Tag Archives: Carolina Wetlands Association
Introducing New Board Member: Becky Ryon
Becky Ryon was voted to the Board of Directors at our May meeting to replace the seat vacated by our current Executive Director, Rick Savage.
Becky grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida and was fortunate to be surrounded by natural beauty. Unfortunately, like South Carolina, the diverse wildlife and habitats were constantly threatened by unrestrained development. Her childhood in Florida, young adulthood in North Carolina, and previous environmental advocacy work in Richmond with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters have instilled a limitless appreciation for the wild wonders of the Southeast and a desire to preserve them for future generations. She is working with the Coastal Conservation League to build a more resilient South Carolina through the protection of wetlands, smarter growth, expanding renewable energy, and supporting the efforts of frontline communities.
Becky is a firm believer in the science-based education and advocacy mission of the Carolina Wetlands Association and she is eager to help address the many challenges facing the wetlands, wildlife, and people of the Carolinas. She looks forward to learning new tools and strategies from volunteers, staff, and fellow board members and offering her own experience in outreach and advocacy efforts.
Becky studied Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill, loves to travel, and can often be found paddling on a river, walking on a beach, or exploring a heritage preserve in her spare time.
June Message from Executive Director
2022 Wetland Treasures of the Carolinas
May Message from the Executive Director
Greetings Wetland Supporters!
Well, it is American Wetlands Month and our Wetland Treasures have been announced. They are beautiful sites providing many benefits to biodiversity and contributing to human well-being. Some of the tour dates are still being determined so be sure to watch our web page and facebook page for those dates. You will not want to miss these tours.
As I look over the years, I have dealt with the study of wetlands and how to best protect them. I was reflecting on how I got interested in wetlands in the first place. While I cannot put my finger on exactly when or how old I was, I just remember that during my exploration of the woods as a boy, wherever I came upon a bottomland or stepped into the soggy soil, I became fascinated about not only why there was the soil was soggy soil, but why was it even there and what was its significance. In those days I did know anyone who could answer my questions, so I continued to wonder.
As I progressed through life’s journey, I learned about wetlands as an ecosystem through my general science classes. The emphasis was on food webs and how organisms interact with their environment; all important and interesting information, but what is special about wetland? As my life journey progressed, I did learn that wetlands are really important, but still, there was a real lack of emphasis in the textbooks on ecology about wetlands. I was starting to get this impression that wetlands were considered by the “experts” as the “redheaded stepchild” of aquatic ecosystems. Even when I was doing wetlands monitoring research for North Carolina, it seemed that my research colleagues and I were pretty much in a world of our own, stomping around in wetlands. Even the USEPA, who paid us to do this research, had wetlands as the last ecosystem to be surveyed when they were doing their national assessment of the nation’s waters ( i.e., steams, rivers, lakes, estuaries all came first).
Along the way, I realized that people had a basic fear of wetlands that has a lot to do with our language and history. Wetlands (e.g., marshes, bogs, swamps) were always seen as dark, dangerous places that held unpleasant mysteries. So, they were drained to reduce this fear, to improve transportation and to be used for agriculture. And our everyday language does not help. How many times have you said I am so “swamped” or I got “bogged” down, all negative connotations? And what is really meant by the expression “drain the swamp”? What about the “Swamp Thing” comic book and movie creature who lived in that horrible swamp?
I could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea. Our language and cultural history have created this negative image of wetlands and it is something that we still must overcome, even within professional realms. So, let’s be cognizant of this during American Wetlands Month and help us break these stereotypes and educate people about the importance of wetlands.
So go explore a Wetland Treasure!
Rick
Wetland Solutions = People Solutions
Annual Giving Campaign
Message from the Executive Director
Hello Wetland Supporters,
On October 18, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Carolina Wetlands Association held a special meeting to discuss hiring an Executive Director for the Association. Ultimately, the Board unanimously approved to hire an Executive Director, effective November 15. That position was given the me, Rick Savage, the former President of the Board.
I am truly honored to be the first Executive Director of the Carolina Wetlands Association and look forward to advancing its mission and making the Association more sustainable and stronger. I will always rely on the guidance of the Board and the Executive Committee and will keep all in step with the progress we make.
