Over the last decade, LCI staff and volunteers have worked to protect water quality in Port Royal Sound, and we are pleased to announce that this hard work has come to fruition.  On October 26, 2009, Beaufort County Council passed a new and radically different stormwater ordinance that will serve as a model for communities around the country. The stormwater ordinance, which controls the volume of water leaving a property, as well as water quality, is essential to preserving this unique and nationally important coastal estuary.  Restricting the amount of runoff from the land to pre-development levels will prevent large fluctuations in salinity and turbidity in our tidal creeks that harm the developing crustacean larvae that are essential to our recreational fisheries.

Stay tuned for the release of a new TV series entitled Coastal Kingdom, featuring LCI's very own Tony Mills, on the Beaufort County Channel.  The pilot episode for the series (Reptiles and Amphibians) has already been filmed and was very well received by Beaufort County Council.  We also continue to work with teachers and students at our pilot schools - click here to read the news release about a project to enhance native bird habitat recently undertaken by Kristen and Tony at Whale Branch Middle School and here to read the article about the project published in the Beaufort Gazette.  Many thanks to all of those individuals who participated in the citizen science alligator survey who were not mentioned in the previous update - Paul Kinsey, Mike Logan, Alex Althausen, Chuck Ford, Mike Cooper, Larry Outlaw, Sally Papineau, Tom Burke, and Warren Williamson.

The LowCountry Institute is 100% funded by tax-deductible gifts.  Your 2009 donation will allow the LCI to help meet the many challenges confronting the Low Country in 2010.  There is still much work to be done.  We hope you will give as generously as you can.

LCI's very own Tony Mills is hosting a new outdoors show that will air on Beaufort County TV. The show, called Coastal Kingdom, premiers Monday 11/23 at 3:30. Click here to find out when you can watch! See Beaufort County Council's press release for the show below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            Nov. 19, 2009

Contact: Suzanne Larson, PIO 470-2810

              Tony Mills, The Lowcountry Institute (843) 987-2073

COUNTY LAUNCHES NEW TV SHOW ON LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Public Screening Monday, Nov. 23, Council Chambers 3:30 p.m.

Beaufort County has scheduled a public screening of the premier episode of Coastal Kingdom, a new television show on The County Channel featuring the local environment.

The screening and simultaneous broadcast is scheduled Monday at 3:30 p.m. in council chambers located inside the County administration building, 100 Ribaut Road, Beaufort.

County Administrator Gary Kubic said the first episode features reptiles and amphibians. "Snakes, turtles, lizards, alligators, frogs, toads and salamanders may not be everyone's favorite subject, but this program includes fascinating information and great video. We are proud of the work our broadcasters have done and proud of the partnership with the Lowcountry Institute of Spring Island. I invite all citizens to come join us as we learn together about the remarkable diversity of living creatures we have here."

The series is hosted by author and naturalist Tony Mills, of the Lowcountry Institute. "The thing that is so exciting and different about the series is that it is local. We hope to show people some of the animals we have here in our own backyards. There is much concern today about the protection of our ecosystems, our habitat and our waterways. If our wildlife is healthy, our environment in general is healthy. We hope to help people learn more about it."

The first episode in the series of six is scheduled to repeat Friday and Sunday (Nov. 27 and 29) at 8 p.m.  The second episode will feature local mammals. Dates and times of that broadcast will be announced.

The County Channel is a service of Beaufort County government. It is streamed on the home page of the County website, www.bcgov.net and broadcast on Charter Cable channel 20, Comcast Cable channel 2, Hargray Cable channel 252, Time Warner Cable Hilton Head Island channel 66 and Time Warner Cable Sun City channel 63.