South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Last week, several SCDNR staff had the privilege of attending ICAST, the world's largest sportfishing trade show, to network with the many sportfishing-related business that make their homes in South Carolina. 🏡 These manufacturers, retailers, dealers, and small businesses contribute to our state in more ways than one. In addition to the jobs and economic boost they bring, they play an important role in conservation as well -- through the Dingell Johnson Act, fishing equipment such as rods, reels, lures, and artificial baits are subject to a 10% federal excise tax that helps fund state fishing programs. 🎣 Tag your favorite SC-based sportfishing company in the comments below! Photo: Group shot of South Carolina's ICAST attendees (Leonard Bryant)

Have you ever ventured up a monadnock? There are several in the Upstate of South Carolina, but a special one resides at Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve in Pickens County. A monadnock is an isolated mountain located in the Piedmont just below the Blue Ridge region. They can often be considered the gateway to the Upstate. These mountains offer a glimpse at multiple ecosystems as the trail rises up the mountain. Join our state naturalist as we explore the small details and grand vistas of Glassy Mountain. Be sure to grab your field guides and binoculars and adventure up the mountain yourself this summer! https://lnkd.in/eMBMKam2

Deer hunters, your tags should be arriving in the mail soon. Hunters who have an annual or three-year hunting license and big game permit, combination license or sportsman license, which will be valid on Aug. 15, should automatically receive a base set of deer tags. Additionally, lifetime, senior, gratis, disability and Catawba license holders who previously requested deer tags will continue to automatically receive a free base set of tags this year and in the future. These license type holders who did not automatically receive tags last year must request them to be added to the automatic fulfillment list. Deer tags will also be available over-the-counter beginning Monday, Aug. 5 at SCDNR offices located in Charleston, Clemson, West Columbia (Farmers Market), Florence, Aynor and York. For complete details, visit https://lnkd.in/evZX-wTh

We will be closing the Camp Adger Road located in the Jim Timmerman Natural Resource Area at Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens County beginning Monday, July 22 to conduct needed maintenance. The public will be notified when the work is complete and the road is reopened.

Deer hunters, remember that electronic harvest reporting is required by law beginning this season. Hunters must report their harvest by midnight the day the deer was taken and before leaving a deer with a processor. This also applies to deer harvested with Deer Quota Program tags. Reporting is free, quick and convenient. This is the same requirement already in place for turkey and bear hunting. There are four reporting methods: the Go Outdoors SC mobile app, Go Outdoors SC website, text or telephone call. More details will be included with your deer tags, and more information will follow as we approach the start of the season.

Our marine education team just wrapped up another successful Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) workshop! TOTE is a research and field-based training opportunity for teachers hosted annually at National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) sites around the country, including our own ACE Basin Reserve. The workshop gives teachers the opportunity to: 🏝️ Explore a variety of coastal habitats through field trips 🧑🔬Interact with local scientists ♻️Engage with local environmental issues 📔Learn how to take their newfound knowledge back to their classrooms Are you an educator interested in joining the fun? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eBev3dQG

✅ Sunscreen ✅ H20 ✅ Paddleboard ✅ Salt marsh grass plugs 🌾 SCDNR biologists and volunteers (including many of you) have been restoring coastal salt marsh habitat for years by growing and planting Spartina marsh grass along the shoreline. But this might be the first time anyone has done it by paddleboard. Our SCORE (S.C. Oyster Recycling and Enhancement) team is trialing this technique at their historic Maryville site, where a four-year project is unfolding to restore seven acres of degraded salt marsh. Over two days, a small team was able to cover roughly half an acre and plant 10,000 Spartina plugs! This work is supported by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the National Coastal Resilience Fund. Many thanks to the College of Charleston Paddle Club and Wave Paddler for sharing their equipment and know-how! 🛶 Want to get involved in this and other volunteer efforts? Sign up here to receive updates about salt marsh restoration volunteer opportunities: https://lnkd.in/eGhNyprr

Did you know that you can download free WMA maps on our website? 🗺️ Click here to download your map: https://lnkd.in/e8pWmTdG #scdnr

Can you spot the little resident lounging on this lily pad? Cricket frogs are a native amphibian that calls the Carolina bays and other wetlands in South Carolina home. Their call is a distinct metallic clicking sound they make as they search for a mate and communicate with one another. Ranging in size from half an inch to just under 2 inches, these small frogs can be found in aquatic habitats like the flowering water lily in ponds and bays. Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve's Carolina bay was first documented in 1973 and is one of only a few bays that remain intact from their natural state. The bay is 25 acres and protects eight rare plant species while providing habitat for amphibians, reptiles, mammals and wading birds, among other residents. Carolina bays are elliptically shaped, wet depressions in the land that run from northwest to southeast in orientation. Carolina bays in the state can range from 30 feet to almost 3 miles in diameter. Be sure to check out this unique geologic feature next time you pass through Aiken County.

The first of this year's sea turtle hatchlings began emerging this week! After roughly two months of incubating, sea turtle nests on Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Seabrook Island, Hilton Head Island and Edisto Beach all hatched on July 6. That means it's time for beachgoers and residents to do their part to help these tiny reptiles make it to the ocean. Help sea turtles survive with these best practices for hatching season: 💡Keep Lights Out for Loggerheads! At night, turn beachfront lights off and ditch flash photography and flashlights on the beach to avoid disorienting hatchlings. 🚯 Keep our beaches clean and free of trash and holes 🐢 Admire these incredible creatures from a distance 📞 Report any violations to SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431 Photo: A loggerhead hatchling makes its way to the ocean (Taylor Main/SCDNR); the first hatched nest of the season on Seabrook Island (courtesy Seabrook Island Turtle Team)