Ducks Unlimited is working with partners on restoration
efforts on two barrier islands off the coast of South Carolina. Capers Island
State Heritage Preserve, which is an undeveloped barrier island owned by the
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is located approximately
15 miles north of Charleston, between Dewees Island and Cape Romain National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Capers Island lies about three miles from the mainland,
is approximately three miles long and is accessible only by boat. DU improved
wetland habitat by installing a water-control structure with tidal gates and
bulkheads. DU also enhanced embankment infrastructure and the island’s internal
canal system. These improvements allow DNR staff to utilize tide cycles to
flush nutrients and marine species into the island’s predominately stagnant
water system.
Restoration work is also taking place on Bulls Island, part
of Cape Romain NWR. The refuge stretches along 22 miles of the South Carolina
coast and provides important habitat for a variety of shorebird species. The
dike currently in place on the island’s Jacks Creek waterway has long suffered
from erosion caused by shifting tidal currents that remove sand and sediment
from the beachfront, as well as wave action from the Atlantic Ocean. To address
this, DU is installing a new cross dike and associated water-control structure
on the creek. These new structures will improve management capabilities and
increase habitat diversity for beachfront shorebirds, which have experienced
dramatic habitat loss primarily due to development. Cape Romain NWR is a part
of the Cape Romain Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of
International importance.