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ACSEC E-Newsletter

November/December 2013

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New Resource!
Pond Management
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
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Be Wise if You Fertilize
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Pet Waste Management
 
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Car Care
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Septic System Maintenance
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Clean Boating
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Fats, Oils, and Grease
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Hazardous Household Materials
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Litter and Illegal Dumping
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Construction Site Sediment


 
Programs and Resources 
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Create Your Own Carolina Yard


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

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Guide for Community Associations

Stormwater Pond Maintenance

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Home and Garden 

Information Center

 

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Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector

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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

 

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SC Coastal Information Network Website Search for Training Opportunities
 

Volunteer Opportunities
 
Litter Sweeps
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Community Pride 
 
Beach Sweep/River Sweep logo
 
Palmetto Pride
 
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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
 Email Angela Crouch
 
 
 
 
  
Oyster Reef Restoration and Water Quality Monitoring 
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SCORE Program

 
ACSEC Fall Meeting

On October 15th, we had a great turnout for our Fall ACSEC meeting with over 30 individuals in attendance representing the ACSEC's county, municipal government, and education partners. We had an excellent discussion on the ACSEC's stormwater education programming in the Charleston Tri-County and are looking forward to what is in store in the coming year. Thanks to all who attended the Fall meeting and don't miss the photo from our post-meeting tour of the Clemson University Wind Turbine Testing Facility!   

 
Want to find out more information on the ACSEC? Visit our website to find out how we're working together to protect our local waterways!

 

Tip of the Month: Prevent the Fog Clog

Fats, oil and grease (FOG) in our sanitary sewer or stormdrain can contribute to blockages, resulting in sanitary sewer overflows or flooding. In addition, FOGs in the stormdrain can also end up in our local waterways, impacting water quality and ultimately, us.

 

The holidays are just around the corner! Remember the following tips to keep our water clean when you are frying your Thanksgiving turkey this year:

  1. Never pour FOGs down the sink drain, storm drain, or in the backyard ditch. Pour cooking grease or oil and fats into a covered container. Let cool and harden and then dispose of with your household trash.
  2. Recycle your used cooking oil! Contact your local county recycling center to find out if they collect cooking oil as part of their program.  
  3. And don't forget, talk to your neighbors about how they can keep FOGs out of our local creek, rivers, and marshes.


Have a happy and FOG clog free holiday season!  

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Stormwater BMPs for Seasonally High Water Tables
November 12, 2013
Stormwater BMPs for Seasonally High Water Tables
Where: New Hanover County Extension, Wilmington, NC
When: November 12, 2013 - 9:00am - 4:30pm
What: This one-day training will focus on best management practices (BMPs) for seasonally high water tables, with a special emphasis on wet pond retrofits and rainwater harvesting. How to site, design, and construct these BMPs will be the focus of the workshop; NCSU's revised Rainwater Harvester ™ model will be demonstrated and used as part of the class. Participants are asked to bring laptop computers for the model demonstration. 
Who: This training is specifically targeted toward designers in the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. This workshop is sponsored by: NC State University Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering and NC Cooperative Extension and co-sponsored by Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science and Clemson University Extension.

Continuing Education Credits Available.
 For more details and to register online, click HERE.
 
Folly Beach Stormdrain Marking Program
Surfrider Foundation, ACSEC & Carolina Clear
November 14, 2013
The Charleston Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium (ACSEC) and Clemson Carolina Clear are teaming-up to raise awareness of the connection between activities on land and the health of local waterways. On November 14th, we will "mark" the stormdrains on Folly Beach's Center Street using a metal medallion with the simple message "Don't Pollute, Leads to Waterways." The metal medallions, supplied by the ACSEC, are part of a pilot effort in the Charleston Tri-County area for high visibility locations. Volunteers involved will assist with a variety of roles including:
~Installation of the metal markers
~Survey of existing stormdrains
~Provide an educational pamphlet to businesses on Center Street
~Litter sweep on Center Street

Want to be involved? Email [email protected]
New ACSEC metal stormdrain marker.
America Recycles Day
Charleston County Environmental Management
November 16, 2013

 

 

 

In celebration of America Recycles Day, Charleston County Environmental Management will host a Community Collection Day. 

 

When: Saturday, November 16th, 9AM to 1PM

Where: James Island Elementary School (1872 S. Grimball Rd)

What: A central location to drop off discarded items such as paint and electronic waste, can be dropped off to be recycled or reused by community partners. Pet Helpers, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity will be on site collecting material for their organizations. Below is a list of items that will be accepted.

  • Paint
  • Tires
  • Household Chemicals
  • Motor Oil and Cooking Oil (in disposable container)
  • E-waste: printers, TVs, computers, fax machines
  • CDs/DVDs/CD cases
  • VHS/Cassette tapes
  • Extension cords/Holiday lights
  • All Paper Products (i.e. cardboard, books, magazines, newspaper, gift wrap, junk mail)
  • Batteries (household and automotive)
  • Light bulbs              
  • Items from home renovations: cabinets, sinks, etc.
  • Eyeglasses and hearing aides
  • Tennis balls
  • Clean plastic grocery bags
  • Thrift store items: clothing, shoes, furniture, functioning appliances, tools and home d�cor
  • Animal shelter items: towels, blankets, pet crates, collars, leashes, etc.
  • Confidential documents for onsite shredding
Hope to see you there! 
The Garden Gathering
Clemson Extension, Cypress Gardens & 
Tri-county Master Gardeners
November 16, 2013

It's not too late! Don't miss this opportunity to participate in a full-day workshop for garden and nature enthusiasts alike! This years Garden Gathering, hosted by Clemson Extension, Cypress Gardens and the Clemson Tri-County Master Gardeners Association, will take place on November 16th at Cypress Gardens. This is a great event that includes hands-on classes in water-wise gardening, attracting native pollinators, gardening for wildlife and more!  For further details and to register click HERE.

