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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
EVERYONE, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND BRING OUR MEETING TO ORDER.
IT IS OUR CUSTOM THAT WE BEGIN BY RECITING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
IF I COULD ASK YOU GUYS TO PLEASE STAND, FACE THE FLAG.
OUR PATE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVIS WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR THANK YOU.
HAVE EVERYONE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW OUR WELL PUBLIC NOTICE? ARE WE GOOD WITH PUBLIC NOTICE? YES.
UM, THE ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, REVISE THE AGENDA AND REMOVE ITEM NUMBER SEVEN AND THEN MAKE A MOTION THAT, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND THEN ADD PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER ITEM NUMBER SIX.
APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 25TH, UH, MINUTES.
HAVE EVERYONE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THAT? YES.
ANY QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL DELETION? MM.
I MOVED THAT WE ADOPT, UH, MINUTES FROM JANUARY THE 25TH.
BEFORE WE DO THAT, LET'S MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH.
THERE'S FOUR, RIGHT? WELL, I DON'T THINK JEAN WAS HERE.
NO, WE GONNA BUT ROBERT SAY THAT IF YOU HAVE A, A QUORUM TO START, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE QUORUM TO CONTINUE.
SO YOU, YOU MADE A MOTION TO ADOPT.
SO MOTION HAS BEEN MADE ON THE FLOOR TO ADOPT THE, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR JANUARY.
ALL IN FAVOR? AND MAKE NOTE THAT MS. JANE WAS NOT HERE.
SO SHE WAS STATING FROM THE MINUTES.
ITEM NUMBER SIX, MS. GRANT, WHO IS HERE FOR SPECIAL USE PERMIT.
SAYING IF ANYONE IS HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM, THERE ARE SHEETS OVER THERE THAT WE'LL NEED TO FILL OUT.
AND YOU HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES SO YOU CAN COME FORWARD AND YOU, YOU, YOU CAN PROCEED.
YOU CAN TELL US WHY YOU'RE HERE.
AND, OH, I'M HERE FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR, UM, 1 67 SEA PINES DRIVE ON COFFIN POINT.
SO I'M ASSUMING THAT THERE IS, WE WE'RE, I MEAN YOU, THIS OUR CONFIDENCE DO ALLOW FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
I, DID YOU SEE A COPY OF THE COVER? YEAH, THERE WAS, THERE'S NO COVENANT ON THIS ONE SAID THERE WAS NO COVENANTS ON THERE.
SHE SAID, UH, IT WAS IN THE BACK.
SO THERE'S NO COVENANT OR YOU SAID IT, IT IT ALLOWS FOR BUSINESS USE.
ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? ALRIGHT, WELL I'M QUITE SURE IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WE'LL COME, WE, WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.
UM, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE COUNTY.
WELL, UM, YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THESE COVENANTS, BUT, UM, STAFF LEFT IT UP TO THE BOARD TO MAKE THE DECISION TO APPROVE.
BUT STAFF HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS PROPERTY BECAUSE THE WETLANDS WERE CLEARED AND I JUST GOT THE PICTURES THIS MORNING.
AND I WOULD LIKE, IF STAFF IS GOING TO APPROVE TO PUT A CONDITION THAT UH, NO ZONING PERMIT WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE SHORT TERM RENTAL UNTIL THAT VIOLATION HAS BEEN CLEARED UP.
UM, SO DECLARE THAT VIOLATION OF WHAT? HUH? SO DECLARE THAT VIOLATION OF THE, THEY HAVE TO REPLANT THAT, UH, RIVER, BUT I MEAN THE WETLAND BUFFER.
AND REPLACE ALL THE STUFF THAT THEY REMOVED.
ANY QUESTIONS? YOU READY FOR A MOTION? WELL, I WANNA MAKE SURE NO, I'M NOT READY FOR A MOTION YET.
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OKAY.COULD YOU PLEASE COME BACK? SO, UM, WE CONSULTED WITH NEW KIRK ENVIRONMENTAL AND UM, PALMETTO FOR HORTICULTURE.
