When I joined the Gills Creek Watershed Association several years ago, I was already championing many causes, but I was not particularly an environmentalist. I was persuaded to join the board by two friends of mine from St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, who were also board members, because of my previous fundraising experience. In the years since, I have learned SO much about environmental management and preservation through Gills Creek Watershed’s restore, educate, and advocate initiatives!

Roughly 185,000 Richland County residents live in the watershed, which travels from the Spring Valley/Wildewood area all the way down to the Congaree River, and the Gills Creek Watershed Association offers tons of resources to the public to learn more about this aspect of our local environment. Although we have had to alter the way we conduct business due to COVID-19, the Gills Creek Watershed Association is nonetheless on a roll in terms of restoring, educating, and advocating during the pandemic thanks to the organization’s leadership—including Board Chair Trish Jerman former Chair Madilyn Fletcher—along with its outstanding staff members, Carmony Adler (Executive Director) and Mary Virginia Tynan (Membership/Outreach Coordinator). We have some cool opportunities to get virtually involved coming up in the month of October, such as an online race and a free wildlife webinar—I encourage you to check them out and learn a bit about your own backyard!