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ACSEC E-Newsletter |
November/December 2016 |
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For More Information, Follow Us on Facebook!
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CLICK THE DROPS BELOW FOR MORE INFO |
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Resources
Create Your Own Carolina Yard!
Build Your Own Rain Garden!
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Residential Rainwater Harvesting Manual |
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Coastal Friendly Living Guide and Links to other SC Sea Grant Publications |
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This booklet explores tidal creek ecosystems and the various threats to the valuable services they provide
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Guide for Community Associations
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Home and Garden Information Center
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Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector |
Free for Teachers:
Watershed Lessons and Interactive Whiteboard Activities SC Green Steps Program
Disposing of Household Waste
Berkeley County Charleston County Dorchester County Interactive Maps SC NEMO LID Atlas |
Training Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
Litter Sweeps
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KAB Affiliates |
Storm Drain Marking
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Mark Storm Drains In Your Neighborhood and Promote Awareness that Storm Drains and Ditches Connect to SC's Waterways Email Angela Crouch |
Oyster Reef Restoration and Water Quality Monitoring
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SCORE Program |
Volunteer |
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Top Pic: 2016 Stormwater Pond Management Conference
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Participants in the
2016 Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference
take a closer look at pond design and inspection. Read more about the Conference below.
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Tip of the Month: Don't be a turkey this Thanksgiving! Properly dispose of your kitchen grease.
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Help keep
fat, oils, and grease out of our sink drains, storm drains and, backyard ditches. Fats, oil and grease (FOG) in our sanitary sewer or storm drain can contribute to blockages, resulting in sanitary sewer overflows. In addition, FOGs in the stormdrain can also end up in our local waterways, impacting water quality and ultimately, us.
With Turkey Day just around the corner, remember the following tips to keep our water clean when cooking your Thanksgiving dinner:
- Never pour FOGs down the sink, storm drain, or in the ditch. Pour cooking grease or oil and fats into a covered container. Let cool and harden and then dispose of with your household trash.
- Recycle your used cooking oil! Contact your local county recycling center to find out if they collect cooking oil as part of their program. Find a link to your County program in the left, side bar of this newsletter.
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2016 ACSEC Street Interview Series
"Why Is It Important To Pick Up After Your Pets"
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On September 28th, we took to the streets as part of our Street Interview Series to ask residents why it is important to pick up after your pets! The result is a minute long segment that compiles our resident answers as well as information on responsible pet ownership. Keep an eye out as the segment is currently airing on local television stations!
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2016 Street Interview Series: Pet Waste |
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2016 Master Gardener Bare Root Plant & Tree Sale
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4th Annual Tri-County Master Gardener Association Bare Root Plant & Tree Sale
Just in time for the holidays! High quality fruit trees, native shrubs and worm composting bins, among other items, are available for purchase as part of this annual Master Gardener event. Deadline to order is November 21; one-day pickup is December 15 with pickup locations in both Charleston and Summerville. Learn more! |
2016 Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference
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On November 3rd, the
2016 Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference was hosted at Trident Technical College in North Charleston. This conference was sponsored by the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium, and hosted and organized by the SC DNR, ACE Basin NERR Coastal Training Program, SC Sea Grant Consortium, and Clemson Extension's Carolina Clear program. This was the third offering of this bi-annual conference event and provided a forum to share the latest information, resources, and tools for pond management for the Lowcountry community. The agenda included a plenary session, two concurrent sessions in the morning and afternoon, vendor showcase, and hands-on training opportunities for attendees.
Nearly 160 participants took part in the day-long conference training, representing pond owners, property managers, pond managers, and local and county government staff. The 2016 conference employed a different format than previous offerings, including individualized sessions for pond owners and managers to allow content to be tailored to stakeholder interest and need.
A special thank you to all the participants, vendors, and speakers who joined us for the 2016 conference. We appreciated the opportunity to work alongside you.
And, save the date! The next Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference will be hosted in Fall 2018.