This is a critical next step for the Association as it gives us more credibility, a stronger standing with other organizations and potential funders. It also allows me to work with our many volunteers. I will hold regular staff meetings and make sure everyone is working on what they are interested in and that we have the overall mission and goals of the Association in mind as we progress.
Currently, we have two grants and I feel that these grants are just the first of many that will open doors to more opportunities to volunteer and work for Carolina Wetlands Association. I will be focusing on the successful implementation on these projects and working to build relationships that will lead to other funding opportunities.
This is an exciting time for the Association, and I hope you all look forward to these times as I do. We need to grow the organization and groom our new leaders so that the Association will be in good hands for years to come.
If you are not currently volunteering or want to do more, please let me or Rachel Massa (our Volunteer Coordinator) know and we will work with you.
SO much thanks to you all- go explore a wetland and consider nominating a wetland to be one of our next Wetland Treasures for 2022.
Rick Savage
Executive Director
rick.savage@carolinawetlands.org
Pellet Industry Threatens Wetland Forests and Climate
Written by Heather Hillaker, a Staff Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center
We are in the midst of a global climate and biodiversity crisis, and the wood pellet and biomass industries, which claim to be a solution, are threats to both. Cutting down and burning growing forests for electricity actually emits more carbon dioxide than burning coal. These actions will increase atmospheric carbon for at least the next several decades—the exact time when we need to be drastically reducing emissions— while also degrading our native forests.
Wood pellets are made mostly from living trees, which are taken to pellet mills, ground into chips, dried, and formed into pellets. Enviva, the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer, currently operates nine pellet mills throughout the southeast—six of which source a large amount of wood from North and South Carolina. Enviva acknowledges that 83% of its wood comes directly from forests, including forests within these two states (see map).

Impacts to Wetlands
Over the last decade, independent, on-the-ground investigations have uncovered that Enviva’s northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia mills often relied on mature trees taken from forested wetlands. Most of this harvesting is happening within the Coastal Plain, an area that was designated in 2016 as a global biodiversity hotspot because of its high species richness and endemism. Less than a third of this area’s native vegetation remains. Harvesting for pellet mills is exacerbating existing pressures on these forests and contributing to the degradation of these valuable ecosystems, including iconic wetland forests.
The wetland forests that dot the Carolina coasts are some of North America’s most valuable ecosystems. They improve water quality, protect against floods, and provide critical wildlife habitats— especially for migratory songbirds that are appreciated by even the most casual nature-lovers. But despite these immense benefits, most of these incredible forests have already been lost, and what remains now are subjected to clearcutting to produce wood pellets that are shipped overseas to be burned for electricity.

Impacts to Communities
The biomass and wood pellet industries aren’t just bad for forests, they hurt the climate and nearby communities too. Even though it is touted as “clean energy”, burning wood pellets from forests for electricity increases the amount of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere for 40-100 years, worsening climate change. Moreover, the pellet mills located throughout the southeast, including Enviva’s pellet mills in North and South Carolina, release harmful pollutants and dust negatively impacting the health of those living nearby. These mills are built primarily in low-wealth communities of color, where people are already overburdened by an unfair share of pollution.
Let’s be clear, the wood pellet and biomass industries are not clean energy, and as the U.S. moves towards real climate action, we must make sure that our policies promote genuine low-carbon renewable energy sources. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes as European countries that offer billions of dollars in government subsidies to these harmful industries. Our climate, forests, and communities depend on the U.S. making the right choice by excluding forest biomass from any clean energy policy.
Call to Action
You can help by signing this petition to tell President Biden that biomass is not a part of our clean energy future.
About the Author
Heather Hillaker is a Staff Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center who specializes in issues surrounding the use of forest-derived biomass for energy. Heather is actively involved in SELC’s UK, US, and state-level work on the issue, including efforts to strengthen protections for communities living near wood pellet plants.
Wetland Tour: Richardson-Taylor Preserve
Please join us for a walking tour to learn about the wetlands at Richardson-Taylor Preserve. This Carolina Wetlands Association Wetland Treasure site is located in the upper watershed of Jordan Lake water supply which makes these wetlands especially important for water quality protection and water supply for hundreds of thousands of community members. The tour will be led by Tristan Bailey, Marketing and Special Events Coordinator and will be 1 ½ to 2 hours long, and is limited to 10 participants.