by David Burn | Apr 7, 2007 | Lowcountry, The Environment
photo by Kristin Goode
In yesterday’s paper, David Lauderdale of The Island Packet dropped in on softshell crab season at the Bluffton Oyster Factory. Lauderdale is a seasoned reporter who cares for the subjects he covers and the real life impact his work can have. Thus, he carefully introduces a native species to the human population.
We’re lucky to still have white bellies, red liners, busters and jack ups around here.
They rake around in brackish Lowcountry waters, performing a springtime ritual not visible from the hill, where all the new neighborhoods are starting to spit tainted runoff into the wetlands.
At this time of year — usually around Easter — the white bellies on female blue crabs start showing red lines. That means they’re about to molt — “bust” their hard shells, jack them up and then pull themselves out of their safe, crusty shells, eyeballs and all.
For a few hours their dull gray shell is soft like sponge, their orange snapping claws limp as noodles. If pulled from the water at the right moment, they’re a delicacy sought the world over.
Note how Lauderdale introduces the whole web of life and personal responsibility message in his second paragraph. He’s a pro.
by David Burn | Apr 1, 2007 | Lowcountry, The Environment
Ben Turner, owner of Native Guide Tours took us on a two-hour May River kayak excursion yesterday. It was a great way to learn some things about the local environment. For one, Ben says pet waste is the biggest threat to the river at the present time. He said people think golf courses are the worst offender, but they’re not because the fertilizer they use for the most part drains back into course holding ponds (by design).
We saw dolphins actively feeding throughout the paddle. Ben explained how the dolphins stun fish by slamming into them with their sides. We also watched as dolphins worked together to corral fish up against sand bars and the river’s banks. At one point Ben said, “Dolphins are all muscle and teeth,” negating the Flipper image we like to hold onto (even as adults). We also saw a stingray, ducks, a variety of seabirds, osprey, oysters, Spartina grass and pluff mud.
At the end of the trip Ben mentioned that the May River had a Triple-A rating when he was growing up here, but it has since slipped to an A rating. He claimed the May needs the help of legal professionals at this time. He said local environmental group Friends of the River does a good job executing its educational mission, but their work needs to be complimented by the threat of litigation to keep unchecked development from ruining the quality of life in Bluffton.
by David Burn | Mar 7, 2007 | Lowcountry, The Environment
Island Packet columnist and long time Lowcountry resident, David Lauderdale, unloads in his front page opinion piece today. He says Bluffton’s natural beauty makes it a unique place to live, and that it’s wrong to apply the same standards here that are relied upon in “Anywhereville, U.S.A.”
Here’s the essence of Lauderdale’s argument:
In the past five years, Beaufort County has issued more than 10,000 building permits in greater Bluffton, and the town of Bluffton issued more than 3,400. Too few people oversaw the environmental impact of all this construction.
Our dear, wacky Bluffton has been turned into a verb. People now refer to unchecked growth as getting “Blufftonized.” Getting Blufftonized means too much, too fast. It means developers set the pace. It means years of citizen outcry goes largely unheeded. It means sitting in traffic. It means do-it-yesterday growth takes control when local governments need to say, “Do it our way, or hit the highway.”
We need the same things today that were asked for a decade ago: a limited-access bypass, secondary roads, interconnected neighborhoods, parks, and a throttle on the rate of growth so it is timed to the availability of roads, schools and parks.
We need to plant tens of thousands of oak trees all over Okatie. We need a land-buying program for Bluffton.
We need strong enforcement of the laws and regulations already on the books.
Personally, I’ve never seen anything like Bluffton. The pace of building is astounding. When we moved here just over two years ago, I said in jest that soon there would be an interstate running from downtown Bluffton to downtown Savannah, replacing the tree-lined two-lane roads. Having taken those roads to and from Savannah yesterday, I can see that my “joke” is fast becoming reality.
by David Burn | Jan 6, 2007 | Lowcountry
Creative Class spokesman, Richard Florida spoke in front of 800 people in Savannah last month. I missed it, but I saw him speak at SXSW in 2003, so I know first-hand the message the man delivers.
