Month: October 2022

November Issue of Currents

The November 2022 issue of Currents is now available.  Click here to read it or visit the SIPOA website and access it through the News dropdown menu.

Once you access the current issue, you will notice the icons across the top that allow you to “Share,” “Download,” “Print,” or “Zoom” in this order:

To receive SIPOA’s weekly Highlights email as well as special notices and alerts from SIPOA, please click here to sign up.

Email your comments and feedback to publiccomment@sipoa.org.

-Submitted by SIPOA

First Friday Fall Festival Nov 4

Town Market of James Island First Friday Fall Festival will take place Friday, November 4, 2022, from 6 pm-9 pm.

Join us for local vendors, seasonal produce, food trucks, free movie on the big screen at dusk, petting zoo, entertainment, and more!

First Friday events take place at James Island Town Hall, 1122 Dills Bluff Drive.

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit: Town Market of James Island)

Brown & White Pickup November 4

The next monthly
Brown & White Pickup is Friday, November 4, 2022.

Bulk items can be left curbside by 7:00 am. Place items including furniture, appliances, grills, lawn furniture, or other similar household items where you would normally leave your trash and recycling.

Hazardous waste such as old paint cans, electronics, batteries, fluorescent lights, and old yard or household chemicals can be taken to the Maintenance Area (adjacent to the Community Garden) that morning between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm. Hazardous materials must be handed directly to the attendant on duty. The materials cannot be left on the ground. 

If you are planning to put bikes out on Brown & White Pickup day, Sarah Quinn is collecting them for the Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) Program. You can call her to pick them up. Her phone number is (843) 768-4407. Sarah has saved more than 2,400 bikes from the landfill! Find out more about B4H here.

Before you put your used furniture or other items on the curb for Brown & White Pickup on Friday, consider recycling them with Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Restore. Contact the store at 843-559-4009 for more information and to arrange for free pick up of large items.

Click here for the 2022 SIPOA Garbage, Recycling, Yard Debris Pickup Schedule.

–Tidelines Editors

Symphony Tour of Kiawah Island Homes Nov 5

See five amazing properties that represent the best of architectural and interior design at the 25th Anniversary Symphony Tour of Island Homes on Kiawah Island, Saturday, November 5, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, Inc., is pleased to present the Symphony Tour of Island Homes with Freshfields Village, where check-in takes place in front of Java Java on Saturday, November 4.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $65 through Thursday, November 4, at csolinc.org or in person at Kiawah Island Town Hall and Indigo Books, Freshfields Village. Tickets will be sold on the day of the tour at check-in for $70

The CSOL will be unveiling its 2023 Car Raffle at the tour and guests can begin their holiday shopping at the SCORE Pop-Up shop. A $500 gift certificate that has been donated by deGuise Interiors will be raffled off at the event as well. Proceeds benefit the Charleston Symphony and CSOL Music Scholarships.

Participating merchants of Freshfields Village will host a Sip & Shop event, Saturday from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. with special offers.

-Submitted by Marty Penkhus

(Image Credit: Charleston Symphony Orchestra League)

Statewide General Election Sample Ballot

Tuesday, November 8, 2022, is the Statewide General Election. In a previous post, we explained the three different ways you can vote:

  • In person at The Lake House on November 8
  • Vote early at one of the Early Voting Centers. The John’s Island Library on Maybank Highway is the closest one to Seabrook Island.
  • Request an Absentee Ballot and return it to the Charleston County Voting Center.

Please click here to view our post on the details of the different ways you can vote.

Before you vote, you may want to view a sample ballot. Click here to see one. For complete information about voting in South Carolina, please go to scvotes.gov. 

