NAEP-SC upcoming events

NAEP-SC Speed Career Event (15 Apr 2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Put a college student on the fast track to success! NAEP-SC is hosting a “Speed Career” event at USC in Columbia designed to inspire and connect students passionate about environmental careers. This roundtable-style event allows students to engage directly with career professionals in environmental fields, gaining valuable insights into their backgrounds, certifications, and what a typical "day in the life" looks like.

Lunch will be provided.

How it Works

Students will rotate through different stations, each hosted by a professional eager to share their career experiences. Each round lasts 8 to 10 minutes, ensuring students receive meaningful, focused information.

We’re currently seeking experienced career professionals to join us as table facilitators! If you represent a similar career path as another attendee, we’ll coordinate placements or keep you on the list for future events. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort to bring this event to campuses across the state.

Career areas to be presented include, but are not limited to:

Ecology—Protected Species
Ecology—Wetland Science/Aquatics
GIS Specialist
Air Quality
Hazmat
Water/Wastewater
Forestry/Arborist
CE&I
Cultural Resources
NEPA/Environmental Planning

View the flyer here.

TIME and Location

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | Noon - 2:00 p.m.

Learning Center for Sustainable Futures - Address TBD

USC Campus, Columbia

(Parking available)

Interested in participating?

Email Allen Solomons at asolomons@chasolutions.com. If you RSVP to this event here you are just letting us know that you are interested, but you are not officially registered. Please email Allen to get officially signed up to be a facilitator.

Explore-SC Series: Charleston Museum's Dill Sanctuary Ecology Tour (17 Apr 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:00:00 GMT

NAEP-SC EXPLORE-SC: Charleston Museum's Dill Sanctuary Ecology Tour

NAEP-SC is excited to introduce our next Explore-SC Series event at the Dill Sanctuary in Charleston. Please join us for an ecology tour at the Charleston Museum's Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife refuge with significant natural, archaeological, and historic features. The tour will last approximately 1 hour and will focus on the ecology of the sanctuary with a specific focus on the bird life and nesting that takes place there.

First and foremost, a wildlife preserve, the Dill Sanctuary is home to a vast array of birdlife. A 6-acre wildlife pond with three nesting islands attracts numerous wading birds, including threatened wood storks, while maintained fields, surrounded by woodland, provide habitat for songbirds, wild turkeys and raptors. Human habitation at the Dill Sanctuary has been documented in the archaeological record to 8,000 years ago, and it was the site of three plantations during the colonial and antebellum periods, which used enslaved labor to produce primarily food crops for the Charleston market. The property also contains two African American cemeteries, the last resting place of enslaved people and their descendants, and four earthen Confederate fortifications that were part of the Civil War defenses of Charleston. Significant historical, archaeological and ornithological research has been conducted at the Dill Sanctuary over nearly four decades.

https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/exhibits/permanent/50/dill-sanctuary

Bug spray and sunscreen are recommended as well as wearing long pants and closed toe shoes as you may go through some areas with high grass.

Bathrooms are available on site, but they are primitive, and there is no place to fill water bottles, so make sure you bring water with you.

This event is open to anyone (members + non-members) and the cost is $22/person. This tour is during wood stork nesting season, so don't miss this great opportunity.

You must register by April 10, so we can provide a head count. Tour sizes will be limited with a minimum of 10 people.

TIME & LOCATION

Friday, April 17, 2026

3:00 pm-4:30 p.m.

1163 Riverland Drive

Charleston, SC 29412

Happy Hour in Columbia (Steel Hands Brewing) (23 Apr 2026)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Please join us for a free social networking event at Steel Hands Brewing in Cayce, SC. No registration is required, however we would appreciate you RSVP so we can get an approximate head count.

All environmental professionals and students are welcome (NAEP-SC members and non-members).

The first 10 people will receive their first drink on us!

Thursday, April 23, 5-7 p.m.
Steel Hands Brewing
2350 Foreman Street, Cayce, SC 29033

Lunch & Learn: USACE - Streamlined Permit Process with RRS (24 Apr 2026)

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:45:00 GMT

NAEP-SC is excited to have staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as our featured speakers. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

You must register by April 17, 2026. Lunch will be provided, and space may be limited due to the venue size.

TIME & LOCATION

April 24, 11:45 AM – 1:30 PM
Dominion Energy

601 Old Taylor Rd.*

Cayce, SC 29033

* this address gets you to the front guard gate where you must sign in and show ID. When passing the guard building, the building will be immediately on your left at 220 Operation Way.*

ABOUT THE EVENT

Please join us for lunch and learning as USACE staff speak about the new Regulatory Request System (RRS).

Topics include:

Modernizing the Permitting Process: How RRS Transforms Regulatory Requests
Key Features and Benefits of RRS for Applicants and Regulators
Key Processes for Submitting a Permit Application
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Tools and Resources Available in RRS

Download the event flyer for more information.

