Noisette Creek, a tributary of the Cooper River, is situated in the city of North Charleston, SC. The Noisette Creek Preserve consists of approximately 160 acres of water, marsh and land that is surrounded by a highly urbanized 1,400-acre watershed. Noisette Creek needs restoration due to a long period of filling, erosion, road and utility crossings, contaminated runoff, trash, and debris.
The Michaux Conservancy acts as the steward of the Noisette Creek Preserve and works with the city of North Charleston to restore these marshlands.
A few of our restoration and preservation projects are listed below:
Cleanups–Throughout the year we conduct creek, marsh, and riverfront and neighborhood cleanups by recruiting and organizing volunteers.
Storm Drain Marking– In March 2010, we started a pilot storm drain marking program in partnership with the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Consortium. Storm drains in the North Charleston area lead directly to our waterways. We are recruiting and organizing volunteers as part of our effort to mark all storm drains within the Noisette footprint. Marking storm drains is a part of an environmental education campaign to keep pollution from entering our creeks and rivers. Marking educates residents, and increases awareness about the importance of our creek and the environment. It’s also an opportunity to work with friends and neighbors, or earn community service hours. Michaux officially started the storm drain marking program during the First Annual Tri-County Carolina Yard Day Experience in Ladson on March 13. At that event, volunteers from Goose Creek High School joined Michaux to mark all storm drains at the Exchange Park.
Save Our Creek Mural–The Michaux Conservancy is collaborating with Charleston County School of the Arts to create an 8×20 foot exterior wall mural depicting the Noisette Creek Preserve. The mural will promote the importance of healthy waterways in our urban watershed. Students in grades 6-12 at Charleston County School of the Arts will work with professional artists, teachers, and college art students to design, draw, and paint the mural. We plan to mount the mural on a wall at 25 N. Hobson Ave., a high visibility area within the Navy Yard at Noisette.
We are currently seeking college art students to volunteer for this project. Work on the mural began in April.
GREEN Program–We are working in partnership with Lowcountry Earth Force to provide area schools with curriculum and water testing kits as part of the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). The GREEN curriculum teaches youth how to become active citizens by improving conditions in their watersheds now and in the future. Students use water-testing kits to learn about the condition of water in their local waterways. With these findings, they can create lasting solutions to pressing water quality issues.
EnviroScape–We will use the EnviroScape to educate students and the public about sources of water pollution and how to prevent it. The Enviroscape is a hands-on learning model that illustrates how stormwater runs off the land and carries pollution into our waterways. We will demonstrate the Enviroscape at schools and during events.
Upcoming projects–We are in the process of finding an area to build a rain garden within the Noisette Preserve footprint. Rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater from entering our waterways.
