Our Programs
Earth Team Happenings
Have fun and make a difference in Berkeley County. To join our volunteer group contact Roxy Bishop at 843-719-4146 or email
berkeleysoilandwater.com
Kids Who Care - April 2024
The Earth Team Volunteers participate annually in Yard Art Contests at Cypress Gardens. Winners are chosen by the visitors’ votes. The various art items which are made from recycled items, are available for purchase. All funds collected are donated to the gardens.
THE FERAL HOG TRAPPING PROGRAM IS BACK IN ACTION
The Berkeley Soil & Water Conservation District is pleased to let everyone know that the FERAL HOG TRAPPING PROGRAM IS BACK and is again available to Berkeley County farmers and landowners. This partnership program with the Berkeley County Farm Bureau and APHIS (USDA) provides for a professional trapper to set up and monitor the equipment to trap your hogs.
It seems that COVID interrupted everything, and the Berkeley Feral Hog Trapping Program was no exception. But the program is now more user friendly than before and set up for the landowner to call the APHIS trapper directly.
Mr. Jordan Wilson with the USDA APHIS program is working with our Berkeley County landowners to trap their feral hogs. He also works with the surrounding counties of Clarendon, Dorchester, Charleston and the lower half of Williamsburg. Please contact Mr. Jordan directly to have him evaluate your feral hog problem and arrange for trapping by calling (843) 244-1747 or email him at Jordan.wilson@usda.gov.
Berkeley Outdoor Life
Berkeley Soil & Water is working on a new platform called Berkeley Outdoor Life: www.BerkeleyOutdoorLife.com. After creating the Berkeley Blueways with its 25 kayaking trails, more than 235 miles of paddling, the District saw an opportunity to add the new programs of the Berkeley Walkways, Berkeley Bikeways and Berkeley Gameways. The Walkways will consist of 18-20 walking and hiking routes, the Bikeways will have 16 bicycling routes, and the Gameways will highlight the best places to fish, boat, camp and hunt in Berkeley County.
The new website features all the information for families to choose an exciting adventure. It includes original photography, all relevant trail information, downloadable guides for each activity and interactive maps. This project was launched in the 2nd quarter of 2021 and the development of the platform will extend into 2022.
We have added a new downloadable book of our Swamp Fox 50 mile paddle and camp trail!
ByGone Berkeley - www.ByGoneBerkeley.com
ByGone Berkeley is a website that serves as a one-stop portal for Berkeley County Historical Information. The program began in 2022 by recording all the County historical markers and creating a corresponding large format and companion pocket guide for visiting. We also created a mini master class on the American Revolution in Berkeley County, highlighting over 30 "action sites."
We have included African American historical sites with photographs, all the historical churches and cemeteries that you can actually visit, downloadable visitor itineraries (for 1 day and full weekend of adventure!), and a section on the county's most famous historical figure, Francis Marion, a.k.a., "The Swamp Fox."
Just added is a stand alone section for Berkeley County Historical Stories, written by Keith Gourdin!
berkeleybees
berkeleybees meetings are scheduled for the first Monday of each month 6:00 - 7:00 pm in the Nesbitt House Welcome Center, 1004 Hwy 52, Moncks Corner. Contact Nick Yoder (843-719-5003) for more information about the program, or email Nick.Yoder@berkeleycountysc.gov.
Scholarship Opportunities
BSWCD College Scholarships
Every year Berkeley Soil and Water Conservation District awards two $1,000 scholarships to young people pursuing college degrees in agriculture, forestry, or other natural resources related fields. Our District is very proud of our scholarship winners. This program began in 2015.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY
for Elementary classrooms
for Elementary classrooms
Continuing Education
for Teachers
2023 Class was February 2nd through March 4th.
BSWCD will be advertising this opportunity the next time it is available
This Graduate Class combines science and social studies standards to provide teachers with a better understanding of the historical and current environmental issues affecting Berkeley County. The course subtitle: Avoiding the “Wump World” refers to the children’s book by Bill Peet which warns of a world where the environment has been destroyed through careless use. This class will demonstrate how each citizen has a role in preserving the past, protecting the present, and working to promise a future. Half of the class time will be spent in the field studying local historical and environmental sites and the other half will be spent in the classroom at the offices of the Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust where we will study ways to be better stewards of our earth. Science, Social Studies and Literacy Elements will be emphasized as we explore documents and literature related to the content.
BSWCD will be advertising this opportunity next time it is available.
Education
Community Outreach
Partnership Grants
Community outreach with Partners
Berkeley District co-hosts community outreach events featuring speakers from NRCS, Lowcountry Local First, Clemson Extension, Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, Farm Service Agency and SC Forestry Commission, Berkeley County Farm Bureau, and the Center for Heirs Property Preservation to inform the community of assistance and programs available through these agencies. Due to current COVID 19 precautions, these are currently not being held, but we hope to resume these events in the near future.
Pictured left: St. Stephen NRCS Outreach. Pictured right: Goose Creek NRCS Outreach.
Swamp Fox Passage Work
Berkeley District is partnering with Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Berkeley County Government and the US Forest Service to improve the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail. BSWCD received grants through Title II monies to be used for improvements in natural recreational areas in Berkeley County. Improvements to the section between 17-A and Hwy 52 will be completed soon! Come out and enjoy!
With the help of state appropriation funds, BSWCD was able to partner with the Berkeley County Farm Bureau to purchase a no-till GRAIN DRILL that was made available to Berkeley County farmers to plant oats, wheat, rye, and soybeans that are used as a cover crop in the CSP program.
For more information about the program or to rent the Grain Drill, contact: Robert Haley at 843-607-3999, the Berkeley County Farm Bureau at 843-761-4940 or BSCWD at 843-719-4146.