Carolina Yard Gardening School  

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Coastal Carolina Fair
Carolina Yard
October 31 to November 10, 2013
Come see the Carolina Yard demonstration site at the Coastal Carolina Fair and learn more about sustainability features and best management practices for the home landscape! The Carolina Yard is located next to the live animals in the Agricultural Building. Members of the Tri-County Master Gardeners Association are present to answer questions about the Carolina Yard's features and other garden-related topics. The Master Gardeners have worked tirelessly to create this exhibit in partnership with Clemson Extension and the ACSEC. Stormwater best management practices, including pervious pavers, rainwater harvesting, rain gardening, native plants and composting, are all part of the display. Thank you Tri-County Master Gardeners for another great year at the fair! 
CYN at the Fair



Rain Barrel Drawing!!!
 
Like us on Facebook between now and December 1st and enter a chance to win a FREE Ivy Rain Barrel! 

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www.facebook.com/ashleycooperstormwater

*Winner will be announced on our Facebook page on December 2nd. Winner must pickup rain barrel from the Charleston County Extension Office at 259 Meeting Street at a time convenient for them (office hours are M-F, 8AM to 4:30PM).  
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SC Marine Educators Association Conference

25th Annual 

 November 1-2, 2013

 

The SCMEA 's 25th Annual Conference took place November 1-2 and was a great time to learn from some of the best marine educators in the state. Participants represented a diverse group including college professors, K-12 teachers, and informal educators representing aquariums, non-profits, parks and more. Many opportunities to network, see old friends and meet new ones as well as to learn about topics that ranged from marine mammals as sentinels to human health to sustainability in the schoolyard! Thank you SCMEA for providing such a great opportunity.
 
Learn more about how to get involved with SCMEA by visiting their website at http://www.scmarineed.org/
 
SCMEA touring the Fort Johnson Community Garden after ACSEC's schoolyard sustainability talk. 

"Dash for Trash"

Keep Charleston Beautiful & College of Charleston

 October 26, 2013

      

Keep Charleston Beautiful and the College of Charleston Center for Civic Engagement's 2013 Dash for Trash was a success! On October 26th, teams from the College of Charleston and The Citadel Green Team participated in a litter scavenger hunt, competing to see who can collect the most trash from Charleston streets and parks. Debris collected included 1,340 pounds of landfill waste, 1,000 pounds of recyclable materials, 13 pounds of cigarette butts, and 144 pounds of tires! A big thank you to Keep Charleston Beautiful, the Center for Civic Engagement and Dash for Trash participants! 

 

Interested in learning more and potentially volunteering with Keep Charleston Beautiful?  Contact their director at [email protected]


Photo courtesy Jennifer Scales.  

Kayak Litter Sweep

College of Charleston Masters of Environmental Studies Program

 October 25, 2013

   

On Friday October 25th, the College of Charleston Graduate Program in Environmental Studies partnered with the ACSECSurfrider Foundation Charleston ChapterKeep Charleston Beautiful, and Clemson's Carolina Clear to remove litter from a tidal creek on James Island. The group accessed the waterway via kayak and removed nearly 40 bags of debris. We had a beautiful day for the effort and got to explore an uncharted territory for most of us! Thank you volunteers!  
  
 

Sangaree Community Day Festival

October 12, 2013

On Saturday, October 12th, the ACSEC spent the day at The Sangaree Community Day festival, a fun-filled, family and community based event in Berkeley County. Visitors to the ACSEC table got to get hands on with the Enviroscape watershed model and learn about the impacts of stormwater pollution.  Nearly 100 youth spent time at the ACSEC table and became "Clean Water Heroes" as they problem solved ways in which we can each do our part to keep our local waterways healthy. 

 

 

    

Stormwater Pond Problem Solving 

& Weed Control Clinic

 October 11, 2013

On October 11th, the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium, Carolina Clear and the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offered a Stormwater Pond Problem Solving and Weed Control Clinic at Cypress Gardens.  Over 30 attendees participated and explored a variety of topics, including: stormwater pond design, pond inspection and maintenance considerations, limnology basics, shorescaping for water quality protection, and the hands-on opportunity to learn about some of the beneficial and nuisance aquatic plants we encounter in our pond systems.  Missed out but want to learn more? Information on some of these topics and a calendar of stormwater pond management related events, can be found on the Clemson Extension Stormwater Pond Management website.

Clemson Extension Agent, Ben Powell, leads an aquatic weed identification exercise with the group. 
    

Ashley River Litter Sweep

Keep Dorchester County Beautiful

September 21, 2013

      

As part of the Beach Sweep/River Sweep event on September 21st, Keep Dorchester County Beautiful organized a group of 253 scouts and 72 other volunteers to clean portions of the Ashley River in and around Jessen Boat Landing and local parks.  Volunteers worked together to remove an impressive 1,200 pounds of trash from our water and greenways.  Congratulations Keep Dorchester County Beautiful and volunteers and thanks for your hard work to keep the Ashley River clean and beautiful!

 

To find out about more volunteer opportunities with Keep Dorchester County Beautiful, visit their website.

 

Participants at the Keep Dorchester County Beautiful Event Ashley River Cleanup.
Photo courtesy Carolyn Tomlinson. 

 

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. 
 
ACSEC New Logo  
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
 
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.