–Tidelines Editors

(Image Credit: stock.adobe.com)



Diamonds In The Mud

While much attention is justly focused on the endangered, seafaring loggerhead turtle population that nests here every summer, a less threatened cousin that spends all its time on the island also faces threats from habitat loss and human activity. The Carolina diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin centrata), with distinctive circular markings on its carapace, inhabits the brackish waters of our salt marshes and tidal creeks, feeding on crabs, snails, fish, oysters, and mussels. It’s the only turtle species known to prefer brackish water. Its attraction to crab pots is one threat, sometimes trapping and drowning the animal. Encounters with motorized boats are another potential cause of mortality. Habitat loss from warming and rising water levels, or from human development along estuaries and inlets, is an increasing challenge for diamondbacks, which are found all along the Atlantic coast from Cape Hatteras to Florida. Although not considered endangered, terrapins are an important indicator species for water quality, with populations all along the coast monitored regularly.

The term “terrapin” is applied to land-based turtles, as opposed to marine species like the loggerhead. Carolina terrapins are active nearly all year round, living in burrows dug in mudflats and hibernating there during colder months. Its shell ranges from gray to light green or brown and is marked by concentric growth rings that indicate age, which can be measured in decades. One male specimen found on Kiawah had originally been tagged in the 1980s and was found still active and healthy twenty-five years later.

Like their seagoing relations, diamondback females lay their eggs, starting in late spring, in nests dug in sandy banks above the high tide line, which may bring females looking for nesting sites disastrously in contact with vehicular traffic along roads built too close to the water. The nests are often raided by raccoons, foxes, and seagulls.

But the good news is that Carolina terrapins have recovered from near-extinction in the early twentieth century when their pale yellow meat was considered a delicacy. They were eagerly hunted to supply restaurants and fish markets, bringing high prices that climbed even higher as it became more difficult finding them by digging out of their hibernation burrows. Today, although legally harvestable, they’re thankfully no longer considered suitable for the dining table and no commercial hunting permits have been issued by South Carolina for many years, allowing populations to rebound.

Seabrook Island Natural History Group is one of the island’s oldest and largest special interest groups dedicated to exploring the ecology, history, and culture of the Carolina Lowcountry. For more information about SINHG, click here.

-Submitted by Seabrook Island Natural History Group

SIGC to Host Local Author of Green Spaces and Wildlife

Friday, November 11
Presenter: Charles Moore
Location: Oyster Catcher Community Center

Greeting and refreshments: 9:30 am
Business meeting: 9:45 am
Presentation: 10:00 am with Q&A following

Join us for the Seabrook Island Garden Club’s November meeting, featuring guest speaker, Charles Moore, well known former Seabrook Island resident, as he delivers a presentation on the importance of green space on Seabrook Island.

The survival of all wild things depends on their ability to find suitable food and habitat. Seabrook Island is blessed with a healthy wildlife community of whitetail deer (including the uniquely colored piebald deer), bobcats, raccoons, alligators, opossums, foxes, turtles, dolphins and over 130 species of birds. The lush vegetation and natural beauty of our island are no accident, but are instead the result of the vision of the original developers, with the establishment of strong environmental covenants and continued environmental stewardship by its residents.

Traveling the South Carolina coastal area for twenty-eight years and living for fifteen years here in Seabrook Island, author Charles J. Moore came to understand the importance of green spaces for wildlife survival. He has used his lifelong love of photography to convey the natural beauty and abundance of wildlife of Seabrook Island. The mission of the Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy is to preserve and enhance the natural environment on Seabrook Island through acquisition of land and land easements, through education on environmental topics, and through advocacy of conservation issues. Charles’s book will be available for purchase via cash, check or Venmo.

We look forward to welcoming you to the garden club! *Non-Garden Club members may attend for a $5 donation.

The 2022-23 Seabrook Island Garden Club: Let’s Talk Some Dirt!

-Submitted by Beth Wright, Seabrook Island Garden Club Publicity

Seabrook Island Village Mah Jong Day

“I call Mah Jong” could be heard throughout the Atlantic Room on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, as twenty-eight women attended the SIV’s first Mah Jong Day. There was a good bit of chatter as people met up with old friends and met new ones as well. Refreshments, drinks and snacks, were in abundance and a delicious lunch was served.

Two gift baskets created by Beth Wright were received by Amelie Geiger and Deborah Guthrie whose names were randomly chosen. Janis Skeffington won the Early Registration drawing. The winner at the end of the day was Kathy Galto. She was awarded a gift certificate to The Royal Tern. The table decorations, huge ribboned pumpkins, created by Lori Leary, were awarded to Deb Ayres, second place and Marilyn Giannos, third place.

