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VOLUME 19 ISSUE 4
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Seabrook Council changes two-year term limit
MAY 16, 2025
A Habitat not for Humanity
BY THERESA STRATFORD
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For The Island Connection
ood points were made both for and against changing the term limits from two years to four-year staggered terms for members of Seabrook Island Town Council and the mayor. In the end, the motion passed on second reading. Out of Charleston County’s 16 municipalities, Seabrook has been one of three not utilizing the four-year staggered term policy. (The other two municipalities are McClellanville and Rockville.) Dorchester County and Berkeley County together have 12 municipalities, and all have staggered fouryear terms. The Town of Seabrook Island held a public hearing on April 16, where one speaker attended. They had 19 public comments in the portal before the Town Council meeting. Mayor Bruce Kleinman reviewed the most frequently asked questions from the public, and Town Administrator Joe Cronin provided answers. The questions and answers were: (continued on page 3) • What impact will this
Grant for Seabrook’s CERT Didn’t Come Easy BY THERESA STRATFORD
T
For The Island Connection
he Seabrook Island Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of residential volunteers who go through the Charleston County Emergency Management Division’s certification program to address certain life-saving techniques. They learn how to respond in an emergency involving breathing stoppage, excessive bleeding and shock. Training covers topics such as fire suppression, search and rescue, injury triage and earthquake response. The Charleston County course gives some basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills, which improve the ability of residents to survive until responders or other assistance can arrive. CERT is activated in emergency preparations before, during and after a hurricane. Seabrook’s CERT was founded in 2006 by a group of concerned residents who felt the island needed trained volunteers during a catastrophic event. FEMA has promoted the program around the country and has provided basic training. Each CERT team is responsible for assembling its equipment, and the amount and type of equipment will vary from one team to another. (continued on page 2) It seems likely that the entire
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Deveaux Bank in the ACE Basin is a protected haven for migratory birds.
PHOTO BY PAMELA COHEN.
P R O T E C T I N G M I G R AT O R Y B I R D S M E A N S E D U C AT I N G P E O P L E BY ELIZABETH ST. JOHN For The Island Connection
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n a full moon evening in April, Lowcountry Land Trust and Coastal Expeditions led a boat tour for donors and guests to visit Deveaux Bank in the ACE Basin, a protected haven for migratory birds. Capt. Chris Crolley is an advocate and supporter of the wildness of the sandbank. A purposeful driver of both the Coastal Expeditions boat as well as the legislation to protect Deveaux Bank, Crolley kept proper distance from the shore for guests to witness the migration of the Whimbrels while protecting wildlife surrounding the shoreline. Whimbrels are brown and white medium-sized seabirds that vacation in the Hudson Bay area in summer and prefer the beaches of Argentina in the winter. A semi-annual migration of individual flocks numbering 20,000 in total rests on Deveaux Bank. They fuel up on high-test fiddler-crabs and unwind from their 45-day flight from Argentina before taking off again, looking forward to the nutritious delicacies awaiting them north. Bird flocks arrive within three days of one another, preferring the sunset landing time. Upon departure for the summer in Hudson Bay, a similar pattern of three days until departure takes place. It is a
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mesmerizing sight, photographed for this feature by renowned, world-class photographer Pamela Cohen, who specializes in wildlife photography and exhibits her work through Wells Gallery at Kiawah Island. As the sun was setting, huge silhouettes with long, moving arms were etched against the sky on the sandbank ridge. These seemingly quixotic birds were not chasing windmills, but were pelicans nesting, obviously responding to the threat of eagles in the vicinity. Meanwhile, the eagles were discussing dinner possibilities: whatever careless egg or chick rolled or wandered from the protection of a mama bird’s 6-foot wing-flapping span. From tiny fiddler crabs to whimbrels, pelicans and eagles, the bank serves as both sanctuary and cafeteria for the species that populate there. Capt. Crolley makes his guests aware of the dangers facing the seabirds. Even though DDT was outlawed as an insecticide decades ago, it does not have a halflife and continues full-strength and unabated in the waters and on land, killing food source insects and birdlife today. Pelicans have been reduced to 30% of their original number and will soon be among the (continued on page 3) listed endangered birds. Recent
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