DONATIONS
Let us create and maintain a culture that will conserve the natural resources of Beaufort County through education and participation.
The Lowcountry is blessed by being one of the few remaining areas that still retain clean water status, which allows us to enjoy harvesting and eating local oysters, shrimp, and other seafood. Keeping clean water during the next decade, however, will be a monumental task because of the region's rapid rate of development. This is why Friends of the Rivers was started in January 2001. Now we need your support so that Friends can continue this effort.
What
needs to be done to protect water quality?
The number one threat to our local rivers is the cumulative
impact of water running off from yards, parking lots, developments, and
improperly maintained residential septic tanks. This means that every local resident must understand that he or she can either pollute or protect the waterway near them. Educating local residents must
become the responsibility of the community itself. Local and state government agencies can assist with public
education, but only a
grassroots effort, such as the Friends of the Rivers, can
find the
manpower to reach the over 51,000 households in Beaufort County.
How
does Friends of the Rivers make a difference?
Friends
focuses its efforts on four major goals:
1) Supporting local policymakers: Friends works closely with local municipalities by organizing local river cleanups and providing other assistance when requested.
2)
Educating youth: Friends believes the best way to educate the
entire
family is to educate the children. We do this by sponsoring Kids in Kayaks for middle school students and high school chapters of Friends of the Rivers.
3)
Educating adults: Each year thousands of new residents arrive who
do not understand their roles in protecting water quality. Friends works
hard to keep water quality issues in the forefront of the public
through
its press releases and newspaper articles, publications and social
events.
4)
Support research: Friends is a founding partner of the newly
formed
Port Royal Sound Conservancy; a consortium of private and public
organizations bringing funding and research to our community.
Your financial assistance is needed to sustain programs that benefit our community. Including:
- Kids in Kayaks
- Educating government staffs and elected officials on stormwater concerns
- Keeping the media on the message that no less than "clean water" is acceptable in our estuaries
Contact Nancy Schilling if you have any questions about volunteering for Kids in Kayaks programs throughout the year.
This is only a sample of the programs that Friends of the Rivers offer. Your contributions, no matter the amount, make a difference in how we can serve the community.
