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| ACSEC E-Newsletter |
May/June 2012
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For More Information on Consortium Related Activities, Don't Forget to Follow Us on Facebook!
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CLICK THE DROPS BELOW FOR MORE INFO
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Programs and Resources
 | | Create Your Own Carolina Yard |
 | | Rain Garden Manual |
 | | New! Residential Rainwater Harvesting Manual |
| | 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  | | Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector |
Free for Teachers: New SC Standards-Based Watershed Lessons and Interactive Whiteboard Activities SC Green Steps Program Disposing of Household Waste County Solid Waste and Recycling Center Info Berkeley County Charleston County Dorchester County Interactive Maps SC Watershed Stewardship Map SC NEMO LID Atlas  | | SC Coastal Information Network Website Search for Training Opportunities |
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Volunteer Opportunities
Litter Sweeps
 | | KAB Affiliates |
Storm Drain Marking
 | 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
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Welcome to the Ripple Effect, the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium (ACSEC) E-newsletter! Our goal is to provide awareness of consortium-related activities, including current, recent and upcoming events, as well as provide information and resources to help foster good stewardship practices. 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!
 | | Storm Drains and Ditches Lead to SC Waterways |
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Welcome City of Goose Creek!
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The City of Goose Creek joins the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium (ACSEC)! Goose Creek becomes our first new community member since the ACSEC was formed in 2008, joining seven area municipalities along with Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. Join us in welcoming them on board as we work together to educate citizens on ways to protect water quality!
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Tip of the Month: Rainwater Harvesting is a rewarding and fun way to protect and save water!
With an average of approximately 50 inches of rainfall in the coast of South Carolina, there is a large amount of water available from our rooftops to capture and reuse. For every inch of rain, a 1000 square foot area drains about 600 gallons of water. That's over 30,000 gallons per year! To learn more about residential rainwater harvesting, check out Carolina Clear's Rainwater Harvesting for Homeowners Manuel. To download a free copy click Here Clemson Extension RWH Manuel |
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"We all Live Downstream"
Mass Media Campaign
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 | | Information provided by Katie Giacalone, Clemson Carolina Clear |
Keep an eye out for the ACSEC-Clemson Carolina Clear mass media effort. The "We All Live Downstream" statewide campaign will be re-released during a six week timespan from the end of April to the middle of June this year. This 30-second spot includes local images and positive messages on what each individual can do to protect water quality as well as jobs that depend on clean water, with the ACSEC logo. Through this past winter's grant opportunity, Clemson Extension has matched our previously spent summer/fall campaign dollars for advertising rotations over the next 6 weeks. Purchases were made with Comcast from 4/30 to 6/17 with 50% bonus spots and with Knology from 4/30 to 6/10 with 100% matching free bonus. These bonuses are made possible by the bulk negotiation that Carolina Clear undertakes with major cable providers across the sate.
Please help us spread the word! We will provide links on the ACSEC Facebook page. If ACSEC partners would like to include the advertisement on their website, please Email and let us know!
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Richard H. Rosebrock Park
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 | | Photo Taken by Jim Simpson, Department of Public Works, Dorchester County. Information provided by Jack Ellis, Dorchester County Government |
Dorchester County's Richard H. Rosebrock Park is officially open! The park is located at 2758 Bacons Bridge Road at the intersection of Highway 165 and Highway 61. The 76 acre park includes 2.4 miles of walking trails, two picnic shelters and an outdoor classroom. A portion of Rosebrock Park is located on the Ashley River immediately upstream of the Hwy 165 Bacons Bridge Crossing. The Park was designed with water quality in mind, featuring a pervious gravel parking lot and protection of trees and wetlands with minimal land clearing. Future Park amenities include a proposed fishing pier and canoe/kayak launch. To find out more information, including park hours and trail map click HERE
Rosebrock Park was made possible by Dorchester County Government, The Ashley Scenic River Advisory Council, Charleston Southern University, Lowcountry Open Land Trust, SC Conservation Bank funds, and public support.
