Posted on April 8, 2026
OKATIE — The Post and Courier’s Rising Waters Lab and the Coastal Community Foundation will host a forum on coastal resilience April 8 at the Port Royal Sound Maritime Center.
The event, “Balancing Conservation and Development in the Port Royal Sound,” begins at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at 310 Okatie Highway.
The Port Royal Sound watershed contains one-third of South Carolina’s saltmarsh, a critical habitat that filters pollutants and buffers against storm surges. These marshes face increasing threats from rising sea levels and rapid regional development. Jasper County, through which much of the watershed flows, was recently identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as the fastest growing county in the nation.
A panel of experts led by moderator and Rising Waters Lab reporter Lydia Larsen will discuss strategies for protecting the protecting the Port Royal Sound watershed in the face of these pressures.
- Kerri Forrest, senior vice president of grantmaking and community leadership at the Coastal Community Foundation
- Courtney Kimmel, director of conservation at the Port Royal Sound Foundation
- Kate Parks Schaefer, chief conservation officer at Lowcountry Land Trust
- Juliana Zadik, environmental long-range planner for Beaufort County
The Post and Courier’s Rising Waters Lab focuses on impacts of climate change and related policies and practices. It’s supported by donations and grants to the nonprofit Public Service and Investigative Fund, whose contributors are subject to the same coverage we apply to everyone else.