Annual Oyster Reef Build: SCDNR SCORE Program + Happy Hour (1 May 2026)

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

NAEP-SC Volunteer Day – SCDNR SCORE Program

NAEP-SC is excited about our annual oyster reef build volunteer day followed by happy hour. As part of the volunteer effort, NAEP-SC has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) program. SCORE is a SCDNR program that bags recycled oyster shells and uses them to create oyster reefs along our coastlines. Our volunteer efforts will help restore some of South Carolina’s precious oyster habitat. According to the SCORE website, “by working together, community members and biologists can restore oyster populations while 1) enhancing habitat for fish, shrimp, and crabs, 2) improving water quality of estuarine areas, and 3) informing and educating children, industry, and the general public.” More information about the SCORE program can be found at score.dnr.sc.gov. Please join us for this important way of giving back to both the environment and community.

Closed toe shoes are required. Also, please bring a refillable water bottle and a change of clothes and shoes since we will get muddy and wet! Please consider carpooling if you are able.

Happy hour will follow at the nearby Frothy Beard Brewing Company at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston, SC 29407. The first round of drinks is on NAEP-SC!

Please register by April 24 so we can provide an accurate headcount to SCDNR.

Where

Charles Towne Landing Visitor Center and Museum:

1500 Old Towne Rd, Charleston, SC 29407

*Meet in the main parking lot at Charles Towne Landing.

When

May 1, 2026
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Happy Hour:

Frothy Beard Brewing Company

1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.

Charleston, SC 29407

https://frothybeard.com/

Lunch & Learn: NOAA Fisheries: EFH, Consultations, and Beyond (14 Aug 2026)

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:45:00 GMT

NAEP-SC is excited to have staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Habitat Conservation Division as our featured speakers. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

Register by August 7, 2026. Lunch will be provided, and space may be limited due to the venue size.

TIME & LOCATION

August 14, 11:45 AM – 1:30 PM
Dominion Energy

601 Old Taylor Rd.*

Cayce, SC 29033

*This address gets you to the front guard gate where you must sign in and show ID. When passing the guard building, the building will be immediately on your left at 220 Operation Way.*

ABOUT THE EVENT

Please join us for lunch and learning about the Habitat Conservation Division, EFH Coordination, and more.

Topic include:

NOAA Fisheries’ Role in Habitat Conservation
Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and Why It Matters
Common Project Impacts and How They Are Evaluated
Coordination Types and Best Practices
Tools and Resources Available
Ways To Improve Coordination Requests and Submittals to NOAA Fisheries
And more!

Download the event flyer for more information.

Explore-SC Series: USFWS Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery Tour (18 Sep 2026)

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:00:00 GMT

NAEP-SC EXPLORE-SC: USFWS Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery Guided Tour

NAEP-SC is excited to introduce our next Explore-SC Series event at the USFWS Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery at Wadmalaw Island, SC (near Charleston).

Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery (NFH) is part of the Warmwater Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation Program in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Situated in coastal South Carolina, the facility sits on the banks of the Wadmalaw Sound and is nestled among salt marsh and lowland forest. The site provides ideal opportunities for researching and improving upon culture and propagation techniques for freshwater, saltwater and anadromous aquatic species.

The hatchery cultures aquatic species year-round and produces two anadromous fish species, Atlantic sturgeon and American shad; one marine fish species, red drum; one amphibian species, Carolina gopher frog; and several freshwater mussel species.

Each of these programs has its own priorities and objectives. American shad, red drum, and gopher frogs are released locally into the appropriate habitat, while the Atlantic sturgeon and mussel programs focus on conservation-oriented research, and the development of propagation and culture techniques.

Come join us on a guided tour of the hatchery (approx. 45-minute long) followed by a guided nature walk (approximately 1-hour long). This event is free. Family and friends are welcome! Tour sizes will be limited, so please register by September 14 so we can provide a head count to USFWS.

A refillable water bottle, sunscreen, and bug spray are highly recommended.

For parking: after you come through the gate, follow the signs to the "Fish Holding Facilities" downhill. Park on the left in the grass near the fish house.

TIME & LOCATION

Friday, September 18, 2026

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

USFWS Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery

7030 Bears Bluff Road

Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487-6815

https://www.fws.gov/fish-hatchery/bears-bluff/about-us

Deep Water Vineyard

Afterwards, stop at the nearby Deep Water Vineyard on your way back home before they close at 5 p.m. for some wine or meads or just to see the beautiful grounds. Their last wine tasting starts at 4 p.m. Drive safely!

6775 Bears Bluff Rd

Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487

https://deepwatervineyard.com/#

SCMA/NAEP-SC Annual Environmental Scholarship Clay Shoot (2026) (6 Nov 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

SCMA/NAEP-SC Annual Environmental Scholarship Clay Shoot

NAEP-SC has once again partnered with the South Carolina Mitigation Association (SCMA) to host an event fully devoted to supporting our future environmental professionals. All proceeds from this fundraising clay shoot will go to environmental scholarships.

Come enjoy networking, lunch, and premiere sporting clay courses at the beautiful Hermitage Sporting Grounds in Camden, SC. 100 clays/targets, lunch, and a shell bag is included.

Visit https://www.scmitigation.org/clayshoot to register or sponsor this event.

When

November 6, 2026

9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Where

Hermitage Sporting Grounds
2362 Tickle Hill Rd.
Camden, SC 29020