Madeleine Kaye: town council

Kiawah continues to be at a critical time in its development.  As your representative on Town Council. I listen to your input, consider all reasonable viewpoints, and apply my experience and judgement to work toward the best possible outcomes for Kiawah.  

The issues facing the Town are varied and complex, including:

• working with SouthStreet Partners to responsibly develop the Beachwalker parcels;
• working with South Street, KICA, and the Kiawah Conservancy to come to resolution of critical issues re: Captain Sams' Spit;  and
• working with KICA, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and the Conservancy to manage our fragile marshlands and protect against sea level rise and storm water damage

On the environmental front, we face several serious threats:

Kiawah is a marvel of wildlife diversity with our loggerhead  turtles, shorebirds, and bobcats.  But our healthy bobcat population of about 35 was decimated 10 years ago by the use of second-generation anticoagulants (SGAs) in pest control agents; seven bobcats died in 2019-20 alone.  Town efforts have helped restore our population to about 20-25, but we continue to lose bobcats. The bottom line:  we must be proactive.  Talk to your friends and neighbors.  Check to see that your pest-control company has signed the Town’s pledge not to use SGAs.  

Sea-level rise and stormwater damage:  We have a healthy and strong due system that offers good protection on the ocean side of the island, but the marsh is particularly vulnerable to the ravages of sea level rise and storm surges.  We recently established a Resiliency committee to get out in front of these challenges.  I'll continue to lead this effort with a team of talented, knowledgable and committee community volunteers.

Coyotes have established themselves as a presence on the island.  With the Town Biologists, we have developed and implemented a coyote management plan to deal with this threat.

Our dedicated Turtle Patrol volunteers and Shorebird Stewards are working hard to protect these criticcally  important pieces of the intricate Kiawah wildlife protection puzzle.

The photo above is my daughter and her best friend on the beach circa 1989.