Waccamaw Riverkeeper Event Calendar for 2008

These events are opportunities for our members and the public to support the Waccamaw Riverkeeper and increase awareness of our mission. For more information on any event, call the Waccamaw Riverkeeper at (843) 349-4007.

Waccamaw River Boat Cruise – Saturday, June 14th

Join the Waccamaw Riverkeeper on this Coastal Conseration League sponsored outing on Saturday, June 14th from 10am to 1pm. Spend the day on the Waccamaw Lady learning about the Waccamaw with Christine Ellis, Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Nancy Cave, CCL North Coast Office Director, Craig Sasser, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge Manager and Hamp Shuping, former Waccamaw Riverkeeper. $35 includes lunch.

River Cleanup at Old Reaves Ferry Landing – July 19th

Saturday, July 19th. We have been invited to partner with the Gray Oaks Estates Property Owners' Association to help clean up their community and along the Waccamaw River. Meet at 9 am at Old Reaves Ferry Landing on the Waccamaw River, just south of Highway 22 and accessible from either Highway 90 and Highway 905. Bring any size boat (canoe, kayak, power boat, etc.) or just yourself. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and trash pickup. Bring gloves, nets if you have them. We will provide trash bags. Participants will help to clean up trash around the landing as well as upstream and downstream in that area. We'll finish the trash pickup around noon. Food will be available for participants. Bring your family, friends, colleagues and help keep the Waccamaw River beautiful.

Beach Sweep/River Sweep – Saturday, September 13th

Saturday, September 13th at 9 am. Join the volunteers of the Waccamaw Riverkeeper Program as we participate in this annual event. For more information, contact the Waccamaw Riverkeeper at 349-4007 or by email at wrk@coastal.edu.

Winyah Rivers Foundation Annual Fundraiser at Ripley's Aquarium – Saturday, November 8th

Stay tuned for more information on our annual fundraiser. This is an event not to be missed!

Past Events

River Cleanup – Longs Area Cleanup

A successful Waccamaw River cleanup in Longs! On Saturday, May 3rd, volunteers gathered at Anderson Landing and spent the better part of three hours cleaning up trash from the landing and upstream and downstream on the Waccamaw River. The group collected over 20 bags of trash weighing almost 400 pounds! We found plenty of cans and bottles, floating debris including wood and Styrofoam, buckets, lots of fast food packages and cigarette butts. Sponsored by the volunteers of the Waccamaw Riverkeeper Program, this annual event focuses attention on the problem with litter in our waterways. Not only is trash visually unappealing, it’s unhealthy since it degrades our water quality and the habitat of the plants and animals that live there. Thank you to all the volunteers who gathered that day to clean up the Waccamaw River that day. And a very special thanks to Dale and Recolla Stevens who organized a cookout with chicken bog, pickles, pickled okra and sodas for all who participated in the cleanup.

Benefit for Winyah Rivers Foundation at  IMAX® 3D Theatre – Saturday, April 19th

On Saturday, April 19th, IMAX® 3D Theatre at Broadway at the Beach hosted a benefit for the Winyah Rivers Foundation. The event included a light, continental breakfast at 9am, an educational presentation and a screening of the new IMAX 3D® film Grand Canyon Adventure 3D, which focuses on water conservation. IMAX® donated all proceeds to our organization to assist in the preservation of the rivers in Winyah Bay Watershed, including Waccamaw, Lynches, Lumber-Pee Dee, Black, Great Pee Dee and Sampit. Thank you to Gina Trimarco, General Manager of IMAX® 3D Theatre for her support!

River Cleanup – Kingston Swamp Area Cleanup

A successful Waccamaw River cleanup in Conway! On Saturday, March 29th, over 30 people gathered at the Conway Marina and spent the better part of three hours cleaning up trash in and on the banks of the Waccamaw River and the Kingston Lake area of Conway. The group collected almost 100 bags of trash weighing almost 1000 pounds or ½ ton! We found plenty of cans and bottles, floating debris including wood and Styrofoam, tires, buckets, patio furniture, sports equipment including many different varieties of balls, lots of fast food packages and cigarette butts. Sponsored by the volunteers of the Waccamaw Riverkeeper Program, this annual event focuses attention on the problem with litter in our waterways. Not only is trash visually unappealing, it’s unhealthy since it degrades our water quality and the habitat of the plants and animals that live there. Thank you to all the folks, young and old, that gathered to clean up the Waccamaw River that day. And a very special thanks to Fran and Rick Rickenbaker who organized a cookout with grilled hotdogs, baked beans, potato chips and sodas for all who participated in the cleanup.

