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Gov. Sanford among guests at annual Cameron dove shoot

CAMERON -- The state's top-ranking elected official painted an ominous picture of South Carolina's budgetary woes while in Calhoun County for a dove shoot.

Gov. Mark Sanford was one of the guests at the 30th Annual Interlaken Plantation Dove Shoot and Barbecue held near Cameron on Aug. 5.

As pickup trucks loaded with hunters moved to and from the dove fields on the cloudy, unusually cool September day, those who had bagged their limits or were awaiting their turn in the fields mingled with the guests who had come to socialize.

While enjoying the food and fellowship, Sanford took time out to talk about serious matters, pointing out that the state's budget problems "won't be easy to resolve."

"We are in a $350 million hole, in addition to a $150 million deficit left from previous years. That's a total of $500 million," he said. Sanford said his administration had spent a year "building a foundation."

"It will be a tough budget year, but we are making steps. We have begun to make the state more efficient, and (we are) moving toward a more productive economy," he said, citing as examples the streamlining of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the closing of Port Royal. He said more cargo moves through Charleston in one day than through Port Royal in a year, calling the decision to close Port Royal "a logical business choice." Sanford said he would take the savings from closing that port and move the funds to Parks, Recreation and Tourism in order to increase state revenues.

The governor said the state needs to move from the legislature-dominated government that currently exists to one in which a single individual would be accountable for the state government's performance.

David and Bill Summers, lifelong Calhoun County residents and owners of the Golden Kernel Pecan Co., and Interlaken Plantation owner and conservationist Garry Dietrich were the hosts for the dove shoot and barbecue. The event annually draws more than 350 guests.

"We have a wonderful time watching others have a good time," Bill Summers said.

Dietrich, a nationally known conservationist and hunter, maintains the Interlaken Plantation fields for the preservation of game birds and practices wildlife conservation. As an avid hunter, he hunts all over the world. Dietrich is also a member of the exclusive Boone and Crockett Club, a conservation organization of 100 members that was started by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1887. The club was responsible for the formation of the National Park System and the Forestry Service, Dietrich said. He said the Boone and Crockett Club is a strong supporter of President Bush's "Healthy Forest Initiative" and members will be meeting in Washington, D.C., soon to further that initiative.

T&D Correspondent Larry P. Jordan can be reached by phone at 803-874-3276.