Updates from August Town Council Meeting
The following is a summary of announcements from the August 3, 2021, Town Council meeting. Watch the meeting here.

Presentations
Town Council viewed a presentation from Clemson University on the new collaborative Kiawah Island Bobcat and Rodenticide Study. View the presentation. (see article below for more details). 

Ordinances
Town Council approved the second and final reading of Ordinance 2021-09 to rescind the previous ordinance 2020-13, which provided a salary to the Mayor and Council Members.

Environmental Programs Funding 
Town Council approved funding for the following environmental programs (see articles below for more details) :

  • Kiawah Conservancy Integrated Watershed Study in the amount of $50K
  • Dolphin Stewardship Program funding in the amount of $8,791

Budget Approvals 
Town Council approved the CARTA (Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority) proposed 2022 Fiscal Year budget. CARTA is overseen by all of the member governments of the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, who annually approve their budget. 

Appointments 
Town Council appointed new member Kristin Thompson to the Arts and Cultural Events Council. 

Other Updates
Town Council received an update and demo on Town's new IOS mobile app. More information
Kiawah Island Bobcat and Rodenticide Study
The Town of Kiawah Island is excited to announce a new research project that will begin this winter, collaborating with Clemson University's Wildlife and Fisheries Department and Town Biologists. This Ph.D. research project will take place over four years and will include three years of intensive fieldwork. The project's overall goal is to better understand the health and future viability of Kiawah's bobcats and other wildlife, quantify the impacts from rodenticides, and develop long-term solutions. The project has five primary objectives as listed below:

  1. Monitor second-generation anticoagulant (SGA) rodenticide concentrations in bobcats and patterns in bobcat behavior and survival over the next three years on Kiawah.
  2. Assess historical patterns in bobcat behavior and demography on Kiawah Island over time using existing data.
  3. Assess patterns in bobcat diet.
  4. Continue monitoring SGA concentrations in small carnivores other than bobcats over the next three years on Kiawah Island.
  5. Quantify rodent species distribution/density and SGA concentrations on Kiawah Island.

The total anticipated cost of this study is $965,450. Significant funding has already been secured from Clemson's Public Service and Agricultural Department (PSA) and Clemson's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), totaling $280,000. Other funding commitments include $125,000 from the Town and $120,000 from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). Additional funding is anticipated from the pest control industry, other Kiawah Island entities, and conservation organizations.

The research team from Clemson, including Meghan Keating (Ph.D. student), Dr. Greg Jachowski, Dr. Greg Yarrow, and Dr. Thomas Rainwater, made a presentation to Town Council at their August 3 meeting. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting new project in the coming months.
Integrated Watershed Study
Tidal estuaries and marshes are the most biologically productive habitats globally and provide many benefits to humans and wildlife. Water resources in coastal habitats are dynamic and can be impacted by various contributing factors to water quality. Rainfall accumulation and stormwater runoff significantly influence the quality of water resources on Kiawah Island.

This newly funded Integrated Watershed Study will obtain equipment and capacity to monitor water quality in estuarine waters around Kiawah Island continuously, expand monitoring of climatic conditions into more regions on the island and analyze and integrate climate data into comprehensive assessments to help plan land management practices to conserve natural groundwater resources.

The benefits of this project for the island will be to:
  • Better understand water resources through integrative analysis
  • Initiate water quality monitoring in tidal salt marshes
  • Develop a water budget for planning preservation and restoration efforts, low-impact development practices, and green infrastructure projects
  • Enhance monitoring of localized rainfall accumulation
  • Assist the Town in pursuing goals listed in the amended comprehensive plan by providing information about protecting natural resources and promoting community resilience, including:
  • development strategies based on objective data to better respond to impacts due to flooding and sea-level rise
  • Move forward with recommendations from scientists at the College of Charleston to incorporate a better understanding of impacts to the marsh
  • Understand the health of tidal salt marshes and influencing land use based on efforts through a federally funded resilience project
  • Improve the community's FEMA CRS rating by measuring environmental data and highlighting the need for green infrastructure practices to promote onsite infiltration and treatment of stormwater runoff
Provided by the Kiawah Conservancy
Dolphin Stewardship Program Funding
In 2017, the Town initiated the Kiawah Island Dolphin Education Program in cooperation with NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network (LMMN). The program utilizes trained volunteers and educators stationed at Captain Sam's inlet to observe and record dolphin behavior, educate beachgoers, and reduce negative interactions between people and dolphins.

The Town of Kiawah Island currently provides funding for the program. LMMN also has a similar program on the Seabrook side of the inlet with support from the Town of Seabrook Island. More information on this project here is available here.
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