AND WE HAD, UM, BECAUSE THE ELECTRIC COMPANY THREW TREES IN OUR, UH, WHAT LANDS, THERE WERE REBARS IN THERE.
PEOPLE USED IT AS THEIR PERSONAL GARBAGE CAN.
WE DID NOT FILL IN THE WETLANDS.
WE HAD A SMALL AMOUNT OF DIRT BROUGHT IN FOR PLANTING AROUND THE WETLANDS.
A NEIGHBOR CALLED IN AND SAID THAT WE WERE FILLING IN THE WETLANDS AND NOBODY CAME TO US AND ASKED US WHAT WE WERE DOING, WHICH CAUSED ALL THIS RUCKUS.
BUT WE HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF FILLING IN THOSE WETLANDS.
AS IT TURNS OUT, THE WETLANDS ALREADY REGROWING AS YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A HABIT OF DOING THAT.
IT TURNS OUT WHEN WE BOUGHT THE PROPERTY THREE YEARS AGO, UM, THE PROPERTY WAS COMPLETELY BUSH HOGGED.
WE JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS THE WAY IT NORMALLY CAME BECAUSE WE'RE FROM OUT OF TOWN AND WE VIEWED THIS BEAUTIFUL PROPERTY PER SALE.
AND IN THE INTERIM IT'S TAKEN US THAT LONG TO GET OUR PROPERTY DEVELOPED.
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY HAS COME IN AND CUT DOWN TWO 70 FOOT PINE TREES IN THE WETLANDS AND LEFT THEM THERE.
AND THEN THERE'S A CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS CONSTANTLY ENDING UP IN OUR WETLANDS.
AND SO JUST RECENTLY WE HAD IT CLEANED UP AND IT'S PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE TO GO IN THERE AND REMOVE TWO 70 FOOT PINE TREES WITHOUT ALSO DISTURBING THE, THE VEGETATION BECAUSE IT WAS ALL ENCUMBERED IN THERE.
IT WAS ALSO VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THE SOMEONE TO COME IN AND JUST HAND PICK, YOU KNOW, PULLING OUT LARGE LOGS AND BRANCHES, ET CETERA.
SO WE OPTED TO SPEND $1,200 TO HAVE THE PROPERTY, THE PIECE, WHICH IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE SPACE IN FRONT OF ME.
WE HAD THAT CLEANED UP AND THAT'S WHAT THE ISSUE IS.
NOW WE'RE ON THE HOOK FOR DOING THAT, WHICH I GUESS WE SHOULDN'T HAVE, BUT IT'S GONNA GROW BACK.
AND WHEN, UH, MS. AUSTIN SAID WE NEED TO REPLACE THE, THE PUT IT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL STATE, DOES THAT MEAN WE GOTTA GO FIND A COUPLE OF 60 FOOT PINE TREES, CUT 'EM UP AND DROP 'EM IN THERE? NO IT DOESN'T.
AND THIS WILL GROW BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL STATE IN LIKE SIX MONTHS.
AND MEANWHILE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOME SIDE OF OPINION AS TO WHAT WE SHOULD DO NEXT.
UM, BEING THAT IT'S A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COUNTY MM-HMM.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN APPOINTMENT.
THE PROCESS OF DOING IT, WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT, CALL US TO CEASE AND DESIST.
WE, AS OF NOW, WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MS. DAWSON TO SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITH US.
SO, OKAY, WELL LET'S, IT WAS NEVER OUR INTENTION TO DISTURB WETLANDS.
IT WAS JUST TO CLEAN IT UP AND PLANT OUR LANDSCAPING AROUND THE WETLANDS.
ALRIGHT, WELL AS LONG AS YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER, THEN THAT'S FINE.
BUT I DON'T, I WISH WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO DELAY THIS PROCESS BECAUSE OF THAT.
I DON'T SEE WHAT THE BENEFIT OF THAT IS SINCE IT'S GONNA GROW BACK ON ITS OWN ANYWAY.
WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO GROW BACK.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ONTO THIS TO PUT TO COME BACK UP.
YEAH, WE JUST CLEANED OFF THE TOP.
IT WAS LIKE THAT WHEN WE PURCHASED IT AND WITHIN SIX MONTHS IT WAS NO, YEAH, IT WAS RIGHT BACK.
IT'LL, IT'LL LOOK LIKE THAT AGAIN.
YOU KEEP SAYING IT'S GONNA GROW BACK ON ITS OWN.
ARE YOU GOING TO RE-VEGETATE THAT OR ARE YOU GONNA LET MOTHER NATURE DO? WE CAN'T.
IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO PLANT IN IT.
AND THE WETLAND ITSELF, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING BUT AROUND IT.
WE'RE GONNA PLANT HULI GRASS AND PAMPAS GRASS AND, AND SOME PAPYRUS.
AND THEN THE WATER WILL NATURALLY COME AND GO IN THE WETLANDS AREA.
IF YOU, THAT PHOTOGRAPH ISN'T DETAILED ENOUGH TO SHOW WHAT'S ONLY TWO INCHES TALL.
ALREADY STARTED TO GROW AFTER JUST THREE WEEKS.
HAVE ANY, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR IT TO NOTE THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT.
LITERALLY THE SIZE OF MY POSITION HERE TO THAT WALL LEFT AND RIGHT IS THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE WETLAND, WHICH SEEMS LIKE THAT YOU COULD REPLANT IT WITH WHAT WAS TAKEN OUT.
WE WERE TOLD WE CANNOT PLANT IN THE WETLAND.
HILLARY, WOULD YOU CONFIRM WE'D BE HAPPY TO PLANT IN THE WETLAND? UH, EVERYBODY IN THE WETLAND.
I MEAN, YOU WENT IN THERE AND YOU TOOK OUT THE STUFF THAT WAS IN THERE.
SO YOU WANT PLANTS, YOU WANT US TO PLANT IN THE WETLAND? YEAH, I'D BE HAPPY TO.
NOW IT MAY NOT BE IN THE WETLAND PER SE, BUT IT'S AROUND THE WETLAND.
SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT THAT, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THIS IS, BUT THIS HAS TO BE REPRINTED 'CAUSE THERE IS A 20 FOOT BUFFER AROUND THAT WEAPON THAT NEEDS TO BE VEGETATED
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AND WITH NATIVE PLANTS.AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT OUR PLAN WAS.
WE HIRED SOMEONE AND THEY BROUGHT IN THE DIRT TO PLANT THE PLANTS AROUND THE WETLAND, BUT WE'D HAPPY TO PLANT IN THE WETLAND TOO.
WELL, I I'M NOT IN THE HABIT OF ALLOWING PEOPLE TO KEEP GOING WHEN THEY HAVE A VIOLATION.
YOU WANT IT FIXED FIRST? MM-HMM.
THEN YOU'LL GET YOUR PERMIT TO DO YOUR SHORT TERM RENTAL.
DO WE STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR OUR APPOINTMENT WITH YOU OR COULD WE JUST GO AHEAD AND PLANT IN THERE? WELL, IF YOU WANT TO GET SOMEONE TO DO THE, THE LANDSCAPE PLAN, WE NEED TO SEE IT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING MEET THE REQUIREMENT AND OUR NATURAL RESOURCE PLANNER WOULD LOOK AT IT AND SAY, YEAH, SURE.
AND THEN WE GO, WE TALKED TO YOUR NATURAL RESOURCE PLANNER THIS MORNING AND SHE'S DEFERRED IT TO YOU.
THEN SHE WOULD LOOK AT, UH, THE LANDSCAPE PLAN.
YOU SEND THE LANDSCAPE PLAN TO HER? NO.
AND YOU WANT US TO PLANT IN THE WETLANDS? WELL, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T KNOW.
THESE PICTURES DON'T REALLY TELL ME EXACTLY WHERE THE WETLAND IS LOCATED.
