NEWS for July 11, 2005
A Summary of DNR News Releases
Full-length articles follow these summaries, also fishing trends and
tidetable. For more information, call the Communications Office of the
S.C. Department of Natural Resources at (803) 734-3950 in Columbia.
Check DNR's Web site to download articles and digital news photos, or
for immediate needs, contact Mike Creel at CreelM@dnr.sc.gov. News
releases, fishing reports and weekly tidetable are available to Internet
users at www.dnr.state.sc.us. Weekly news text files and captioned image
files may also be downloaded from
ftp://www.dnr.state.sc.us/pub/news/DNRnews2005/

* THIRD PHASE OF BONNEAU FERRY PROJECT COMPLETE WITH LAND TRANSFER TO
STATE -- The third and final phase of the Bonneau Ferry land protection
project in Berkeley County is now complete following the transfer of
3,397 acres from The Conservation Fund to the State of South Carolina.
"Thanks to this extraordinary conservation partnership, the Bonneau
Ferry project is now complete, protecting 10,712 acres of the
30,000-acre Cooper River Historic District," said John Frampton,
director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "The Bonneau
Ferry property is an ecological and cultural treasure." The Bonneau
Ferry Tract, home of bald eagles and endangered red-cockaded
woodpeckers, lies between Mepkin Abbey and Cordesville and includes
thousands of acres of timberland. #05-130

* DNR LAW ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY GROUP MEETS JULY 13 IN COLUMBIA -- The
Law Enforcement Advisory Committee to the S.C. Natural Resources Board
will meet 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 13 in Room 335 (board room) of the
Rembert Dennis Building at 1000 Assembly St. in Columbia. The meeting is
open to the public. Anyone needing information or directions to the
meeting may call Jessica Clements at (803) 734-3607 at the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) law enforcement headquarters in
Columbia. #05-131

* S.C. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD TO MEET JULY 15 IN CHARLESTON -- The S.C.
Natural Resources Board, the policy making body of the S.C. Department
of Natural Resources, will meet 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 15 in the Marine
Resources Division Auditorium at 217 Fort Johnson Road on James Island
in Charleston. Board meetings are open to the public, and anyone with
business for the board or needing directions to the meeting should
contact the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Columbia office at
(803) 734-9102. #05-132

* LANCASTER BOAT RAMP DEDICATED TO LONG-TIME HATCHERY MANAGER -- The
S.C. Department of Natural Resources recently dedicated the new boat
ramp at Lancaster Reservoir as the William L. Catoe Boat Ramp in honor
of the long-time manager of the Heath Springs fish hatchery. The new
boat ramp was dedicated June 10 to honor Will Catoe for his 40 years of
dedicated service as the hatchery manager of the Springs Stevens Fish
Hatchery in Heath Springs in Lancaster County. Catoe retired from this
position in June 2004 as the longest-serving fish hatchery manager in
the history of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. #05-133

* STRIPER MORATORIUM SET TO END OCT. 1 ON LOWER SAVANNAH RIVER -- A
harvest moratorium on striped bass in the Lower Savannah River - in
place since 1991 while two states worked to restore the waning species -
will officially end Oct. 1, 2005. This will allow anglers once again to
keep some of the fish they catch. The affected area will include the
Savannah River from the Lake Thurmond dam downstream to the mouth.
Beginning Oct. 1, fishermen on the Lower Savannah River in South
Carolina and Georgia waters will be able to keep a few of the striped
bass and hybrids they catch. Since 1991, South Carolina anglers were
permitted only catch-and-release fishing in the Savannah River from
Augusta Diversion dam downstream to the mouth of the river. It had been
illegal to harvest or keep any fish caught from Fields Cut below
Savannah up to the Augusta Diversion Dam above Augusta, Ga. The Georgia
Department of Natural Resources also plans to allow striped bass fishing
with the same limits as South Carolina beginning Oct. 1, 2005. For
questions about the upcoming striped bass season on the Lower Savannah
River, the public can call the S.C. Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) at (803) 734-3932 in Columbia. #05-134

* UPSTATE YOUTH DOVE HUNT APPLICATIONS DUE BY AUG. 15 -- Two youth dove
hunts, sponsored by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, U.S.
Forest Service and the Upper Savannah River Chapter of Quail Unlimited,
will be held in the Upstate on Saturday, Sept. 3, the first Saturday of
dove season. Applications for the youth dove hunts are due by Monday,
Aug. 15. Interested youths or adults should call or come by the Clemson
DNR office, 153 Hopewell Road (off Old Cherry Road), to receive an
application. To request an application by phone, call the Clemson DNR
office at (864) 654-1671, extension 24. Application requests may also be
e-mailed to: Mortonr@dnr.sc.gov. #05-135

* NESTING CHIMNEY SWIFTS SOURCE OF NOISE NOW HEARD IN FIREPLACES --
South Carolina residents who are hearing strange noises coming from
their chimneys can be assured that the visitors are friendly and helpful
chimney swifts, the only bird in North America which nests almost
exclusively in chimneys. Most homeowners were unaware that birds were
nesting inside their chimneys until the young swifts started their loud
food-begging calls at two weeks of age. It takes about 30 days after
hatching for the young to leave the nest. Swifts are highly beneficial
birds, do not spread vermin, and only use the chimney during the warm
months when the fireplace is dormant. Like other birds protected by the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916, chimney swifts are protected from
being pursued, captured or killed. For more information, check out the
North American Chimney Swift Nest Site Research Project Web site:
http://www.chimneyswifts.org/. #05-136

* STATE WATERFOWL REPORT IS NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE -- A statewide
waterfowl report that provides information on waterfowl population
surveys and summaries of waterfowl harvests during the past two seasons
is now available on-line from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Staff of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently
completed a report entitled "South Carolina Waterfowl Project Report
2003-04 and 2004-05." A team of DNR Wildlife Section biologists-Bob
Perry, Dean Harrigal and Walt Rhodes-prepared the publication. All
waterfowl project activities occurring during the past two fiscal years
are summarized in the document, and the report is a continuation of
waterfowl project reports prepared by Wildlife Section staff since the
early 1970s. To read the document online or download your copy of the
report, visit the DNR Web site at
http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/wild/waterfowl/; or to obtain a copy call
(843) 546-9489 or e-mail Bob Perry at PerryB@dnr.sc.gov. #05-137

* DNR TO PARTICIPATE IN QUAIL UNLIMITED LANDOWNER HABITAT SESSION IN
ATLANTA -- Landowners wanting to learn how to manage their property for
bobwhite quail are encouraged to attend Quail Unlimited's National
Convention and Wildlife Expo in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, July 29
and 30. A "Landowner Habitat Advice and Planning" session will run from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Participation is free and will be held at
the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel (telephone number 404-659-6500). Landowners
will have an opportunity to meet privately with wildlife biologists to
receive habitat management suggestions, learn what financial incentives
may be available and begin moving forward with a plan to improve
bobwhite quail and other wildlife abundance on their property.
Landowners interested in taking advantage of this free habitat
management advice are encouraged to call (812) 536-2272 or e-mail
bobwhite@psci.net to set up a time for a Friday or Saturday meeting.
#05-138