From The Blog

South Carolina Beach Advocates Meet at Kiawah

The South Carolina Beach Advocates (SCBA) are coming to Kiawah! This organization is a nonprofit that was founded in 2015 to provide education on the environmental, economic and societal impact of South Carolina’s beaches and inlets. Both KICA and the Town of Kiawah Island are members of the organization. KICA’s director of Major Repairs and Replacements, Will Connor, is a founding member of SCBA and currently sits on the organization’s board as treasurer.

The organization is also a way for coastal communities in South Carolina to connect and address challenges that these types of communities are apt to face. For example, the group has partnered with the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association and an emerging startup (Hohonu) to supply coastal communities like Kiawah Island with tide gauges. This effort has allowed for Kiawah Island to become part of a water-level observation network that spans from Florida to Maine and add to the island’s repertoire of monitoring practices for assessing our coastal resilience. KICA’s gauge in this network is located at Ocean Park and is monitored by resilience specialist Lucas Hernandez, also a member of SCBA.

This year, the SCBA have chosen to host their annual conference on Kiawah Island! This means that attendees will gather on the island to sit in on technical and policy discussions with presentations from neighboring coastal communities, local engineering firms and professionals from all around the Lowcountry. The event will also host US Rep. Nancy Mace and Governor Henry McMaster. Welcome to Kiawah, SCBA!