SO ALL THIS DIRT THAT YOU HAVE HAS ALL RUBBED UP AND THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLANTED.
THEN WHATEVER WAS IN THERE THAT YOU TOOK OUT NEEDS TO GO BACK IN AND YOU WANT TO BE FACETIOUS AND SAY THE TREES AND THE LOGS.
WELL THERE'S A LOT OF WEEDS TOO.
SO WE'LL HAVE TO BE SELECTIVE, BUT I KNOW, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
SO THE, THE, THE LOOK OF THIS, IT LOOKS LIKE A, A TRUCKLOAD OF DIRT.
SO YOU WERE ABLE TO, I MEAN IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH, UM, PLANTING IN THE WETLAND.
I, SO I WOULDN'T SAY A PROBLEM OR A CONCERN ABOUT PLANTING IN THE WETLAND, BUT YOU WERE ABLE TO CLEAN OUT THE WETLANDS.
AND I'M NOTICING MAYBE IT LOOK LIKE A LOAD OF TWO LOADS OF DUMP TRUCK LOADS OF DIRT IN THE WETLAND.
WHICH IS ONE, IT'S NOT IN THE WETLANDS, SIR.
IT'S ON THE, IT'S NEXT TO THE ROAD.
THERE'S 2020 CUBIC YARDS OF DIRT, WHICH WOULDN'T FILL THE WETLANDS UP.
YEAH, I'M GONNA, I'M I DIDN'T SAY IT FILLED IT UP, BUT YOU WERE ABLE TO BACK A TRUCK DOWN IN THERE.
WELL THEY, THEY DID THE ROAD WHEN THEY, THEY DID IT ON THE ROAD.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE ROAD HERE BUT, WELL IT'S A DIRT ROAD.
I ON THAT YOU, YOU CAN SEE WHAT I'M SEEING.
IT'S QUITE, ACTUALLY IT WAS OFF OUR PROPERTY 'CAUSE IT WAS PARTLY ON THE ROAD, SO YEAH.
BUT THE DIRT WAS TO PLANT PLANTS.
AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING BUT IF IT'S, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF HIS TRUCK WAS ABLE TO BACK INTO WETLAND.
THEY DIDN'T, THEY DIDN'T EVEN BACK ONTO OUR ACTUAL PROPERTY LINE.
THE DIRT WAS DUMPED ON THE ROADSIDE OF THE PROPERTY LINE.
WHO TOOK THESE PICTURES? YOU DON'T KNOW.
WELL, LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING.
IF, DUNNO IS THIS, WE DIDN'T TAKE THE HOUSE, ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE, THE ONES WITH THE THAT? NO, NOT FEBRUARY 9TH, TAKEN BY OFFICER ROBERT ORDER.
CALLED THEM AND STOPPED AND ISSUED STOP GOING ORDER ON THEIR PROPERTY WHEN I RECEIVED A COMPLAINT IN REFERENCE TO DIRT BEING UNLOADED THERE, DUMP TRUCK FULL OF DIRT FROM ELLEN PATTERSON.
UM, BUT THE COMPLAINANT STATED THAT MR. PATTERSON HAD DUMPED A, A TRUCKLOAD OF DIRT THERE.
AND WHEN I CONTACTED UM, MS. GRANT AND ASKED HER WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE PROPERTY, SHE ADVISED THAT THEY WERE CLEANING OUT OR THEY WANTED TO CLEAN OUT THE WETLANDS AND REPLANT PLANTS AROUND THERE.
AND I ADVISED HER THAT AS OF THIS POINT, A STOP WORKER WAS GONNA BE ISSUED ON THE PROPERTY BECAUSE THE WETLANDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE NATIVE VEGETATION UNDISTURBED NATURAL VEGETATION.
SO THE PHOTOS WITH THE SILT FENCING AROUND IT, THOSE WERE INSPECTED TO ENSURE THAT THEUM FOR BYUM BYUM WAS PLANTED AROUND THAT AREA PER THEIR PERMIT PRIOR TO THE SEAL OF THE PROPERTY.
