Since May 2007 PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON SC PERMIT NO 137 POSTAL PATRON
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 25
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MARCH 7, 2025
Coyotes are Here to Stay BY THERESA STRATFORD
Y
For The Island Connection
ou may not see as many humans on Kiawah Island’s beaches in the winter, but you just might spot a coyote or two on the beach when the temperatures drop. Winter is peak season for coyotes since this is the time of year that they breed and are forced to hunt a little harder for scarce food sources. Kiawah Island Town Biologist Jim Jordan addressed the Kiawah Island Town Council on February 4 about the area’s increase in coyote sightings. “We started getting reports back in December,” he said. “There were concerns, which led us to create a Coyote Management Plan.” The sightings also led to increased patrolling in the area by the Kiawah Conservancy. He added that most sightings occurred in the Ocean Park area or the eastern end. Jordan said that they launched a public reporting form online. He reported that the form currently has 49 coyote sightings entered, 39 of which were entered in January. As of the February 4 meeting, no sightings had been reported in that month. “We are in breeding season now for coyotes,” Jordan said. “That is when sightings of coyotes will peak. The coyotes will be looking for mates and they will be bumped out of territories, so they will be looking for new territory. This is when there is a lot of activity.” The Kiawah Conservancy worked to trap, attach collars and release bobcats and coyotes on February 17. The plan was to trap two to four coyotes. The collars help to better understand how many coyotes there (continued on page 2) are on the island, where they are living, how
Johns Island student Melodie Watson (below), and the winning drawing of her grandmother's house.
Tour Book Artist Winner Announced
A Pledge to Protect
KIAWAH ASKS RESIDENTS T O H E L P S AV E B O B C AT P O P U L AT I O N
ARTS, ETC. NAMES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT THEIR COVER GIRL BY MARTHA ZINK
BY THERESA STRATFORD
K
For The Island Connection
For The Island Connection
iawah Island Town Administrator Stephanie Monroe Tillerson updated the Town Council at the February 4 meeting on a promising statewide requirement that could benefit the bobcat population. She announced that she was informed by Clemson Extension, a state regulatory agency for the second-generation anticoagulant (SGA)—the chemical in rodenticides that has killed many bobcats— that they are working to ban or restrict the rodenticide chemical for use with those who are not licensed. That means that the chemical, which has been linked to killing the bobcat population, would not be sold in stores and could not be accessed by anyone without a license to manage the rodent population. Tillerson said she had attended a virtual meeting with many regulatory agencies involved in using the chemical to control rodents in their area. She noted that many attendees of the meeting expressed concern about the issue being a “Kiawah problem” and they asked why they would have to follow the requirement when they weren’t experiencing the same issue. “It isn’t just a Kiawah problem though,” Tillerson said. “We heard that the town of Newberry deals with this too, so it is happening in different areas of the state.” She also said that she heard criticism concerning the Bobcat Guardian Pledge and there not being enough of the Kiawah Island (continued on page 3) residents committed to signing it.
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he signature fundraising event for Kiawah Arts, etc. is the annual Art and House Tour, which will be held on April 11 this year. The cover of the Tour Book is a painting by the winner of the competition between students on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands. The winning artist for 2025 is Melodie Watson, a 15-year-old 9th grader at St. Johns High School. The drawing is of her grandmother’s house. Melodie is originally from Charleston but lived in Atlanta for four years, where she immersed herself in the arts scene there before returning to Johns Island. She is very honored to be chosen and hopes to continue her arts education. In addition to art, she is inspired by music and literature. Arts, etc. and their Program Partners provide immersive experiences in all the Arts. To fund their partners, Arts, etc. produces the Kiawah Art and House Tour, established in 2000. The 2025 tour will be on Friday, April 11 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. A concurrent Online Auction, featuring artwork and other
OUR WEBSITE HAS:
WWW.LUCKYDOGNEWS.COM L ucky D og N ews . com
objects, can be accessed on the same website from April 1-11. Artwork will be displayed from April 1-11, at the Freshfields branch of presenting sponsor First National Bank. Tickets are available now at kiawahartsetc. org.
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