In South Carolina, life in the outdoors and among birds in nature is a central component of communities and our quality of life.  From the Upstate at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the agriculture and forests of the Pee Dee and Midlands, and down to the Lowcountry coastal marshes and beaches, there is a huge variety of habitats for birds and opportunities for people to enjoy South Carolina’s beautiful natural resources.  It is easy for people in South Carolina to see the importance of protecting the places birds need as they also witness the impacts of climate change with increased flooding and more severe storms affecting our state. 

Audubon South Carolina works to bring together people in South Carolina who care about birds and the places they need.  We support partner organizations, like our local Audubon chapters or other nonprofits and conservation partners, with advocacy grants and training for their members, provide education on native plants and bird-friendly habitats, and promote climate and bird-friendly land management practices.  We also began hosting a series of Birds & Brews events to give our members a chance to gather and discuss birds and the places they need with each other, elected officials, and community leaders. 

We recently held advocacy training with Charleston Audubon and hosted our first Birds & Brews event in Charleston at Holy City Brewing. These events gave advocates a first-hand look at the birds and habitats we are fighting to protect, skills necessary to be a successful advocate, and an opportunity to show what they’ve learned by speaking to fellow members of the community about why our work is so critical. 

Our Birds and Brews series continued in Greenville last week at Birds Fly South Ale Project.  We were glad to welcome state Representative West Cox to our event, as well as both familiar and new faces. This was an excellent opportunity to highlight our ongoing MOTUS Tower network efforts, which we have recently expanded in the Upstate with a new tower at Caesars Head State Park.  This tower detected its first tagged bird, a Red-eyed Vireo that was originally banded in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Birds & Brews will come be coming to Summerville this week on October 7th from 6-8 pm at Oak Road Brewery.  Click here for more information.