AND THAT'S HOW IT LOOKED WITH ALL THAT DOG FENNEL AND ALL THAT.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, SO SO THIS OBVIOUSLY DECLARED OUT ONE WAS AFTER THE CO SEE? YES, THAT WAS OKAY, SO THEREFORE THEY ON THE BOTTOM, THAT WAS TAKEN ON FEBRUARY 9TH.
SO AFTER THE CO THEY WENT IN THERE, TOOK THE DOWN AND CLEARED OUT THE WETLANDS.
FROM WHAT I'M GATHERING, THE CO
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WAS GIVING LATE OCTOBER.WE JUST DID THIS A FEW WEEKS AGO.
ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PLANTS ARE THAT WERE REMOVED OR WE WEEDS WHATEVER GROWS AND WETLANDS, IT DIES OFF EVERY WINTER AND, BUT WE WERE ADVISED WHAT TO PLANT AROUND THEM.
IT'S NOT AN ATTRACTIVE SITUATION.
ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS? IT IS.
I JUST CAME TO SAY THAT WE LIVE AT 180 1 SEA PINES AND WE ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THEM HAVING SHORT TERM RENTALS SUPPORTING THEM.
UM, MS. DIANE, MY HUSBAND AND I LIVE AT 33 HERON DRIVE, WHICH IS IF THEY'RE HOUSES ARE JUST ONE ROW.
UH, AND WE HAVE NO PROBLEM AT ALL WITH THE SHORT TERM RENTAL.
UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THEM AS NEIGHBORS.
I THINK THAT THEY ARE VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
IT'S JUST KIND OF BEEN A MISTAKE OF, I DON'T KNOW, COMMUNICATION MAYBE.
BUT, UM, WE ARE DEFINITELY, UH, IN FAVOR OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
ANYONE ELSE HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? CLOSED PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE APPLICANT AND THE COUNTY AND PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UM, DO, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO PLACE A, UM, A MOTION? I'LL, I'LL MAKE A MOTION.
I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE SPECIAL USE FOR SHORT TERM RENTAL, BUT IT SHALL NOT GO INTO EFFECT UNTIL ALL VIOLATIONS OF THE ZONING HAVE BEEN CORRECTED AS PER STAFF'S REVIEW.
SO IT'S BEEN, IT'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO APPROVE THE SPECIAL USE UNTIL ALL VIOLATION IS SATISFIED BY THE COUNTY.
UM, LANDSCAPE PLAN IS APPROVED AND, UH, SO IT'S BEEN PROPERLY MADE.
AND SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE SPECIAL USE WITH THOSE CONDITIONS SIGNIFIED BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
ALRIGHT, WELL YOUR SPECIAL USE HAS BEEN APPROVED WITH CONTINGENT UPON COMPLETING ALL VIOLATIONS.
UM, OLD BUSINESS IN THE NEW BUSINESS.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
A FEW MILES FROM BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA.
IN THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL STANDS A PROPERTY OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
IN FACT, IT'S LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, THE ONLY PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN BY WATER.
SOUTH CAROLINA'S DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IS WORKING TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR ALL.
A CULTURAL RESOURCES, INVENTORY, OR ARCHEOLOGY MUST BE DONE BUILT FROM TABBY, A MIXTURE OF OYSTER SHELLS, LIME, SAND, AND WATER.
SIMILAR IN MANY WAYS TO CONCRETE.
FORT FREDERICK'S CONSTRUCTION WAS ORDERED IN 1726 BY THE BRITISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT TO GUARD PORT, ROYAL SOUND, AND THE TOWN OF BEAUFORT FROM APPROACHED BY SPANISH WARSHIPS.
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AN ESTIMATED 50,000 BUSHELS OF OYSTERS WERE NEEDED FOR THE FIVE FOOT HIGH, FIVE FOOT THICK TABBY WALLS.IT IS THE OLDEST TABBY STRUCTURE IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
THE ADJACENT PROPERTY IS THE UNITED STATES NAVAL HOSPITAL.
