Posted on June 17, 2024
Shorebirds circled overhead while the dredge pumped sand onto an island off Folly Beach. When the hum of heavy machinery stopped, and they spread their legs for landing, the shorebirds found their nesting grounds had grown, and the Bird Key-Stono seabird sanctuary renourished.
In less than a month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District renourished Bird Key, placing 40,000 cubic yards, equivalent of 4,000 dump trucks of sand on the weathered island. The project, aimed at restoring the sanctuary’s natural habitat for seabirds, finished in early March right before the start of the nesting season.
Bird Key is part of a broader project to renourish Folly Beach following damages from Hurricane Ian. The sand came from the Folly River Inlet and was a textbook example of beneficially using dredge material to help the environment.
“We are dredging the material out of the Folly River and putting it on Bird Key because it is an important seabird sanctuary for South Carolina,” said Alan Shirey, Charleston District environmental engineer. “Protecting the environment is part of our mission, and we’re excited to do that with this project.”
The Bird Key Seabird Sanctuary is a vital nesting site for numerous seabird species, including brown pelicans, black skimmers, and royal terns. Its natural habitat has been washed away by years of beach erosion and storm damage. As a result, the seabird’s nesting areas became increasingly vulnerable to predators and high tides.
In a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the restored island has already attracted a variety of seabirds who had not nested there for several years.
“Our coastal birds are in trouble; both our colonial seabirds and shorebirds are declining rapidly,” said Cami Duquet, a member of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Coastal Bird Program. “For them to be able to contribute to their population, they need to have a suitable nesting habitat to lay their eggs and raise their chicks.”
The successful renourishment of the Bird Key is a testament to the importance of protecting and preserving our natural habitats for future generations of birds and the people who enjoy watching them.
With Bird Key complete and the shorebirds rejoicing, the District now sets its sights on protecting the infrastructure behind the dunes on Folly Beach as the renourishment project gets under way.
