FOCUS: Counting on Nature promotes better understanding

Exploring Caw Caw park. Photo provided by CCPRC.

Staff reports  |  Look around and you might find something new, just as local resident Tess Moody did three years ago.

 In June 2018, Moody, a part-time staff member at the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC), found a new species of millipede at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, according to the agency.  She took a photo of the arthropod and posted it to an online forum for entomologists for identification. 

She then was contacted by Jackson Means of Virginia Tech, who believed it could be an unidentified species. They were unable to find the millipede specimen at Caw Caw again until June of 2020. This second discovery allowed the two to confirm that the millipede was indeed previously undescribed in scientific literature.

Now, the parks agency is encouraging people throughout the county to look around for more new species.  Across the world, eight have been found this year.

CCPRC’s Counting on Nature program takes participants on guided walks in various county parks’ natural environments.  They are led by a professional naturalist sharing their expertise. Guests also photograph and report their observations and findings to platforms such as apps and websites during the program. Counting on Nature not only allows participants to learn more about plants, animals and the surrounding ecology, but also helps conserve biodiversity.

“The bottom line is that more reporting means more understanding, which can mean more support for protection and conservation,” said Keith McCullough, Natural History Interpretation coordinator. “We’d like to share first our knowledge of natural history, and second, our knowledge of reporting apps and websites and how to use them, with the hope that people will use their newfound reporting skills while on their own.”

Find out more:  Every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Counting on Nature allows participants to get out directly into the study of nature while furthering their knowledge base. Participants will explore Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant, James Island County Park on James Island, or Johns Island County Park on Johns Island. Registration is $9 per person and advance registration is required.  Register and learn more online at CharlestonCountyParks.com.

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