Creative Coast Initiatve executive director Chris Miller was there. Miller left a lengthy comment on Florida’s blog about the experience and how Savannah fits the bill for a city able to attract members of the so-called Creative Class.
Even as many (if not most) other cities shed creative, young professionals, Savannah is not only bucking the national trends by not losing there folks, we are a rare place that is growing the 25-34 age demographic at a rate exceeding the overall population growth of the area!
Ironically enough, they are coming from other major metro areas that attracted young folks in the 90’s but are now losing them to smaller, more soulful places where they can more easily engage in the community and express their creativity in a cultured but quirky place that embraces them.
In my view, Savannah College of Art + Design must be credited with bringing thousands of young creative people to town, many of whom opt to stay in Georgia’s first city after graduation. The ones who do stay tend to work for, or create their own, creative companies–proving that an investment is education is the best investment a person, a city or a nation can make.
p.s. Tune in to SCAD Radio for some fresh sounds.
by David Burn | Jan 6, 2007 | Advertising, Lowcountry
The Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce paid California-based Believable Brands 60 Large for insights into the Hilton Head brand. That’s right, Hilton Head is more than a home to 30,000 beachcombers and a great place to visit for millions–it’s also a brand that needs promoting.
The Island Packet, a McClatchy newspaper, reveals the strategic communications guidelines established by Believable Brands.
The island “renews and enriches a visitor’s body and spirit through a sophisticated, relaxing and aesthetically beautiful and lush South Carolina seaside resort environment,” the brand statements say. And Bluffton is a “historic creative community located on the May River that is a tapestry of eclectic arts and eco-adventure.”
These insights were then delivered to Smith Advertising and Associates, a North Carolina firm that specializes in tourism marketing. Some of Smith’s creative is shown above.
According to Hilton Head Island MLS, the chamber receives about $1 million a year for tourism marketing from Hilton Head’s share of the state tax on overnight lodging. This year the chamber received an extra $450,000 for the brand study and the subsequent marketing campaign.
by David Burn | Dec 21, 2006 | Lowcountry, Politics
Miriam Jordan, a Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reporter published a feature last week on illegal immigration’s adverse effects for entrepreneurs. The story takes place on Hilton Head Island, which is why I’m featuring it here.
About five years ago, the journey of Starletta and William Hairston from the underclass to the upper class hit a roadblock.
Both were born to poor black Southern families. William, a stucco subcontractor, built a thriving business beautifying houses in the gated communities on this resort island, a magnet for wealthy retirees seeking a laid-back lifestyle by the sea. Starletta, a former flight attendant, won accolades for her community activism.
Then Hilton Head suddenly saw a wave of illegal immigrant workers from Mexico. Mr. Hairston, 54 years old, initially hired the Hispanic newcomers for his stucco business, helping it flourish. But soon, some of those same workers splintered off to form their own businesses, undercutting Mr. Hairston with lower bids to capture jobs.
The Hairstons’ saga shows that the issue is not just about low-paid workers, but also entrepreneurs who set out to make their own fortune.
William Hairston has since moved his business to North Carolina. Meanwhile, his wife, Starletta Hairston is a Beaufort County Council member actively working to stem the tide of illegal immigrants in the county. Naturally, the business community opposes the actions, for it would place hardships on construction companies and the service sector.
The two sides hammered out a compromise known as the “Lawful Employment Ordinance.” Final vote on the ordinance takes place at a special meeting of the council on December 27th, just days before six new council members will be sworn in on Jan. 2.
by David Burn | Nov 27, 2006 | Lowcountry, Media
WWVV-FM, a.k.a. Wave 104.9, Hilton Head’s adult album alternative station is no more.