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Great American Cleanup
Keep Dorchester County Beautiful
Keep Charleston Beautiful
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Keep Dorchester County Beautiful participated in the Great American Cleanup to collect and remove over 6000 pounds of trash this year. Many groups and towns participated in the effort including Clay Hill School, Hudson Town, Summerville's Parson's Road Cleanup, and The Town of Ridgeville. Keep Dorchester County Beautiful works to promote public interest in the general improvement of the environment of Dorchester County; to initiate, plan, direct and coordinate programs for litter control and recycling.
Also as part of the Great American Cleanup, each year Keep Charleston Beautiful organizes The Clean Cities Sweep. This effort reaches out to community groups throughout the Charleston area to conduct cleanup and beautification events during the month of April. This year 1,372 volunteers donated 4,875 hours of service to beautifying and cleaning Charleston. Groups removed over 1,335 bags of litter and planted 713 flowers. Other projects included painting a community mural near Mitchell Elementary downtown and school based education programs. Keep Charleston Beautiful works year round with any group any size and any time. Although April cleanups are a big push, the hope is that the Clean Cities Sweep will lead to a greater investment in efforts to create a cleaner Charleston year round.
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
Photo provided by Jennifer Scales, KCB
Information provided by Jennifer Scales, KCB and Carolyn Tomlinson, KDCB
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Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference
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 | Norm Shea, Director of Lakes Management for Kiawah Island, speaking at the conference
Photo by Chris Ramaglia, Clemson Carolina Clear |
March 22, 2012
The inaugural Charleston Area Stormwater Pond Management Conference was a great success! Over 180 participants attended the conference, which exceeded expectations, and also indicated that this educational priority for the ACSEC is in high demand. The conference was attended by a wide array of representatives, from homeowner associations and management companies, to golf course and park managers. Experienced professionals from around the region provided excellent presentations on a variety of topics, which are now available online at the pond conference website. Evaluations indicated that the event was very positively received, and the ACSEC and conference partners would like to extend a big Thank You! to our presenters and host facility, Trident Technical College's Conference Center!
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Ed Shed: Rainwater Harvesting System Installation
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 | 2500 gallon buried tank being lowered into position
Photo by Kim Counts, Clemson Carolina Clear |
The ACSEC's new "Ed Shed," housed at Clemson's Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC), is a stormwater best management practice (BMP) demonstration exhibit, training and research center. The site features a variety of techniques to manage water quantity and quality, individually and interconnected in a "treatment train". This spring, Clemson Extension agents and CREC personnel installed the rainwater harvesting systems, which include a 1100-gallon above ground tank and 2500-gallon in-ground tank. A rain garden was also installed with students in the Master Naturalist spring class to receive overflow from the cistern. These new features added to the pervious hardscape demos and native plant landscaping. Next up, gravel parking pad with Carolina Fence border, pond renovation, and a constructed wetland. The area will serve as a location for training and events for ACSEC partners.
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Master Naturalist Rain Garden Workshop
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 | Master Naturalist Rain Garden Workshop Spring 2012
Photo by Sara Pachota, CofC MES Program |
March 27, 2012 The Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission hosts the Charleston area Master Naturalist Program. In partnership with the ACSEC and Clemson Carolina Clear, the spring 2012 Master Naturalist class participated in a rain garden installation workshop. Broader issues were discussed throughout the day including individual actions contributing to stormwater runoff pollution, as well as specific best management practices for protecting water quality. The Master Naturalist installed a rain garden as part of the workshop at the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center's "Ed Shed." |
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Berkeley County Kids Who Care-Backyard Naturescope
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 | Enviroscape Activity as part of Berkeley County Kids Who Care
Photo by David Joyner, Clemson Carolina Clear |
March 28, 2012
Berkeley County's Kids Who Care 2012 Backyard Naturescope event, held at the Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner, was another huge success! Almost 5,000 children from K-5th grade in Berkeley County attended the two-day event. Naturescope is a three-hour field day in which students are exposed to a series of environmental presentations. Clemson's Carolina Clear program, on behalf of the ACSEC, set up our Enviroscape exhibit and taught area children about watersheds, the value of water, activities we do on land that can pollute water, and ways to be good stewards of the land and water. Of course the most popular part was making it "rain" with the squirt bottle and accidentally hitting their friend with a little overspray (:, but they still got the core messages.
