Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2021

55 www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com | www. ReadMPM. com | www. I LoveMountPl easant . com feature streetlights nor car lights shine at night, creating ideal stargazing conditions. To see Dewees, you must be a resident or homeowner’s guest. One warm, sunny morning in early autumn, I was afforded a rare glimpse into life on Dewees. DEWEES CONSERVATION ETHOS: WORKING WITH NATURE Judy Fairchild, a homeowner since 2003, served as my expert guide to Dewees, which comprises part of 60 miles of protected coastline encompassing Capers and Bulls Islands at the adjoining Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Fairchild showed me one of Dewees’ community gathering hubs, the Landings Building, which houses the nature center and the post office. Environmental Program Director Lori Sheridan Wilson runs the nature center along with volunteers. Summer interns stay on Dewees and are shared between Dewees and Cape Romain. The center features engaging displays like a pygmy sperm whale skeleton, which washed up on Dewees in 2001, educational exhibits on environmental sustainability and a small aquarium. Photos of the island’s celebrities captured on island trail cameras decorate one wall: bobcats, coyotes, deer, otters and alligators. On another wall, homeowners mark locations of wildflower and animal sightings using an interactive map of Dewees. Pre-COVID-19, the center hosted school groups, and summer volunteers led bird walks, gave crab and fish sustainability lessons and educated people about sea turtle nests. “Our goal is to educate our own residents and their guests about how to responsibly interact with their environment,” explained Fairchild, a South Carolina master naturalist and photographer who creates virtual tours of Dewees’ wildlife on her website, naturewalkswithjudy.com . “You can only plant native plants in the ground. There are no lawns, no irrigation. It’s a community that’s built around a lifelong appreciation of the environment.” Sheridan Wilson explained how Dewees’ diverse ecosystems include maritime forests, freshwater wetlands, saltwater marshes, intertidal beach and a dune system, which provides wide, connecting corridors for wildlife movement across the island. The island’s conservation ethos explores how humans can appreciate their ecosystem role and co-exist with wildlife without encroaching upon habitat. Only 7,500 square feet of acreage can be disturbed at each homesite, and homes must be integrated into the forest canopy. There are certain requirements for elevation