Letter: An unsung hero of clean waterways

With the proclamation of November as Port Royal Sound Month by our local councils and the emergence of the Port Royal Sound Foundation's Maritime Center at Lemon Island, it is appropriate that we remember one of the true heroes that laid the groundwork for protecting this great ecosystem, the late Bill Marscher.

In the fall of 1995, when more than 500 acres of Beaufort County shellfish beds had been closed due to pollution and there were no remedial plans offered by our state agencies, Bill organized the Clean Water Task Force, made up of local citizens and government officials to determine the extent of the problem and come up with a plan to reverse the trend.

With the guidance of the Coastal Conservation League, the task force created the award-winning report, "A Blueprint for Clean Water."

This 1997 report on strategies to protect and restore Beaufort County's waterways was adopted by our county government as a guideline for comprehensive planning and emulated by other South Carolina communities.

The work of the task force was then carried on by Nancy Schilling when she founded "Friends of the Rivers." In 2011, with the intent of expanding its mission to include protection and enhancement of all Port Royal Sound-area natural, historical and cultural resources, Friends of the Rivers evolved into the Port Royal Sound Foundation.

Bill Marscher's love of our Lowcountry waters, coupled with his dogged persistence, resourcefulness and inspiration, helped establish our corner of the state as the Atlantic coast's greatest natural treasure.

David Harter

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Letter: An unsung hero of clean waterways."