2008 Waccamaw Conference

Our 8th Annual Waccamaw Conference, held on Saturday, March 1st, co-hosted by the Winyah Rivers Foundation and the Winyah Group of the Sierra Club, was another great success! Conservationists from across the state gathered at Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield to discuss the current state of our coastal plain rivers. Our speakers were knowledgeable and entertaining, providing us with information on water quality issues, including mercury, bacteria and water quality degradation resulting from drought conditions, as well as the potential for impacts locally as a result of climate change. Local conservation groups provided information on their activities and efforts to protect our natural resources. Thank you to our speakers, exhibitors, conference organizers, volunteers and attendees who supported the 2008 Waccamaw Conference. This conference just keeps getting better and better every year and is the place to learn how to protect our wonderful river resources.

Special thanks to WPDE Newschannel 15 for sponsoring a commercial advertising our event and to The Sun News, The Georgetown Times, and The Coastal Observer for advertising and covering our event.

Neighborhood Environmental Watch or How to Be a River Watcher

The Waccamaw Riverkeeper held a 6 week training course as part of the lifelong learning program at the Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield. This 6 week education program was designed to raise citizen's knowledge and awareness of the current state of the river so that participants may become more effective stewards of their watershed. Training was provided in basic water quality science and watersheds, environmental laws and neighborhood environmental watch basics. The ultimate goal is to have graduates become more knowledgeable of and involved in the health of the watershed where they live, work and play. Click here for the Spring 2008 flyer.

A special thank you to The Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation for their support of this education initiative in Georgetown County. For more information on the training and future classes, please contact Christine Ellis, the Waccamaw Riverkeeper.

January 19 and 20—2008 Winyah Bay Heritage Festival

Thanks to all who stopped by our table. We had a great turnout, lots of questions and comments about our program and several people thanked us for watching over the watershed. Thanks also to all who helped!

May 5—Highway 9 Cleanup

On Saturday, May 5th, 2007, dedicated volunteers of the Winyah Rivers Foundation joined the Waccamaw Riverkeeper at Anderson Landing off Highway 9 in Longs to clean up trash from the Waccamaw River. Dale and Recolla Stevens provided lunch for participants following the cleanup. Thanks to all who participated! A special thanks to the Stevens for hosting the event!

March 31—Kingston Swamp Area Cleanup

On Saturday, March 31st, 2007, dedicated volunteers of the Winyah Rivers Foundation joined the Waccamaw Riverkeeper at the Conway Marina to clean up trash from the Waccamaw River upstream through Kingston Lake to Crabtree Swamp. Rick and Fran Rickenbaker provided lunch for participants following the cleanup. We were joined by Lee McLaughlin, Reporter with WPDE Newschannel 15, who reported on our activities on the 6 pm and 11 pm news that evening. Thanks to all who participated and to WPDE for their coverage of our event. A special thanks to the Rickenbakers for hosting the event!

March 24—2007 Waccamaw Conference, co-hosted by the Waccamaw Riverkeeper Program and the Winyah Group of the Sierra Club

Our 7th Annual Waccamaw Conference, held on Saturday, March 24th, co-hosted by the Winyah Rivers Foundation and the Winyah Group of the Sierra Club, was a great success! The folks at Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield Beach provided a wonderful venue. Our speakers were knowledgeable and entertaining, providing us with information on the current state of the Waccamaw River and practical solutions to help protect it. Our exhibitors provided good information on the effort of local conservation and volunteer groups in our area and the Field and Stream Clinics provided some practical, hands-on demonstrations of the recreation and conservation aspects of our watershed.

After lunch, attendees enjoyed a fantastic cruise on the Waccamaw Lady, enjoying narration on the local flora and fauna. Thank you to each and every one of our speakers and exhibitors that day.

Special thanks to WPDE Newschannel 15, DDC Engineers and Osprey Marina, our sponsors for this event. Thanks also to the conference committee members who spent much time and energy planning and participating in the success of the conference.

With attendance up, a wonderful venue, informative speakers and exhibitors, and a fantastic cruise down the Waccamaw River, the conference committee thanks all involved for your part in a very successful 2007 Waccamaw Conference.