ON THIS PROPERTY WAS THE 19TH CENTURY SMITH PLANTATION, WHICH BECAME THE UNION ARMY'S CAMP SAXTON DURING THE CIVIL WAR AND HOME OF THE FIRST REGIMENT COMPRISED OF FREED SLAVES.
THE OBJECT IS TO EXTRACT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE IN A GIVEN AMOUNT OF TIME.
THERE IS A CERTAIN METHODOLOGY USED IN AN INVESTIGATION LIKE THIS COME ALONG AND SEE HOW IT'S DONE.
THE INITIAL SHOVEL TESTS DUG RANDOMLY AROUND THE SITE, EXAMINED THE DENSITY OF ARTIFACTS AND THE PERIOD OF OCCUPATION AT FORT FREDERICK.
ARTIFACTS INCLUDED 19TH CENTURY, 18TH CENTURY, AND PREHISTORIC OBJECTS.
THIS IS A FLAKE, A STONE TOOL, FLAKE.
IT'S A PIECE OF CHURCH FROM ALLENDALE COPPER SITE, TOP OF THAT AREA.
IT'S PRETTY, IT KIND OF TELLS YOU HOW RICH IT IS OUT HERE.
WITH THESE INITIAL TESTS, ARCHEOLOGISTS DETERMINE THE DEPTH REQUIRED OF THE SHOVEL TESTS IN THE NEXT PHASE.
THAT DEPTH IS WHEN THEY REACH A STERILE SOIL LAYER WHERE THEY NO LONGER SEE CULTURAL MATERIAL.
FOR PHASE ONE OF THIS PROJECT, A GRID IS LAID OVER THE SITE MAP.
THE SCOPE OF WORK HERE CALLS FOR SHOVEL TEST PROBES EVERY 10 METERS ACROSS THE ENTIRE THREE ACRES, RIGHT? OH.
USING A SURVEYING INSTRUMENT CALLED A TOTAL STATION PIN FLAGS ARE PLACED TO MATCH THE GRID MAP.
EACH FLAG IS IDENTIFIED BY ITS EXACT LOCATION.
A FIELD TEAM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S INSTITUTE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY IS CONTRACTED TO CONDUCT THE FIELD WORK.
THE DATA COLLECTED FROM THESE SHOVEL TESTS WILL GUIDE THE UPCOMING MONTH LONG EXCAVATION AS WELL AS ANY THAT MAY BE UNDERTAKEN IN YEARS TO COME.
ALL THE SOILS ARE SCREENED THROUGH A QUARTER INCH MESH.
ALL ARTIFACTS ARE BAGGED ACCORDING TO THEIR EXACT LOCATION AND DEPTH FOR LATER ANALYSIS FOR THE NEXT PHASE.
UNITS OF TWO METERS IN DIAMETER ARE LAID OUT IN THE AREAS CONFIRMED BY THE SHOVEL TESTS.
TO HAVE THE HIGHEST DENSITY OF ARTIFACTS, THE FIELD TEAM REMOVES SOIL LAYER BY LAYER.
SO HOW DEEP IS EACH LEVEL? SOMETIMES A STANDARD DEPTH OF 10 CENTIMETERS IS USED AT FORT FREDERICK.
THEY'LL EXCAVATE LAYERS ACCORDING TO CHANGES IN SOIL COLOR.
AGAIN, ALL THE DIRT IS SCREENED AND THE ARTIFACTS BAGGED.
THIS INFORMATION WILL ACCOMPANY THE ARTIFACTS THROUGHOUT THE CURATION PROCESS.
THESE UNITS SHOW AN OCCUPATION FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.
THIS IS STONE AMERICAN STONE WEAR WITH ONLY FOUR WEEKS BUDGETED FOR THE PROJECT.
THE FIELD TEAM MUST BE METICULOUS AND QUICK AT THE SAME TIME.
MOTORIZED SCREENERS HELP SPEED SIFTING THROUGH LARGE VOLUMES OF SOIL.