The event raised $750 for Seabrook Island Village to help us continue to help our neighbors. All who participated this year support a repeat performance next year. Be on the lookout for that one.

-Submitted by SIV Fundraising Committee

(Image credit: SIV)

Seabrook Island Veterans Day Charitable Golf Event

The Seabrook Island Club and the Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club will be sponsoring its 11th Annual Seabrook Island Veterans Day Charitable Golf Outing on Monday, November 7, 2022, to honor veterans who have served our country as well as to raise money to support the Ralph Johnson Veteran’s Hospital and the Friends of Fisher House.  The Seabrook Island Real Estate Company will continue as a major contributor and the United States Flag will be presented by St. Johns High School Jr. ROTC Cadets.

The event will be a captain’s choice scramble format beginning with a 9:30 am shotgun start.  Teams will be flighted for awards based on total team handicap.   The Club will be serving a Captain Sam’s buffet with grilled burgers, chicken sandwiches, and all the trimmings in the Atlantic Ballroom following play.  Non-Member Lowcountry residents are invited to participate.  Team and individual registrations are welcomed.  Wounded Warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan will be participating as guests.

The entry fee for Seabrook Island Club members is $95 plus applicable golf fees. For non-club members, the fee is $175.   $75 of the entry fee will be set aside as a charitable contribution to the Ralph Johnson Veteran’s Hospital and Fisher House.  You may register for the event by clicking here, calling the Seabrook Island Golf Shop at 843-768-2529, or sending an email to golf@seabrookisland.com. 

If you cannot play in the event but would like to make a contribution, you can send a check to Alan Armstrong, 2427 Golf Oak Park, Seabrook Island, SC 29455.  Checks should be made payable to the Friends of Fisher House or the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Hospital.

If you have any questions, please call Alan Armstrong at 410-274-7545 or email him at alan9631@comcast.net

-Submitted by Alan Armstrong

(Image credits: Exchange Club and clipart-library.com)

November SIB Activities

SIB has plenty of activities leading up to the holidays. Get in a bit of fun, fresh (low humidity) air, and exercise before the holidays take place. 

Wine & Backyard Birding at Marsh Hen

When: Thursday, November 3, 2022, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm 
Location: 2335 Marsh Hen Drive
Max:  12
Cost: None for members; $10 donation for guests

Join SIB for wine and backyard birding at the home of Carole and Rick Heilman Their home is a beautiful, large wooded lot that has many songbird visitors. There are Wild Turkeys there too! The Heilmans have an elaborate bird feeding system set up on two sides of the yard with a nice seating area. There will be wine and light snacks served for those who want, with an outside deck and inside porch for bird viewing. Please come in from the front door.

As always, be sure to bring your water, binoculars, hats and sunscreen.  

Please register no later than Tuesday, November 1 by 10:00 am.  All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on November 2 .  

Register here

Beyond our Backyard – Biking & Birding the Greenway

When: Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location:  Meet at the parking area for West Ashley Greenway (McLeod Mill Rd. near Main Rd./SR S 10-20)
Max:  12
Cost: None for members; $10 donation for guests

Grab your bike and join us as we bike the West Ashley Greenway! This trail stretches about eight miles from Johns Island to the South Windermere Shopping Center on Folly Road (parking available at either end). The trail is open from dawn to dusk. It’s 100 feet wide and mostly hard-packed dirt and some asphalt. Plus, the trail is flat so it’s great for beginner bikers and kids. For the most part, the trail runs parallel to U.S. Highway 17 past neighborhoods, parks and marshes so there’s plenty to see. The City of Charleston Department of Parks has confirmed motorized handicap scooters may utilize the Greenway for this activity so some members may want to “bike” the Greenway in their scooters.

On Johns Island, the dirt gives way to rough gravel and narrow bridge crossings (beach/mountain bikes are better than road bikes on this section). Here the broad wetlands flank the trail, presenting magnificent views and rewarding bird sightings. If our timing is right, we may catch sight of the tidal flow that carved these lacework channels.

