Ducks Unlimited (DU) has a new conservation partner who is helping to support critical waterfowl research in the Lowcountry. The Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation have announced their support for a research project in partnership with DU and Clemson University.
“The Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation are proud to be involved with this initiative, for we value the heritage and diverse ecological systems in the Antebellum rice fields,” said Ed Dennis, The Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation executive director. “We hope that through this study, landowners can use the research-based decision support tool to further develop their land management plans and preserve or improve on the historical habitat.”
In line with their commitment to conservation and enhancing the world for the better, the generous support from the Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation will help facilitate a five-year study to estimate the abundance and occupancy of waterfowl and water birds in Antebellum rice fields. Currently, over half of the state’s historic impoundments are abandoned. These refuges serve as critical rest areas for waterfowl, but sea-level rise is increasingly hindering the effective management of these iconic coastal rice impoundments.
“We are working with Dr. Jim Anderson, director of the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Center at Clemson University, on a new project that will hopefully give us some insight on potential restoration activities and management options on some of South Carolina’s old rice fields,” said Dr. Aaron Pierce, DU’s director of Conservation Science and Planning.
Working in partnership with Clemson, proposed study strategies will be conducted with assistance from two doctoral students. Researchers will investigate relationships between waterfowl species, impoundment characteristics, hydrological conditions and management regimes. Information gathered through the project will help develop a risk-benefit matrix and decision support tool to inform conservation plans for what remains of the state’s historic rice impoundments, benefitting regional wildlife and all South Carolinians for years to come.
In addition to the gift from the Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation, the study is supported by a grant from the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and Clemson’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center.
For more information, visit www.ducks.org.
