Definition/Description
Hunting Island is a barrier island located off the coast of South
Carolina. As such, it provides
protection to the mainland from coastal storms, including hurricanes. As oceanic storms approach and travel over the
island, they slow and lose intensity, lessening the impact on the mainland. The island also boasts a rich biodiversity,
with its maritime forests and coastal waters providing a home for the American
alligator, loggerhead turtles, and thousands of bird, mammal, and plant species.
As with many coastal areas, Hunting Island suffers from
erosion. Unlike most coastal areas,
however, the erosion is a result not only of nature, but also of a costly
mismanaged conservation project. In
2007, the state contracted with a coastal engineering firm to install 13 groins
along the eastern and southern coasts of the island to slow naturally occurring
erosion. In 2009, after nine groins were
installed, the project was halted because the contractor had used all the allotted
money. As a result of the incomplete
project, erosion has accelerated by more than three times the previous
rate.
The loss of land as a result of the accelerated erosion has
been devastating environmentally and economically. Much of the island is state owned and hosts a
state resort park. The erosion has
destroyed eleven of twelve state-run cabins and several camp sites. In addition, over 20 privately owned beach
homes have been destroyed. This loss
amounts to thousands of dollars in rental fees and property taxes going
uncollected.
In addition, ocean currents are changing due to the altered
shape of the land mass. Inlets that
provided aquatic access to the mainland are closing up. This has the potential to affect the commercial
fishing/shrimping and recreational industries.
Beyond the economic effects, the erosion has also devastated
a loggerhead sea turtle breeding ground.
Whereas ten years ago the number of loggerhead nests on the island in
any given spring reached in the hundreds, the number of nests this past spring
was fewer than twenty. Turtles return to
their birthplace to lay their eggs (a process called natal homing). When that birthplace disappears, the turtles
do not nest (so no eggs) or the eggs are released in the water, an inhospitable
environment and one in which the eggs will not develop if they go uneaten.
Goals
My goal for the semester is to raise awareness of the problems facing
Hunting Island (short term solution) so that individuals will petition the
state 1) to see the groin project to its completion and 2) to rebuild the
beaches that have been lost to
accelerated erosion so that the loggerhead nesting ground can be conserved
(long term solutions).
Audiences
Most likely, residents of South Carolina--especially those living along the
coast--tourists familiar with the area, and environmentalists/conservationists will
be receptive to my cause. Those outside
the state who don’t understand the value the island provides (fishing industry,
biodiversity, protection from storms) will not likely be receptive
immediately. However, once individuals
understand the role the island plays beyond the state of South Carolina, they
are likely to be persuaded.
Potential obstacles
I don't see any immediate obstacles to me raising awareness. The photos I have taken of the devastation pack a lot of pathos. The challenge will be to get others who visit Hunting Island to care about this cause. Money is the single most important factor that could prevent me from achieving
my long term goals of finishing the groin project and rebuilding the beaches. The reason the groin
project was not finished in the first place was money; the project was more costly than
anticipated and the state did not have extra money to finish it. Economic times are even tougher now than they
were four years ago.
Consequences
If we lose Hunting Island, we would likely see several consequences:
- the loggerhead turtle population would continue to decline, perhaps toward extinction
- the state would continue to see tourism dollars decline, a much needed source of funds
- the commercial shrimping and fishing industries would be reduced in the area, resulting in higher prices for consumers
- storms hitting the mainland, both in South Carolina and across the mid-Atlantic seaboard, could be stronger and more destructive
