** Archived Article - please check for current information. **

A summary of SCDNR News Releases for Sept 12, 2005

Centennial of State Natural Resource Management: This year marks the 100th anniversary of game and fish law enforcement by the state of South Carolina. The passage of Act 489 in 1905 provided for the appointment of game wardens by the governor, and in 1906 Act 60 created the State Board of Fisheries, beginning a century of progress in the professional management, protection and improvement of South Carolina's natural resources. These pieces of legislation also began an evolution that led to the creation of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. DNR invites its constituents, sportsmen and friends to join in the year-long commemoration of the advances made by the agency and the contributions of its current employees and those who preceded them.

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 will be available late Friday to Internet users at www.dnr.sc.gov. Weekly news text files and captioned image files may also be downloaded from ftp://www.dnr.sc.gov/pub/news/DNRnews2005/ if the Web page is inaccessible.

State DNR Offers Free Flood Insurance Advice -- Thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees are heading to the Palmetto State, and the S.C. Carolina Department of Natural Resources is offering free assistance for those having difficulty filing a claim for property covered by flood insurance. Katrina produced heavy rainfall and flooding along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi. "Many homeowners with National Flood Insurance coverage, who are also evacuees, will soon be filing claims under their flood insurance policy," said Lisa Jones, state coordinator for flood mitigation programs with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "Their first point of contact should be the insurance company that sold them the flood insurance policy. We will assist them if they are having trouble getting their claims filed or processed by their flood insurance carrier, or have general questions concerning the National Flood Insurance Program." For more information on the National Flood Insurance Program or the state's flood mitigation programs call the S.C. Department of Natural Resources in Columbia at (803) 734-9103 or (803) 734-9100. You can also check the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/envaff/flood/scnfip.html You can also get more information at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Web sites at http://www.fema.gov/ or http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/index.jsp #05-189

Volunteers Are Needed For Black River Cleanup -- Volunteers are needed to help with landing cleanups along South Carolina's Scenic Black River during September, according to the Scenic Black River Advisory Council and Keep Williamsburg Beautiful. Beach Sweep/River Sweep is an annual nationwide cleanup of America's waterways that takes place in September, according to Mary Crockett, project manager for the Scenic Black River with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Columbia. For more information on the 2005 Scenic Black River cleanup call Stephanie Evans with Keep Williamsburg Beautiful at (843) 355-6431; or Crockett with the South Carolina Scenic Rivers Program, DNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, (803) 734-9111, fax (803) 734-9200, or by e-mail at CreelM@dnr.sc.gov or crockettm@dnr.sc.gov. #05-190

Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators Sought For List -- Are you involved in nuisance wildlife control on a full-time or part-time basis? Does your pest control company offer nuisance wildlife control? If so, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources would like to include your name on its Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators List. The deadline to be included on this list is Friday, Sept. 30. The Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators List is a listing of individuals and businesses that desire to or are currently providing nuisance wildlife removal, animal damage control, and wildlife exclusion services. This list is used to refer members of the public with wildlife problems to qualified individuals who can address these problems and safely remove nuisance animals. The Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators List is updated annually by surveying current nuisance wildlife control operators and other interested individuals. To be included in the Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators List, a completed survey must be returned to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources by Friday, Sept. 30. Individuals or businesses interested in completing the survey for the upcoming 2006 Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators List should contact the DNR Furbearer Project at PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202 or call (803) 734-3609. #05-191

Archery Deer-Hunting Opportunities Are Numerous In Lowcountry Region -- Numerous opportunities are available for the archer looking to harvest a deer this fall all along the coast. Sam Chappelear, regional wildlife biologist for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at Fort Johnson on James Island, said bowhunters have ample opportunity to hunt about 370,000 acres that are in the Wildlife Management Area (WMA) program in Horry, Georgetown, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties. For more information on Lowcountry bowhunting opportunities, call the Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau at (843) 825-3387. #05-192

Beach Sweep/River Sweep Volunteers To Clean Beaches, Waterways Sept. 17 -- Beach Sweep/River Sweep, the largest one-day cleanup of the state's waterways, is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 17 from 9 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and S.C. Department of Natural Resources work together to coordinate the statewide event. Over the past 16 years, South Carolinians and visitors to the state helped remove an average of 50 tons of litter and aquatic debris from our waterways each year. If you would like to take part in this worthwhile effort, please contact Inland Coordinator Alison Krepp at (843) 953-9335 or CreelM@dnr.sc.gov KreppA@dnr.sc.gov , or Coastal Coordinator Susan Ferris at (843) 727-2078 or CreelM@dnr.sc.gov susan.ferris@scseagrant.org. #05--193

SCDNR Saves Lives in Louisiana, Officers Return To Columbia -- Natural Resources Enforcement Officers with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources have returned from a six-day deployment to the hurricane battered Gulf Coast. "Thirty-eight DNR law enforcement officers with 19 boats were deployed to Louisiana on Friday, September 2, 2005," according to Col. Alvin Taylor, deputy director for the Law Enforcement Division of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The officers departed New Orleans on Thursday morning and arrived back in Columbia on Friday, September 9, 2005. #05--194

Savannah River Committee of S.C. Meets Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005 -- Governor Mark Sanford's Savannah River Committee of South Carolina will meet on Tuesday, September 13, 2005, begins at 9:30 a.m. in Columbia. The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Rembert C. Dennis Building at 1000 Assembly Street, Conference Room 335. Directions to the meeting site are available by calling (803) 734-9100 in Columbia. #05--195