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SC Water Resources Conference
October 12-13
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The 2016 South Carolina Water Resources Conference (SCWRC) took place on October 12-13 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in downtown Columbia.
SCWRC featured four plenary sessions, six concurrent tracks, 35 breakout sessions, 108 oral presentations and over 30 poster presentations!
The SCWRC provided the opportunity for hundreds of attendees to take part representing diverse backgrounds including elected and appointed officials, researchers, engineers, natural resource managers, educators, environmental advocates and more, to network and communicate efforts regarding water resource management and protection in South Carolina. A particular focus of the 2016 bi-annual conference were the impacts and response in South Carolina regarding the 2015 October floods and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Thank you to all involved who made this event possible!
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Master Pond Manager
Fall 2016 Class
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The Fall 2016 Master Pond Manager class, which first piloted in the Tri-County area, was the biggest class since its start in Spring 2015! The Master Pond Manager course is a multi-week, hybrid online and field training in recreational and stormwater pond management. Target audience includes pond owners and management professionals, and course content can be tailored to the owner or manager needs.
The 2016 course had 34 participants take part from across the south, including as far as Texas! Field days were hosted in the Columbia SC region at the Midlands Technical College and Clemson University Sandhills Research and Education Center. Considered a highlight of the program, the 2016 field days offered participants a chance to put their pond knowledge to work through fish balance and checks, water quality monitoring, pond inspection and maintenance, development of an integrated plant management plan, and shoreline planting installation.
To date, the Master Pond Manager course has had 118 participants take part in the program, resulting in the certification of 30 professionals.
We're already in the planning stages of the next Master Pond Manager offering. To find out more information, visit www.clemson.edu/watershed/mpm or email Guinn Wallover.
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2016 Master Gardener & Master Naturalist Programs
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During the month of November, we had the privilege to work with both the Charleston Master Naturalist and the Tri-County Master Gardener 2016 classes. As part of their training, both groups visited the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center to learn about upland best management practices for supporting local ecology and methods to help protect downstream water quality. We took a closer look with hands-on activities focused on building healthy soils, providing for pollinators, rain gardening and rainwater harvesting. We look forward to continuing to work with these programs and those involved to promote stewardship of our shared natural resources.
Thank you Charleston Master Naturalist and Tri-County Master Gardener Program!
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Silt Fence & Beyond:
Erosion and Sediment Control Best Practices Workshop
February 16, 2017
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Attention contractors, inspectors and regulators!
The Silt Fence & Beyond Workshop will provide information on saving time and money on job sites through proper selection, installation, and maintenance of construction BMPs. The workshop will cover topics including establishing vegetative cover, hydromulching, erosion control blankets, turf reinforcement mats and more.
Date: Thursday, Feb 16, 2017
Location: USDA Vegetable Lab, 2700 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, 29407
Time: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Cost: $35 includes lunch and training materials, PDHs/CEUs available
Learn more and register:
HERE
This program will also be offered on January 10, 2017 at the Clemson Institute of Environmental Toxicology in Pendleton, SC. Email
Rachel Davis
Note- This workshop should not be confused with the CEPSCI certification program. This is not an inspector certification program.
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Thank you! for reading this edition of the Ripple Effect, the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium (ACSEC) E-newsletter. Like ripples on the water, we hope you will pass on your knowledge, and this newsletter, to others.
Thank You!
for protecting SC's water resources!
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Storm Drains and Ditches Lead to SC Waterways
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THE ACSEC MISSON
The ACSEC is a regional partnership between counties, municipalities, universities, state and local agencies, non-profits and other organizations in the Tri-County region.
The ACSEC mission: Improve water quality within the Ashley and Cooper River basins by providing educational opportunities on stormwater impacts and our community roles in supporting healthy, fishable, and swimmable waterways.
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For Protecting South Carolina's Waterways |
Have a workshop or event request, or just want to know more? Please contact us!
Water Resources Extension Agent
Water Resources Extension Agent
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Clemson University
Cooperative
Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages,
regardless
of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.
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