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ACSEC E-Newsletter

Winter 2018

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Create Your Own Carolina Yard!



Build Your Own Rain Garden!

rain barrel manuel
Residential Rainwater Harvesting Manual


Coast a Syst Cover

Coastal Friendly Living Guide and Links to other SC Sea Grant Publications

Tidal Creek Cover
This booklet explores tidal creek ecosystems and the various threats to the valuable services they provide

Community Assoc Stormwater Mgmt cover
Guide for Community Associations


Shorescaping Along Ponds
 

Tidal Creek Buffers


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Home and Garden 

Information Center

 

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Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector

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Carolina Clear w/tag




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
Adopt a Highway logo 
 
Beach Sweep/River Sweep logo
 
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KAB Affiliates
 
 
   
 
Storm Drain Marking
Storm Drain Marker
Mark Storm Drains In Your Neighborhood and Promote Awareness that Storm Drains and Ditches Connect to SC's Waterways
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   Oyster Reef Restoration and Water Quality Monitoring 
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SCORE Program


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Top Pics: Storm Drain Mural Project




This February and March, students and teachers at Orange Grove Charter Middle School and Philip Simmons Middle School painted storm drain murals to let others on their campus know that storm drains lead to local waterways.  
Special Announcement! New Certification Program:
Master Rain Gardener 
Clemson Extension is pleased to announce " Master Rain Gardener, " a new  online and field-based certification program  focused on rain garden and rainwater harvesting system design and installation.
 
As part of the Master Rain Gardener program, participants will learn about:
  • rain garden site assessment,
  • soil analysis,
  • design standards and elements,
  • plant selection,
  • maintenance, and more.
Participants will also spend time learning about rainwater harvesting system sizing, component considerations, water use and safety measures.
 
The Master Rain Gardener program is a hybrid, multi-week curriculum allowing self-paced online learning, hands-on field experience, and a two-track option to meet the needs of diverse audiences. The Master Rain Gardener Spring 2018 class starts March 19th with a field day on April 26th in the Charleston area. 
 
Please visit clemson.edu/raingarden for more information and register HERE! Space is limited! Any questions can be directed to Kim Morganello.  

Looking Upstream header final
Register Today!
Master Pond Manager and BMP Inspector Course
 




The purpose of the  Post-Construction BMP Inspector program is to train professionals in methods and strategies for conducting routine and thorough inspections of stormwater management practices. This hybrid course offers five weeks of online coursework that cover pond design and inspection, dry detention basins, stormwater wetlands, bioretention design and inspection, vegtated buffers, swales, rainwater harvesting, green roofs and more. As part of the course, a one-day field session will provide hands-on learning opportunities & take place on June 26 in Greenville, SC. To learn more and to register click HERE.



The next offering of the Master Pond Manager course will begin March 21, 2018. This Clemson Extension-sponsored program provides management strategies to stormwater and recreational pond owners and managers through an online classroom and hands-on field training. Participants can complete the full Master Pond Manager recognition training, or complete a Letter of Completion in Recreational or Stormwater Pond Management. Participants in the full Master Pond Manager course will receive three Category 5 pesticide CEC hours.
 
Course content includes: 
  • Recreational Pond Design and Construction
  • Stormwater Pond Design, Inspection and Maintenance
  • Limnology and Water Quality
  • Integrated Aquatic Plant Management
  • Best Management Practices for Stormwater Ponds
  • Fish Management
The spring 2018 course will host field days in the Charleston area. 

Registration ends March 14!
 
 
Visit  http://www.clemson.edu/public/water/watershed/training/mpm
/ for more information and to register.  
Midlands Stormwater Pond Conference  
March 13, 2018
 
Pond Conference  

  2018 Midlands Stormwater Pond Management Conference 
This one-day event will provide a forum to give the latest information, resources, and tools on stormwater pond management. Conference format is divided into two specialized tracks and designed for the pond owner or professional managers' needs. 

When: Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Where: Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
Cost: $40 Participant, $100 Exhibitor
To learn more & register click  HERE
Healthy Pond Series
Save the Date: June 13, 2018
  

Pond problems? Join us at our next workshop in a new series for pond owners, HOA groups and residents grappling with stormwater pond management decisions. As part of our Healthy Pond Series, maintenance topics will be highlighted at events throughout the year; programs will provide guidance from experts as well as an opportunity for pond owner networking and community idea sharing.

