stop beach erosion on Daufuskie Island under fire

Private homeowners took steps to stop beach erosion, but state officials cry foul.

Read the Island Packet story here.

Study: Lowcountry under future threat from El Nino

Scientists warn that during El Nino years, when sea temperatures rise in the Southern Pacific, parts of the South Carolina Lowcountry will be flooded.

REad the Post and Courier story here.

Some common sense tips for taking Fido to the beach

Taking your dog to the beach or sandbar can be fun for your pet, but the wild creatures that live there deserve some respect.

Read the Associated Press story via Bluffton Today here.

Mid-season (through June) marine turtle nesting, stranding update for S.C. coast

So far through June of 2011 (representing 54% of the nesting season), 2,545 loggerhead, and four leatherback nests have been reported on project beaches along the South Carolina coast. The preliminary 2011 statewide estimate for South Carolina this year is 3,511 turtle nests, which includes nests laid on beaches that do not have daily monitoring. Nesting in 2011 has started out extremely strong with most of the coast reporting higher than normal nest counts. Often, when nesting starts strong, the nest numbers drop off quickly toward the end of the season.

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Building on the coast to cost taxpayers

Despite official policies to retreat from the shoreline, many in South Carolina continue to build big houses on the water.

Read the story from The State newspaper via the Island Packet here.

S.C. beaches rated 9th in U.S.

The Natural Resources Defense Council released a report this week ranking South Carolina beaches as ninth-most cleanly in the nation.

Read the Post and Courier story here.

Get more details in the Island Packet story here.

Friends of the Rivers changes name to Port Royal Sound Foundation

The Friends of the Rivers board of directors announced it has approved a name change to the Port Royal Sound Foundation to be effective in May, 2011. The new name will more accurately reflect the board's expanded mission statement:

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Loggerhead nesting now under way in South Carolina

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Marine Turtle Conservation Program is excited to report that loggerhead nesting has officially begun in South Carolina. The first nest of the season was reported by Janie Lackman, Nest Protection Project Leader for Fripp Island in Beaufort County. A nest has also been reported on Cape Island in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.

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