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Thread: can someone school me on the best conservation organizations

  1. #1
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    Default can someone school me on the best conservation organizations

    My employer has a giving campaign every year where they match donations. Coincidentally, I started reading "Sunrise on the Santee" and it got me thinking about conservation groups. I wanted to donate to some good conservation organizations specifically for SC, for the things I care about. Wanted to get SCDucks thoughts on the best ones...

    here's what I care about
    - Wildlife habitat preservation, restoration in SC.
    - water quality, pollution in rivers, lakes... every time I go to the Catawba River it seems there is even more garbage floating and around banks. Fish consumption warnings for PCBs at most places I like to fish.
    - slowing real estate development... many of the areas I used to hunt (including my back yard) now have condos, houses and docks making it impossible to hunt. Land that used to be farms, hunt clubs is being developed for condos, houses and storage units.

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    I just donate to the South Carolina conservation Bank!
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  3. #3
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    Look into the different land trusts established in SC. Lowcountry Open Land Trust for example.

    The Nature Conservancy.

    Ducks Unlimited provides grant money to keep our Category One WMA's going.
    DILLIGAF

  4. #4
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    I think you would like to support the Congaree Riverkeepers.
    http://congareeriverkeeper.org/e-cards/e-cards

    For Land conservation, a donation to the Congaree Land Trust seems to fit the bill for you, too.
    www.congareelt.org

    DU and Delta and FF are all good choices for waterfowl conservation.
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by 2thDoc View Post
    I think you would like to support the Congaree Riverkeepers.
    http://congareeriverkeeper.org/e-cards/e-cards

    For Land conservation, a donation to the Congaree Land Trust seems to fit the bill for you, too.
    www.congareelt.org

    DU and Delta and FF are all good choices for waterfowl conservation.
    What's the latest with the FF? I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

  6. #6
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    simple man ran it into the ground....
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  7. #7
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    You've got the Catawba River keepers and the Catawba Land Conservancy up there.

    Down here I'm right at the middle. Between both organizations, like as what 2th mentioned.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for the responses. Congaree Riverkeeper looks like a good one and looking at www.congareelt.org... Conservation Easements look like what I want to support. Do they work and are they usually upheld? Looks like the landowner has to enforce them and the trust will back them up in court. Also, the DNR site mentions the Harry Hampton fund and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation... any opinions on them?

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    I've got a buddy that worked on some grants up near you, a Citadel graduate also. Kind of a hippie Democrat, but one of my oldest friends in life.

  10. #10
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    Cool, shoot me a PM and I'd like to talk to him. I'm Citadel class of 98' I just looked at the Catawba land trust and the easements seem to be more focused on eco tourism-like, kayaking, hiking... don't see any mention of hunting. Looks like Congaree land trust is more of what I want to support. Kinda given up on hunting/fishing in my area anyway since it has become so crowded. That's why I'm in a club in Fairfield/Richland and do most of my fishing in Wateree, Congaree and Lake Marion. Thanks

  11. #11
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    "Friends of the Congaree" does a lot for the National Park and the Congaree River area. They have river cleanups and clean trails at the Park often. I support them monetarily but am not able to attend many of their events. I know quite a few good conservationists that are members.
    I only hunt on days that end in "y"!

  12. #12
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    i would be curious to learn more about the current status of flyway foundation as well. i asked a few months back about it and all i got was crickets. is it still active? can we still donate? how? are hen houses still being sent to the great lakes region? can i get a cool hat?
    "JUST BECAUSE I AM NOT A GOOD SPELLER DOESN'T MEAN MY JEAN POLL IS GONNA BE BAD."
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  13. #13
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    I'll shoot you a pm shortly and him a text. I am pretty sure he's in the 99 class.

    There's a fall festival that the Congaree LT is doing soon. It's in our area. I am not educated enough as maybe 2th is on the subject. I've just listened to some speakers with a couple of the organizations. As a business I sponsor a few things, but if I had to spend personal time it would probably be in one of the local land or river trusts.
    Last edited by Highstrung; 10-31-2017 at 01:13 PM.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by ElCidRocker View Post
    Thanks for the responses. Congaree Riverkeeper looks like a good one and looking at www.congareelt.org... Conservation Easements look like what I want to support. Do they work and are they usually upheld? Looks like the landowner has to enforce them and the trust will back them up in court. Also, the DNR site mentions the Harry Hampton fund and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation... any opinions on them?
    The donee land trust organizations are the ones responsible for the enforcement of the easement. Due to the tax benefits involved, there is significant liability on the part of the donee organizations and the officers and directors to do their jobs of enforcing the easements. If they do not, they will have the wrath of the Department of Justice and the IRS on their ass.
    The land trusts are not really out there to "promote" eco-tourism or hunting. They are conservation organizations and they typically encourage historic uses of the land like farming and hunting. So just because a brochure or website seems to be promoting kayaking over hunting I would not be so quick to rush to judgment that the organization is anti-hunting.
    DILLIGAF

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by 2thDoc View Post
    simple man ran it into the ground....
    I would take great pleasure in fighting you some days. Not like a soccer fight - like a real fight.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  16. #16
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    (imagine me writing in pain on the ground)
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

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    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  18. #18
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    Seriously - rp and Cut Em are the guys for FF questions. I've resigned my position because I don't have adequate time to give it the attention it deserves.

    The FF needs new blood. Delta would love to partner with the FF, but there are bigger and better things for the organization than just hen houses, in my opinion. As noble as that is, there needs to be some new blood involved with some new ideas for SC's ducks. I've always found that the FF has a following that will do whatever is needed on the ground - but there needs to be a Board that can steer that ship, and some of us that were on the Board for years got to points in our careers and lives that we needed to turn that over. It was honestly overdue. If the Flyway Foundation is going to be productive, it needs leadership that is focused and excited - and has time to implement new ideas. Hen House workdays are fun and incredibly productive. I've always said the FF needs to market/model its Hen House production and make it exponential by sharing that with other organizations who can learn the process and put the efforts into action on their own. That's about all I have to say on the matter, other than I'm always happy to help in a supportive role, just like many others.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  19. #19
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    thanks for the explanation Simple. I've always appreciated what Flyway Foundation did, because selfishly it let me know that my money and support goes directly back into improving SC's migratory bird habitat and population. The fact that it doesn't have the overhead of a larger, nationwide organization is also a nice bonus. Didn't Delta co-opt the hen house idea and implement it in the PPR with great success?
    "JUST BECAUSE I AM NOT A GOOD SPELLER DOESN'T MEAN MY JEAN POLL IS GONNA BE BAD."
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    There's evidence coming out...
    Quote Originally Posted by Cottontop74 View Post
    I dabble in a lot of things, but don't get too technical with any of them.

  20. #20
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    Too much to type from a phone in the deer stand, so I'll lay it out when i get to a computer. Suffice it to say that Delta didnt underwrite anything but believe me when i tell you they understand and appreciate what the FF has done with their henhouse design. Their CEO, Dr. Scott Petrie, was one of the FF's first partners when he was with Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Center in Ontario. He would love nothing more than to see a partnership between these two organizations.

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    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

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