Community Vendors & Exhibitors

Native plant vendors and artisans will have pollinator plants, art and crafts on display and for purchase. Exhibitors from natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, and outdoor recreation businesses will have displays and materials available.

Music

The day will be filled with musical entertainment for your enjoyment. Artists will include: Danielle Howle, Greg Smith, Lowcountry Gospel Singers, Hank and Friends, Black River Band and the Awendaw Community Singers.

Sea Turtles and Salt Marshes - Conserving the Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Sally Murphy to Deliver Keynote Address

Sally Murphy, acclaimed sea turtle authority, delivers the Festival Keynote at 4:00 pm. Sally shares her stories about how Nature affected her life as a child growing up in South Carolina and then, defined her career as she stepped up to meet the seemingly insurmountable challenges of sea turtle conservation. Her presentation is both personal and professional. Sally’s passion for the natural world, intertwined with a fierce dedication to her life’s work, leads to groundbreaking preservation and protections for the Loggerhead and other sea turtles in South Carolina, in the nation and globally.  

Sally is the author of “Turning The Tide A Memoir”. Her book chronicles the creation of South Carolina’s sea turtle program, the evolution of the International Sea Turtle Society and the ACE Basin, and documents the decades-long battle for use of turtle excluder devices to protect sea turtles. Filled with her stories, Turning The Tide describes Sally’s personal and professional triumphs against tough odds. There will be a book signing following her presentation. Turning the Tide will be available for purchase throughout the day. 

Sally began her career with the SC Department of Natural Resources as their first Environmental Education Specialist, holding the position for three years before her work as a state wildlife biologist. During her 30-year career as biologist, she created a comprehensive statewide sea turtle program that included research, monitoring, management, and outreach. Her work resulted in numerous publications, symposium presentations and reports. Sally coordinated both the sea turtle (1980-2006) and the marine mammal (1991-2003) stranding networks in the state. 

Sally was Co-Leader of the U.S. Sea Turtle Recovery Team from 1979-1989 and a member of the U.S. Loggerhead/Green Turtle Recovery Team from 1989-1991. She served on the Protected Species Committee for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and on the Protected Resources Advisory Panel of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. She currently serves on the Beaufort County Historical Preservation Review Board and as president for Friends of Garden’s Corner from 2020 to present. She has volunteered for Heroes on Horseback in Bluffton since 2007.

Sally has received several recognitions and awards that include the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Environmental Stewardship from the South Carolina Aquarium in 2007 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society in 2011. In 2018, she received the “Hall of Fame” award from the Southeastern Regional Sea Turtle Network.