WHILE SOME TASKS REQUIRE A MORE DELICATE TOUCH LOOKING CLOSELY, SOME AREAS SHOW A COLOR CHANGE IN THE SOIL CALLED FEATURES.
THESE AREAS WERE LIKELY DISTURBED BY HUMANS IN THE PAST WHERE THESE POST HOLES FOR A STRUCTURE OR HOLES WHERE ITEMS OFTEN TRASH WERE BURIED.
THESE FEATURES ARE EXCAVATED FURTHER AS THEY OFTEN YIELD ARTIFACTS.
AND THESE FEATURES MUST BE EXCAVATED TO THEIR STERILE SOIL LAYER.
WORK IN THIS AREA OF THE SITE IS PLANNED FOR TWO WEEKS.
FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THIS PROJECT, THE TEAM MOVES TO THE FORD ITSELF.
THE DECISION IS MADE TO LAY OUT CONTIGUOUS TWO METER UNITS THAT SPAN THE FORT'S INTERIOR WALL TO WALL.
GIVEN THE DEPTH REQUIRED, THERE IS A LOT OF DIRT TO BE MOVED NEAR THE EAST WALL.
THE TEAM ENCOUNTERS A RUBBLE FILLED FEATURE.
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AND THE CONTENT'S BAGGED FOR THE TRIP TO THE LAB.EVERY CONCEIVABLE DATA POINT, STRATIGRAPHY SOIL COLORS, DEPTHS, AND FEATURES IS COLLECTED FOR LATER ANALYSIS.
THE EXCAVATION OF THE FORT'S INTERIOR HAS EXPOSED THE FULL DEPTH OF THE WALLS, YIELDING ARTIFACTS FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES THROUGH THE 19TH CENTURY.
NOW, LAB ANALYSIS WILL BEGIN TO PIECE TOGETHER UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE SITE'S LONG OCCUPATION.
BUT FIRST, BEFORE LEAVING THE SITE, THE UNITS ARE BACKFILLED TO PRESERVE THEIR INTEGRITY AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC WHEN THE SITE IS REOPENED.
UH, WE'VE BEEN REFERRING TO IT AS THE RUBBLE SCATTER AFTER MANY MONTHS IN THE PLANNING STAGES, A WEEK OF SHOVEL TEST PROBES, A MONTH OF UNIT EXCAVATIONS WITH MOUNTAINS OF SOIL MOVED, PLUS WEEKLY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC.
ARCHEOLOGY AT THIS SITE IS DONE FOR NOW.
IT IS HERE THAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT THEY FOUND WILL ASSESSED AND ADDED TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE WHO OCCUPIED THE FORT FREDERICK HERITAGE PRESERVE.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I THOUGHT YOU GUYS MIGHT GET A REAL KICK OUT OF THIS.
SO THIS IS A CORN SINK THAT I JUST CAUGHT, I MEAN, MINUTES AGO.
AND I'D PUT 'EM ON THE SIDE OF THE TREE BECAUSE I WANTED YOU GUYS TO SEE HOW GOOD A CLIMBERS THEY ARE.
NOW I'M GONNA MOVE IN JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
AND YOU NOTICE HOW THE EDGE OF THE SCALES ARE SLIGHTLY CURVED.
AND SO ON A CORN SNAKE, THEY CAN USE THOSE IRREGULAR SCALES TO GRIP ROUGH PARTS IN THE BARK AND GO STRAIGHT UP THE TRUNK OF A TREE.
AND OF COURSE THIS WORKS REALLY WELL FOR RAT SNAKES AND CORN.
SNAKES THAT CAN GET UP HIGH WHERE THEY CAN CATCH MICE AND RATS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND YES, OCCASIONALLY BLUE BIRDS, ALTHOUGH YELLOW RAT SNAKES ARE GENERALLY THE ONE THAT, UH, GETS INTO TROUBLE FOR THAT.
ANYWAY, CORN SNAKE, NON VENOMOUS.