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VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1
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APRIL 4, 2025
Kiawah Urges Residents to be Safe Online BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
T
he email in question went to many community members and supposedly came from Kiawah Island’s Mayor Bradley Belt. It indicated that the Town was seeking money to be spent on a certain initiative. The email even named the finance director for the Town, as well. It seemed legit, right? Wrong. The email was a scam. At the March 4 Kiawah Island Town Council meeting, Belt explained that their IT team studied the cybersecurity issue and determined that there was no indication that any email accounts had been hacked. “Apparently, they scraped email addresses off the Town website and other websites within Kiawah and then used some kind of algorithm to know that I was in a position of authority so the email could look legit,” he said. “The actual email address that it was sent from was not mine, plus there were a number of grammar issues.” Nevertheless, the Town took the cybersecurity attempt seriously. They (continued on page 2)
New Resiliency Committee will address looming issues on Kiawah BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
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esiliency is the act of being able to endure and adapt successfully during and after a challenging experience. It means being able to recover quickly from something difficult. It measures toughness and capacity to withstand that with which you cannot control. When the Town of Kiawah Island decided to create a formal Resiliency Committee, it was met with overall support. At the recent Town Council Meeting on March 4, one public comment expressed by a resident was that they were pleased with this new initiative and excited to see how they can work with other Kiawah entities, like KICA, on resiliency issues. Kiawah Island Town Council Member Madeleine Kaye introduced the Resiliency (continued on page 3) Committee at the Town
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A previous Earth Day Celebration.
Celebrate Earth Day with the Kiawah Conservancy BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
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ow in its 13th year, the 2025 Earth Day Celebration, hosted by the Kiawah Conservancy, will take place Friday, April 25 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Night Heron Park. This community-oriented and family-friendly event usually attracts about 400 people from all over the Lowcountry. Katie Jonjevic, educational outreach specialist with the Kiawah Conservancy, explained that some of the highlights will include live music from the Shem Creek Boogie Band, hands-on experiences from the South Carolina Aquarium and the Heron Park Nature Center and flight demonstrations by the Center for Birds of Prey. The local organizations participating this year to talk about their environmental efforts include: Audubon South Carolina; Barrier Island Environmental Education Center at Camp St. Christopher; Berkeley Electric Cooperative; Charleston Area Beekeepers Association; Charleston Parks Conservancy; Clemson University; John's Island Library; Kiawah Conservancy's Junior Explorers; Keeper of the Wild; Kiawah Island Golf Resort; Kiawah Island Shorebird Stewards; Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol; Let's Walk; Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network; Seabrook Island Birders; Sea Island Habitat for
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Humanity; South Carolina Aquarium; South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement; and the Town of Kiawah Island’s Environmental Committee. Also in attendance will be a variety of local artists and artisans showcasing their incredible talents and selling their work. Notable artists include basket weaver Marie Wine and Old Salty B. Woodworks, among many others. Various options for food and drink will be available for purchase as well. For kids, the Kiawah Conservancy will have a sign-up table open for their Junior Explorers. In addition, the Kiawah Conservancy mascot, Bob E. Cat, will make an appearance; a mini-golf course will be available and Crosswind Farm will set up their mobile petting zoo. Kids can also enjoy free face painting, hair tinsel and more. The children's librarian from the John’s Island Library will be at the festival to talk about the various programs they offer and how the community can get involved. “We've collaborated with the library in a variety of ways in the past, like recording read-aloud videos, hosting an in-person Junior Explorers event at the library and participating in the seed library program that they offer as well,” Jonjevic said. (continued on page 2) New to the Earth Day Festival
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