WOB - Key Note Speaker Craig Watson & Dinner - Sept. 21, 2023 @ 5:30 p.m.

Key Note Speaker Craig Waston currently resides in Charleston County South Carolina where he previously worked as a full time migratory bird biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Now retired, Craig moved to South Carolina 33 years ago and began his career with the U.S. Forest Service managing Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, particularly after Hurricane Hugo decimated the habitat and population of the woodpeckers. Craig transitioned into his most recent position with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 25 years ago, where his primary duties were securing funds for bird habitat conservation from North Carolina to Puerto Rico.

His most recent collaborative effort is the newly released Black Rail Conservation Plan and working with partners on the Atlantic Coast for the conservation of Black Rail. Craig currently serves as the Chair of the Grants Committee of the Carolina Bird Club (CBC) and was former Vice President of the CBC. He works part time for Ventures Bird Tours. He is also a volunteer for Audubon South Carolina and South Carolina DNR, leading local trips. He also leads trips for various birding festivals in the US, including the North Shore Birding Festival in Lake Apopka area in Florida, and The Biggest Week in American Birding on the shores of Lake Erie. Craig participates in many Christmas Bird Counts and leads other local birding activities. Craig spends most of his time exploring and birding, and spreading the word about birds!

The History of Lowcountry Boils
Seafood boils in the Lowcountry can be traced back to Gullah-Geechee culture, where food was often cooked as one-pot meals with seafood + vegetables.
The modern version of the dish is said to have been created in the 1960s in the Frogmore community on St. Helena Island by Richard Gay, who named the dish “Frogmore Stew.” Later, the dish became more commonly known as “Beaufort Stew” or “Lowcountry Boil.”

Catering Provided by Sea Eagle Market