The Shrimp City Report Podcast (Charleston, South Carolina)

In this episode we have Kristina Wheeler, a Natural History Interpretation Specialist for Charleston County Parks, to explore the county park system with a deep dive into Caw Caw Interpretive Center. Kristina shares her personal path from New England wildlife management and sea kayaking to becoming an educator in the Lowcountry, and explains how Charleston’s parks blend natural and cultural history.

We highlight Caw Caw’s unique features: roughly 25 years as a public site, seven miles of trails, elevated boardwalks, extensive Camellia sinensis (tea) plantings from a historical tea farm, and the remnants of 18th–19th century rice fields. Kristina explains Caw Caw’s place in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and its links to the 1739 Stono Rebellion, and describes how the site is actively managed (prescribed burns, restoration, interpretive exhibits) to preserve both natural habitats and cultural landscapes.

Caw Caw is a noted birding destination and home to species from alligators and swallowtail kites to bald eagles, river otters, bobcats, and fireflies. The episode covers the discovery of a new millipede species at the site, Carolina Gold rice test plots used for education, and ongoing conservation projects such as purple martin gourd housing, wood duck boxes, and prothonotary warbler research using geolocators.

We also discuss regular programs and events: weekly birdwalks (Wednesdays and Saturdays, typically 8:30–10:30 AM, registration required), monarch tagging in the fall, sunrise canoe trips, the Charleston Master Naturalist 13-week course, the Birds of a Feather social series, and community-oriented events like The Big Sit. Kristina also highlights volunteer opportunities, accessibility improvements (including an all-terrain track wheelchair), and how parks use programs to connect people of all ages with nature.

Get more info at charlestoncountyparks.com