The map of this Rails-to-Trails site can be found here.  

Join several SIB Executive Committee Members for this biking & birding trip at the West Ashley Greenway. We hope to see shorebirds like egrets, herons and Roseate Spoonbills in the tidal marsh areas. We should see/hear some of our winter residents like Eastern Phoebe, Northern Flicker and Palm Warbler. Birds of prey are also common to see flying overhead. Fifty eight species were seen or heard when we did this ride in December 2021 .  

Be sure to bring binoculars, camera, hats, sunscreen, bug repellant, snacks and water. Once we complete our ride, some participants will likely visit Angel Oak Cafe for lunch where all are welcome to join us.

Please register no later than Monday, November 7, 2022.  All registrants will receive a confirmation letter the day prior to the event.

Register here

Learning Together at North Beach

When: Tuesday November 15, 2022  10:00 am – 12:00 am (high tide: 12:44 pm)
Location:  Meet at Boardwalk # 1 parking lot
Max:  None
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests 

Join SIB Shorebird Steward leader, Mark Andrews, to bird at Seabrook Island’s North Beach. This three mile round trip walk travels from Board Walk #1 to the tip of North Beach along Captain Sam’s Inlet as high tide approaches. Birders from beginners to advanced will enjoy the variety of birds found on North Beach. At this time of year, many different species of shorebirds rest and feed near the point or along the beach ridge near the beach’s pond. Along the way, we will explore the many different species that can be found in this unique area.  Piping Plovers and other winter residents should have returned from their summer nesting areas.

As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats and sunscreen. There should be spotting scopes available for viewing. Bring plenty to drink and a snack if desired. There are no facilities.  

Please register no later than November 13.  All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on November 14, the day prior to the trip. If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can invite people on the waitlist to attend.

Register here

Beyond Our Backyard – Caw Caw County Park

When: Nov 18, 2022, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 

Where: Caw Caw Interpretive Center, 5200 Savannah Hwy.  Ravenel  

Carpool:  Meet at Seabrook Island Real Estate Office at 8:15 am. The drive is approximately 40 minutes.  

Cost: Free to members, $5 for non- members (Park entrance fee is $2 per adult, or a gold pass)

Join SIB at Caw Caw County Park as we look for resident wintering birds. The park is comprised of three colonial era rice fields, fresh, brackish, saltwater marshes, cypress-tupelo swamps, bottomland, and beech-holly forests.  All told, these varied habitats comprise a total of 654 acres with six miles of trails.  Over 250 bird species have been observed within the boundaries of Caw Caw.  

Some of the bird species we may find during this time of the year include wading birds, ducks, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglets, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Bobolink, Yellow Throated Warbler, Blue Headed Vireos, Pine Warbler, Northern Paula, White-Eyed Vireo, Wilson’s Snipe, Loggerhead Shrike, Rusty Blackbird, Brown Creeper, Winter Wrens and a variety of raptors.

Appropriate footwear is recommended, as a likely walking distance of two miles is expected, and even during dry spells, wet trail conditions may be encountered. Participants should also consider these other items to maximize their comfort and enjoyment: binoculars, bug spray, sunscreen, hats, layered clothing to adjust to the morning’s weather, field guides if print is your preference, eyeglass – lens cleaner, water, snacks, camera, and a pack or shoulder bag for your needs.    

Please register prior to Nov 15, 2022.  You will receive a confirmation letter the day prior to the event.  

Register here

Learning Together on Crooked Oaks Golf Course

When: Monday, November 21, 2022,  8:30 am – 10:30 am
Location:  Meet at Island House (Golf Course Parking Lot next to Spinnaker Beach Houses) for ride along the golf course in golf carts
Max:  24 (If all seats in golf carts are used)
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests – Priority will be given to prior waitlisted & members

The Seabrook Island Club closes one course a day each week and allows SIB to use golf carts to travel the course to bird. Join us for a morning of birding by riding in golf carts for at least 9-holes on Crooked Oaks golf course. We expect to see a large variety of birds including Egrets, Herons and birds of prey. We will also see and hear some of the smaller birds like Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and some of the many warbler species.

