Former Capitol Hill environmental analyst and founder of multi-national coastal cleanup initiative to direct the department’s media By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Coastal resilience, sustainability, and communications expert Cheyenne Twilley has been named the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) new director of Public Information, effective May 19, 2025. AccordingContinue Reading

SCDNR Director Mullikin delivers commencement address at Coastal Carolina By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), delivered the commencement address to the gathered graduating students, friends, family, alumni, and faculty of Coastal Carolina University’s (CCU) College of Science and HonorsContinue Reading

SCDNR Director discusses progress of first three months By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Dr. Tom Mullikin newly sworn director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) has accomplished much since assuming the reigns of the 1,100-plus-employee state agency which, according to the department’s website, includes technicians, biologists, law enforcementContinue Reading

South Carolina agency coordinates law enforcement efforts with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement By W. Thomas Smith Jr. AS SPRING TURNS TO SUMMER and South Carolina vacationers’ thoughts turn to the Palmetto State’s 187 miles of pristine coastline, so too does the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ (SCDNR’s) law-enforcement armContinue Reading

The state’s new SCDNR Director is leading the way in galvanizing enthusiasm and partnering-participation in cleanup efforts around South Carolina   By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   In the near-seven weeks since Dr. Thomas Stowe “Tom” Mullikin assumed the reigns as director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR),Continue Reading

Columbia Green and the City of Columbia’s Forestry and Beautification Division have planted 1,290 trees through their Beat the Heat partnership in just six months— a goal originally projected to take five years. Initially funded by a USDA grant administered through the Arbor Day Foundation with support from the InflationContinue Reading

Why Dr. Tom Mullikin is the perfect choice to lead SCDNR into the future By W. Thomas Smith Jr.   More than two years ago, I wrote a piece, UNASSAILABLE GREATNESS, about a man whose remarkably exceptional career has not only been one for the books, but has only beenContinue Reading