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Charleston County School District Sustainability Symposium
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 | Senator Chip Campsen addresses students at the inaugural CCSD Sustainability Symposium
Photo By: Kim Counts, Clemson Carolina Clear
Information provided by Stacey Rafalowski, Lowcountry Earthforce |
March 30, 2012
The inaugural Charleston County School District Sustainability Symposium brought middle & high school students from across the district together to learn about sustainability issues and initiatives in the Charleston community.The event took place at North Charleston City Hall and drew over 160 youth from 19 area schools. The event featured a panel discussion with community leaders and interactive workshop sessions with speakers from Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium, Coastal Conservation League, Chas County Environmental Management, Charleston County School District, Lowcountry Earthforce and The Sustainability Institute. In addition students got to hear from City of North Charleston Mayor, Keith Summey, Senator Chip Campsen and CCSD Superintendent Dr. Nancy McGinley about the vital importance of sustainability as it relates to our schools and communities.
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Lowcountry Earthforce Youth Environmental Summit
May 15, 2012
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Students from the 2011 Youth Environmental Summit
Photo and information provided by Stacey Rafalowski, Lowcountry Earthforce
On May 15, The Lowcountry Earthforce will host the 14th Annual Youth Environmental Summit to be held at James Island County Park's Edisto Hall. The Summit provides Earth Force students with an opportunity to showcase and celebrate all the hard work they've done to improve their communities and environment through the 2011-2012 school year. The Summit also provides a platform for youth to share with and learn from local agencies whose work enhances and supports our community. This year, roughly 275 kids will attend from 2nd to 7th grades to present on 14 different community projects. Schools participating in the 2012 Summit Event include: James Island Elementary School, Harborview Elementary School, Stiles Point Elementary School, James Island Middle School, James Simons Elementary School, Chicora School of Communications, Memminger School of Global Studies, and North Charleston Elementary School.
Many ACSEC Education Partners are involved with the event including Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, Charleston Water System, Clemson Carolina Clear, College of Charleston, Keep Charleston Beautiful and SC Department of Natural Resources
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The Water Words That Work Workshop
And Clemson's Carolina Clear
June 21, 2012
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Photo by Kim Counts, Clemson Carolina Clear
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The Water Words That Work
Workshop/Training
When: June 21, 2012
Where: Clemson Baruch Facility
20 Hobcaw Road, Georgetown, SC 29440 What: "The Water Words That Work" workshop focuses on methods for creating and delivering messages to reach target audiences and inspire them to action . This workshop is designed and led by communication expert Eric Eckl and is geared towards environmental messaging pertaining to water resources. Topics covered in the workshop include selecting the best delivery tool methods, ways to predict and measure the effectiveness of a message, and social media.
Cost: Free
(Made possible by The ACSEC, Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, Clemson Carolina Clear and the Coastal Waccamaw Stormwater Education Consortium)
Registion: Deadline is June 13; space is limited
To find out more information and to register click Here |
Clemson Extension 4H2O Summer Camp
Exploring Lowcounrty Waterways July 18 to 22 and July 9 to 13 |
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When: Cooper Camp June 18 to 22,
Ashley and Edisto Camp July 9 to 13
Who: Youth from the Tri-County Area Ages 10 to 13
Time: 8:00 AM to 4:30PM
Details: Campers will experience a unique look at South Carolina's natural heritage and the role river systems play in this beautiful landscape. We will explore the ecology and history of the Charleston Tri-county area by visiting a variety of sites by land and water. Campers will interact with ACSEC Education Partners including the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, Clemson Carolina Clear, SCDNR, SC Aquarium, Keep Dorchester County Beautiful, and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Cost: $125 per week
To learn more and register for Cooper Camp Click Here To learn more and register for Ashley and Edisto Camp Click Here
Campers enjoying the SC Aquarium during 4H2O Summer Camp 2011 Photo by: Kim Counts, Clemson Carolina Clear |
For More Information on Consortium Related Activities, Don't Forget to Follow Us on Facebook!
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For Protecting South Carolina's 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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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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