 Since it is fall/winter, we can also expect to see Eastern Phoebes, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Belted Kingfishers, Double-crested Cormorants, Bald Eagles, and more!

As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats and sunscreen.  Water will be provided.  

Please register no later than Friday prior to the trip. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on the day prior to the trip. If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can invite people on the waitlist to attend.

Register here

Learning Together – Camp St. Christopher Conference Center

When: Friday, November 25, 2022, 8:00 am-11:00 am
Where: Meet at bus parking lot at St. Christopher
Max:  10
Cost: Voluntary donation to Camp St.Christopher

Come walk off the bird by doing some birding!!! Explore the lakes, lagoons, paths and slough at St. Christopher. This event will have one to two miles of walking over uneven terrain. We  should see all the usual suspects, but will also hopefully get a look at our some of our winter friends-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Yellow-rumped Warbler and sparrows.

Bring sun block, bug spray, a hat, water and binoculars. We are asking our attendees to make a voluntary contribution to Camp St. Christopher to help support their efforts after a few trying years.

Please register no later than Wednesday, November 23, 2021. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Thursday, November 24, 2022.  If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can invite people on the waitlist to attend.

Register here

Beyond our Backyard – Kiawah Preserve

When: Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 8:00 am-11:00 am
Location:  Meet at the parking lot by The Station at Freshfields at 8:00 am
Max: There is a limit of 12 people, in three cars. Passes for Kiawah will be obtained the night before
Cost: None for members; $10 donation for guests

We will be birding through a well maintained trail through a variety of habitats including wetlands, maritime forest, ponds and a waterway. There’s an observation tower for those who would like to do some climbing to get a better view. Hopefully, we will see some late migrants, as well as birds that are overwintering there. 

As always, be sure to bring your binoculars, hats, water and sunscreen.   

All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Monday, November 28.  

Register here   

Backyard Birding at Cat Tail Pond

When: Thursday, December 1, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Location: 2500 Cat Tail Pond
Max: 12
Cost: None for 2022 members; $10 donation for guests

Come join us in Paula and Bob’s Adamson’s backyard. They live right on the golf course and have six feeders plus a birdbath and two bluebird boxes. They even have two owl boxes. Many birds can be seen from the deck or the yard.  In addition to birds, they have turkeys, squirrels, bunnies, raccoons and possums.

As always, be sure to bring your water, binoculars, hats and sunscreen.   

Please register no later than Monday November 29 at 10:00 am. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Wednesday, November 30. 

Register here   

-Submitted by SIB

SIAG November Artist of the Month Monique Boissier-Sporn

Monique grew up in France and had no significant art instruction throughout her educational years. She moved to Northern Virginia and retired from careers in academia and the Foreign Service.

Out of curiosity and a need for relaxation, Monique began taking a variety of art
classes. This artistic discovery began with throwing pottery on the wheel and building clay sculpture. Soon she added charcoal portraiture and finally watercolor to her artistic skills. She found watercolor to be her ‘niche.’

She has studied under several excellent watercolorists including Sally Olson, Christine Lashley, and Catherine Hillis. After moving to Seabrook Island, Monique began painting in oil and studying with Gary Kunkelman and Patricia Huff.

Currently, she paints both watercolor and oil.

A reception will be held for Monique on Wednesday, November 2, from 4:30 pm-6:00 pm at The Lake House. Please come to the reception to view the beautiful art Monique offers.

-Submitted by Bonnie Younginer, Seabrook Island Artist Guild

(Image credit: Monique Boissier-Sporn )

CLS November and December Programs

The Charleston Library Society has a varied program of events including story hours, author visits, music, and workshops.

Check out some events scheduled in November:

Or a few in December:

To see other Library Society events in November and December, click here and scroll down.

Established December 28, 1748, the Charleston Library Society has a rich history as a “cultural institution for life-long learning, serving its members, the Lowcountry community and scholars through access to its rich collection of books, manuscripts and archival material and programs promoting discussion and understanding of the ideas they contain.”  For more information, see their website here.

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit: CLS)