SCWA Chapter Local Volunteer
Conservation & Educational Programs
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Public Hunting Systems Carp in Lake Murray |
Volunteer Wood Duck Project
Starting in the winter of 2003 SCWA will provide 25 wood duck nest box units per chapter to chapters that develop a local volunteer wood duck production project. Over the next several years it is our goal to have a minimum of 200 nest boxes enrolled in each local chapter volunteer wood duck program. With 30 chapters this will result in more than 6,000 nest boxes installed with an annual production of 30,000 wood ducks.
Nest boxes will be installed and maintained by local chapter volunteers. This work will be coordinated by a chapter committee wood duck chairman who will work closely with volunteers, landowners and the SCWA Wood Duck Project biologist, Sam Jeffords. Sam will be sending information on the program to each chapter chairman by the end of July. Information will include program guidelines, nest box checking manuals, sign up and data sheets along with press releases for the project. If you are interested in the wood duck project contact your local chapter chairman or Sam Jeffords at the SCWA office to get involved.
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Program
SCWA hosts 160 youth each year at its Camp Woodie facility. This winter we would like to expand our youth hunting programs to the chapter level. We have set a goal of providing 150 (five per chapter) additional youth waterfowl hunting slots to children who have completed the hunter safety course. This will be accomplished by developing local chapter youth waterfowl hunts at private waterfowl areas that are owned and managed by SCWA mallard project cooperators and other interested landowners. .
Each chapter chairman will designate a youth waterfowl hunt chairman. The SCWA office will mail a letter to each mallard project to let them know who their local youth hunting chairman is. Each landowner will also be asked to provide several youth hunting slots on youth waterfowl day. The youth waterfowl hunt chairman will notify local newspapers and individuals about the hunt. The chapter committee will select the hunters. On the day of the hunt, committee volunteers will host a lunch, hunter safety presentation and will help guide the young hunters on an exciting duck hunt. The local media will be invited to attend to help promote waterfowl hunting and SCWA’s Camp Woodie program in the local area. If you would like to get involved or if you know a child that would like to participate in the program, contact your local chairman or the SCWA office at 803-452-6001.
Camp Woodie Scholarship Program
This year each SCWA chapter will nominate a local Camp Woodie chairman. This person will work to promote Camp Woodie at local events and will organize the awarding of a minimum of 2 Camp Woodie scholarships that will be given away to local youth. The scholarships will come from the sale of cups at the banquet along with one scholarship funded by the SCWA Remote Art Auction Program. Camp Woodie Director, Brad Jones will work with each chapter to provide press releases, camp brochures and any other assistance that are needed to promote Camp Woodie and successfully award each scholarship.
Children who would like to earn a scholarship to Camp Woodie are encouraged to send in an essay on why they would like to attend camp. These essays can be sent to your local chapter chairman or mailed to the SCWA office. Local chapters will select all scholarship winners.
SCWA Remote Art Auction Program
Over the next 8 months SCWA will launch a statewide remote art auction program. This effort will place 900 easels in businesses across South Carolina. Each easel will feature a limited edition fine art print along with an attractive program poster, membership brochures, Camp Woodie brochures and sealed bid sheets. Funds raised from the program will go to establish an SCWA endowment that will help fund SCWA conservation and education programs. The program will also fund one Camp Woodie scholarship each year for each chapter.
Prints are displayed in a participating location for a period of two weeks. During this period customers of participating businesses can place sealed bids on the print in the lock box attached to the easel. They can also join SCWA by filling out the membership application and depositing it with a check or credit card number in the lock box. Customers can also pick up a flyer on Camp Woodie or check a box on the sealed bid sheet to let us know if they would like to participate on a chapter committee or receive information on their local banquet. The project will be implemented by sales reps. At the end of the two-week period the sales rep will place a new print on each easel and will notify the successful bidder of their purchase. The sales rep is responsible for completing the transaction and sending SCWA all information from the bid sheets.
We need the help of all SCWA members and volunteers to identify businesses that will be willing to let us display easels in their place of business. The best businesses are high traffic grocery stores, quality restaurants and hotels, banks, pharmacies, hardware stores, sporting goods stores, and any business with high traffic. The project will provide tremendous exposure for local chapters, increase membership and will help to generate revenue to endow the programs of the South Carolina Waterfowl Association.
Thanks to the support of members and volunteers, SCWA is achieving its mission to conserve, enhance and perpetuate our waterfowl heritage. We appreciate the support of all members and encourage every member to volunteer their time to make a difference at the local level.
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