Dewees Island Conservancy

                                                              FALL MIGRATIONS

 Monarch Butterfly Tagging with Billy McCord, Wildlife Biologist & Naturalist

Environmental Program Director of Dewees Island, Lori Sheridan Wilson writes:

I am very excited to tell you the Dewees Island Environmental Program has received grant funding to treat Chinese Tallow (Popcorn trees) on the entire island!   We are proud to partner with the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Dewees Conservancy as match partners.  Our partners have provided grant funding to cover the entire cost of the contractors and chemical for fall 2011 treatment!

Chinese tallow tree (aka Popcorn Tree) poses a severe threat to the biodiversity of Dewees Island.   In the Southeast it is the most invasive tree!  Billy McCord, retired SC Department of Natural Resources Biologist has stated tallow trees are an undesirable invasive-exotic native to Asia which poses a threat to the biodiversity of Dewees Island for the following reasons:

Out-competes many native species.
High water demand during the growing season, causing dewatering of freshwater       wetlands.
Significantly reduces the biodiversity of amphibians, aquatic insects, water-dependent wildlife and associated plants.
Seeds remain viable for many years.
After hurricanes and fires, tallow out-competes native vegetation.
Fallen leaves from tallow tree produce soil chemicals that promote germination of Chinese tallow tree sees, this leads to tallow tree dominance.
They have no natural predators, such as insects or disease, in the U.S. to keep their numbers in check.

Over 3,000 mature tallow trees remain on Dewees Island.  Each tree can produce thousands of seeds each year!  It is very important to treat the entire island since Tallow trees spread by underground roots and by seeds spread by birds; which means they are not confined to property boundaries.  Joe Cockrell, Fish & Wildlife Service Biologist has stated “Less than 100 percent participation will require follow-up maintenance to be more intense, frequent, and costly, if tallow is to be controlled on the island in the long term. Thank you for your continuing efforts and significant accomplishments in preserving the natural ecosystem of Dewees Island and for conserving our nation’s wildlife resource.”

The Dewees Island Conservancy agreed to partner with USFWS to match  half of the cost of treatment. Volunteers are helping raise these funds by asking for your tax-deductible donations to support this important project.

Dewees Island Conservancy is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization and to assure that One-Hundred Percent (100%) of your donation goes directly to the eradication of invasive species, please mark your check ‘Invasive Species Program’

Make Checks to: Dewees Island Conservancy, 295 Dewees Inlet Drive, Dewees Island, SC 29451-9409