Symposium 2026 Recap

What a weekend! I have just returned from the SCNPS annual Symposium and statewide business meeting and I could not be more proud of this organization! Over 135 members from across the state attended the event, limited only by venue capacity.

We kicked off the weekend with an evening social at Edmund Oast Brewing in Charleston, where folks could chat and unwind from their week. Saturday featured our business meeting where we heard remarks from Rick Huffman on our 30th anniversary and bestowed an honorary life membership to him for his 30 years of service with our Society. I announced that we have now surpassed 2,000 members, which has more than doubled in four years! We have also announced the launch of our new recurring donor program –The SCNPS Champions – which you can read more about in this newsletter. Finally, an anonymous vote was passed to amend the state by-laws to include clarification on the bestowment of complimentary memberships.

Once business was out of the way we could get on to our fabulous speakers and field trips. General sessions included presentations from Dr. Martin Hamilton and Belvin Olasov and an amazing discussion panel that addressed issues from building resilience through native plant selections, community action, and advocacy. Field trips were too many to list but I attended the maritime forest of Sullivan’s Island and Beidler Forest Field trips taking me from the coast to an inland forested swamp in Harleyville, SC. I learned about new-to-me species such as beach evening primrose, Oenothera drummondii, and stood in the presence of a 1,000 year old cypress tree. Saturday evening we enjoyed a traditional Lowcountry boil and live music.

Shout out to the Lowcountry Chapter for putting on such an amazing event. I was truly inspired and enjoyed every minute learning, talking with old friends, and making new connections. We hope you can join us for the 2027 SCNPS gathering. Stay tuned for the date and location!