Georgetown County, SC

Winyah Rivers Foundation selected as Outstanding Non Profit

On Thursday, July 28th, 2011, we were honored and delighted to receive the award for "Outstanding Non Profit" at the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce's Annual Meeting.

Geales Sands, Executive Director of the Bunnelle Foundation, a longtime supporter of ours, made the presentation on behalf of the Chamber, giving a wonderful speech (provided below) and presenting us with a beautiful crystal vase inscribed “Outstanding Non Profit – Winyah Rivers Foundation” under the Chamber’s name and logo. It is proudly displayed in the office.

We were represented at the meeting by staff (Christine Ellis and Carolyn Ross), Board members (James Battle, and Bob Moran) and longtime volunteer (and recipient of the 2010 Volunteer of the Year award), Hal Vivian.  Thank you for joining us in this honor.

Many thanks for the honor and to all for your support of Winyah Rivers Foundation and the Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® Program.

Geales Sands' presentation speech:

“In 1966, the Beatles assured us that we all live in a yellow submarine.  This may or may not be true.  What I can tell you with certitude is that here in Georgetown County, we all live in a watershed – an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off it goes to the same place and our individual actions affect it.  From its birthplace in the wetlands up in North Carolina, the Waccamaw River meanders more than 140 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. So what starts up in North Carolina all dumps out here in the Winyah Bay.

The Winyah Rivers Foundation, our winner tonight of the Outstanding Non Profit award, was established in 2001, and is the home of the Waccamaw Riverkeeper. What is a Riverkeeper?  A Riverkeeper is a full time advocate for a body of water and its surrounding community.  They are skilled environmentalists who are equal parts scientist, lawyer, investigator, educator and advocate. Christine Ellis, our Waccamaw Riverkeeper since 2006, is all of those things.  Christine and her assistant Carolyn Ross are passionate advocates for our river.  They act as watchdog protectors of our local rivers, they lead water quality monitoring on the Waccamaw, they try to protect our waters rom polluters, save important local wetland habitats and host youth programs for river education and stewardship; they encourage community involvement through river clean-ups and paddling events and they promote ecotourism and natural heritage conservation.

The Waccamaw River has played a major role in the history of the region through which it flows. It supports recreational fishing and other water sports, provides drinking water, is avenue for tourism and camping, supplies power plant cooling water, and enhances the lives of those who touch it through its beauty and serenity. We all enjoy it, count on it and sometimes take it for granted. We rely on Christine Ellis to be our watchdog for our river. She and her hardworking board and volunteers encourage us to invest in our river. They need us to support their efforts on behalf of fishable, swimmable, drinkable water for our families and our future.

Thank you Christine and Carolyn for your work on the river on our behalf.”

Blue Trail to be created on the Waccamaw River

American Rivers, Winyah Rivers Foundation's Waccamaw Riverkeeper and Pee Dee Land Trust announced their partnership to create a blue trail on the Waccamaw River in South Carolina, generously funded through a three year grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. Click here for the December 2008 Press Release.

Volunteer Monitoring on the Waccamaw River

The Waccamaw River Volunteer Monitoring Project is a citizen science project designed to:

This volunteer-based program is administered by Coastal Carolina University's Waccamaw Watershed Academy and the Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® Program of Winyah Rivers Foundation. Funding for the program is provided by the City of Conway, Horry County and Georgetown County.

Volunteers trained in using environmental testing equipment work in teams and sample twelve sites along the length of the Waccamaw River in South Carolina. Teams sample for several water quality parameters, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients and bacteria. These data are recorded in an online database and can be accessed, along with other information on the project, at Coastal Carolina University's Waccamaw Watershed Academy website or contact the Waccamaw Riverkeeper.

Click here for the Waccamaw River Volunteer Monitoring Brochure.