Natural Awareness

Taking stock of natural things

Over 30 years ago South Carolina handed out its first award that recognizes “outstanding contributions made toward the protection, conservation, and improvement of South Carolina’s natural resources”.  Recipient, Rudy Mancke, host of Nature Scene, took top accolades for the award while 3 others including Murrells Inlet’s long time creek advocate, Chip Smith and Jimmy Chandler, founder of the SC Environmental Law Project (SCELP).

Nature has always been part of our cultural heritage. It’s no surprise to anyone who has lived here over the last 3 decades, that our natural resources are being diminished daily. Recent alarms on the loss of biodiversity, point to an uncertain future for both nature and humans. Nature’s ecosystems are being destroyed and we must do more to protect them.

The right to a healthy environment is not set in stone.

We continue to see water quality issues both in our estuaries and in rivers polluted with forever chemicals. While some crabs and oysters have been found to be polluted with PFAS, Murrells Inlet was not one of them. That is all the more reason to take stock of nature and work towards more protection for the natural resources that sustain us.