This fourth workshop, to be held on June 13, 2018, will be one in a series on shoreline erosion and management topics. Registration will open soon. For more information or to be added to the Healthy Pond Series listserv, please email Guinn Wallover.

This series is offered in partnership between the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Clemson Extension Service, and the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Program.

Certificate in Native Plant Studies
Two Class Offerings in the Lowcountry this Spring 

Certificate in Native Plant Studies:  The South Carolina Botanical Garden, in partnership with the South Carolina Native Plant Society, offers the Certificate in Native Plant Studies program. Through hands-on field-based classes, students learn about native plants and their vast diversity, plant communities and the habitats that define South Carolina. 

*The certificate program is comprised of 88 hours of coursework (7 core classes @ $80 each plus 32 hours electives). Students are not required to pursue a Certificate in order to enroll. Please note that Basic Botany is a prerequisite for all other courses. Contact Sue Watts,  watts9@clemson.edu, for more details. 

This spring, two Native Plant Certification Course offerings will take place in the Lowcountry!

SC Native Plant Certificate Core Class: Sustainable Landscaping
Date: March 23, 2018
Description:  This course will discuss key landscape features for consideration that work to incorporate native plants, manage water and provide habitat for wildlife. Participants will take a holistic approach to site planning and consider the needs of the resident, balanced with an approach that is sensitive to local ecology and the environment.
Location: Clemson Coastal Research & Education Center, Charleston, SC
Learn more & Register: HERE 


SC Native Plant Certificate Elective: Native Plants for Birds of the Beidler Forest
Date: April 19, 2018
Description: This course is led by Audubon South Carolina. Native plants are immensely important to a diversity of wildlife, especially our native birds.  The Francis Beidler Forest features 1,800 acres of virgin. Identification of the dominant plant species in this ecosystem will be discussed. Audubon South Carolina is also working to restore native ecosystems, and attendees will have the opportunity to explore two demonstration sites as part of this course - a longleaf pine savannah and native warm-season grassland. 
Learn more & register HERE 



SC Native Plant Society Native Plant Sale
March 17, 2018
Native Plants = Healthy Habitats 

Interested in sprucing up your garden this spring; this is the event for you! Colorful perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, ferns and edibles for sale! Visit www.scnps.org for plant list and pricing. All welcome!

Date: Saturday, March 17th 
Location: Parking lot of Charles Towne Landing
 (1500 Old Towne Landing Rd, Charleston, SC)
Time: 9am to Noon (members can shop at 8:30am)
Admission to the sale is FREE! 
        


Save-The-Date
Floating Wetland Workshop 
April 5, 2018

 As part of this new workshop, participants will learn to construct their own floating wetland. Floating wetlands are a pond management strategy with many benefits that can help improve water quality and create habitat for beneficial wildlife. 

This half-day workshop will take place in the Charleston area. Registration will open soon. To be notified when registration is available, please email Guinn Wallover or Kim Morganello

Plants for the Earth 
April 21, 2018

 
Clemson Extension and the Tri-County Master Gardeners are celebrating Earth Day with a "Plants for the Earth" plant sale and garden lectures program. The event will take place at the Clemson Coastal Research & Education Center "Clemson farm" in West Ashley. The plant sale area will open at 10am with locally propagated plants grown by Master Gardeners and commercially produced plant material for sale. Beginning at 11am, join Horticulture Extension Agents and Master Gardeners for three garden lectures that will help you grow a greener garden! Space is limited in the lecture area, but the plant sale is open to the public free of charge. Learn more & register for lectures HERE 

IVY Rain Barrel Sale
June 1 & June 2, 2018
   

The annual Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium IVY rain barrel sale is going on now! The 2018 pickup information is as follows:
Friday June 1, 2018, 4-6pm at Gahagan Park in Summerville.
Saturday June 2, 2018, 9-11:30am at the Charleston County Government Building in North Charleston. 

Ivy rain barrels are discounted nearly 50% as part of this unique offering. Learn more about the IVY rain barrel and purchase yours today at https://www.rainwatersolutions.com/products/acsec-ivy

Special thanks to the Town of Summerville & Charleston County Government for providing pickup locations.

 

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!
rain2drain
Storm Drains and Ditches Lead to SC Waterways

 
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. 
 
Thank You!

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
 
Guinn Wallover
Water Resources Extension Agent

 
 
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.