According to Wikipedia:
On Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 the station began playing Christmas music as “104.9 John FM” with a new callsign, WWJN-FM. A male on-air voice could be heard in between songs stating “104.9 is John FM. John tells us what to play. Right now John wants to hear Christmas music so that’s what we’re playing. 104.9 John FM”. It is unknown at this point what format will show up on WWVV after the holidays, although the on-air statements make it seem as though Adult Hits might be likely even though that format is already represented in the area by WGCO-FM and WSGA-FM.
In a larger market, this would be no big deal since radio consumers would have other stations to turn to. Here, the loss is decidedly more papable. For instance, Wave 104.9’s Sunday evening programming included shows like eTown and Grateful Dead Hour. Will another local station pick up these best-in-class programs?
The genesis of these changes began last spring with the sale of the station by California-based Triad Broadcasting to JB Broadcasting, a small South Carolina company headed by John Broomfield. According to The Island Packet, Triad sold in order to comply with federal regulations. Federal Communications Commission regulations only allow a company to own or operate five FM stations in any one market.
by David Burn | Nov 22, 2006 | Lowcountry, The Environment
The Island Packet reports today on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s bust of a charity dove hunt at Turkey Hill in Jasper County.
A Ridgeland dove hunt for charity turned into a federal raid Saturday when about 40 hunters who each donated $100 to participate were detained and questioned by agents suspicious that the area had been illegally baited to attract the birds.
Camouflage-clad agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department who were hidden “like snipers” surrounded the area and stopped the event.
About six or seven federal agents held the hunters on the property for about two hours and interviewed each for details, including their names and addresses, occupations and places of work, Social Security numbers and shotgun serial numbers. The hunters were shown aerial photos of themselves taken that day and asked to confirm they were pictured.
“It was really demoralizing,” said Mike Healy, who lives in Bluffton and went on the hunt with his sons. “It was expensive to go on this hunt; most of the people were wealthy and were” angry.
Why this story grabbed my attention is hard to say. I guess I didn’t know doves had such serious backup.
by David Burn | Nov 19, 2006 | Lowcountry, Media, Politics
State Highway 462, south of Coosawhatchie, Jasper County, SC
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
There’s a popular Rebel Flag bumper sticker in these parts that says, “Heritage, Not Hate.” While one could argue the merits of that message, at least there’s an effort being made to say, “Hey, we’re not racists, we just love the South.” But “Never Forget” does not achieve this. Rather, it reinforces in a stark manner what happened here, namely slavery and the War of Northern Agression (which forever put an end to the plantation economy). While sentiments like “The South’s gonna rise again” are common in some parts, it is rare to see the defiant but dreamy message so plainly displayed as it is on this outdoor board.
by David Burn | Sep 2, 2006 | Lowcountry, The Environment
Beaufort Gazette reports on moves being made to secure a new community hiking and biking trail.
The State Ports Authority plans to “railbank” the 26 miles of defunct tracks that run between Port Royal and Yemassee, preventing Port Royal residents from claiming the land and enabling Beaufort County to turn the railway into a walking and biking trail.
photo by Bob Sofaly
The Ports Authority shut down the rail line in November 2003 as a prelude to the state-mandated closing of the Port of Port Royal. If the rail line was abandoned, much of the land would revert to the owners of properties next to the rail line, according to a charter granted by the S.C. General Assembly in 1857.
Under provisions adopted by Congress in 1983, however, an owner can transfer its out-of-service railroad to another agency for use as a trail until the railroad might again be needed for rail service. “Such interim use shall not be treated … as an abandonment …,” the statute states.
The provision has withstood numerous legal challenges, according to the nonprofit Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and has been applied to about 4,400 miles of rail lines in more than 30 states.
In other local news, AgriTech International plans to build a $5 million shrimp processing faciltity in Williamsburg County, a move that offers hope to an ailing shrimp industry. According to the article, a flood of cheaper farm-rasied imports has pushed down the price of America’s most-consumed shellfish in recent years, and rising fuel and equipment costs are keeping local trawlers tied to the docks instead of in the Atlantic casting nets.
