Barrier Island Eco Tours 50 41st Avenue Isle of Palms, SC 29451 843.886.5000 http://nature-tours.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/barrier-island-eco-tours/122897724440584 Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/107526428024194152646/about
Testimonials "A special thanks to Shane Ziegler of Barrier Island Eco Tours, Isle of Palms, for sharing his invaluable insights andvast knowledge about the Lowcountry, its wildlife and ecosystem. And the tours are fabulous!" -Mary Alice Monroe, Author of The Beach House Barrier Island Ecotours is hands down worth a trip to Charleston to experience. The sights of the salt marsh and all it has to offer is worth every penny. Where else can you experience up close and personally all the marine and terrestrial wildlife the estuaries and capers island has to offer? From dolphins, crabs, deer, allligators, abundant fish, you will have a blast being entertained by the outdoors. Every trip is a surprise because you don't know what you will encounter. If you want peace and relaxation at the same time of excitement these are the trips for you and your family and friends of any ages. Ask the naturalists and they will tell you the hot spots of where to go and what trips are best suited for your group. -Lee Sparwasser As Charleston locals, my family has the incredible opportunity to go on a nature tour with Barrier Island Ecotours at least once a summer and often times, more! With their many options like crabbing trips, dolphin excursions, sunset cruises, etc., we always have a great time and it's never the same trip twice. The captains handle the boats with precision, and the naturalists have an incredible amount of knowledge and keep everyone entertained and laughing. And then there's the fishing charters! Our daughter LOVES fishing with Mr. Shane, and every time we've been out, she's caught enough fish to make her ask almost every day when we can go again. I highly recommend Barrier Island Ecotours for visitors and locals alike... - Michael Schumpert
Capers Island State Heritage Preserve Capers IslandCapers Island is a classic, undeveloped obstacle island located about 15miles north of Charleston between Dewees Island and the Cape Romain NationalWildlife Refuge. The island lies about three miles from the mainland, is around three miles in length, and just available by watercraft. It incorporates 850 acres of maritime uplands, 214 acres of front beach, 1,090 acres of salt marsh, and over 100 acres of brackish water impoundments. Capers is the southwestern end of a 60 mile stretch of the South Carolina coast that is owned either by the state or federal government, and is protected from any type of development. This uniquely untainted coastal area includes the Cape RomainNational Wildlife Refuge, the Santee Coastal Reserve, and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife. History The Native Americans were the initial residents on Capers Island. A few shell middens consisting of oyster, clam, whelk, and periwinkle shells are discovered on the southwestern tip. The Seewee Indians had a village near Bulls Bay and a fort near the west side of Toomer Creek (across the waterway from Capers) in 1685. There are shell remains on Dewees Island that go back as early as 2000 BC. In 1659 3 French Huguenot brothers from Wales - Richard, Gabriel, and William Capier, after refusing holy orders from their dad, sailed to America. In 1679 they picked exactly what is now called Capers Island. Gabriel and Richard lived on Capers Island and the sea coastline of South Carolina, and their families after them for 175 years or till the Civil War in 1865.
Capers, known as Sessions Island, from 1675-1705 and Capore Island up until 1722, was one of numerous sea islands the King of England proclaimed for the Crown upon discovery. He later released grants for the colonists who grew indigo, sea islandcotton, corn, sugarcane, celery, asparagus, cauliflower, snap beans, melons, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, beets, and carrots. Ownership altered hands a lots timesrom 1868 until 1975. The Magwoodfamily owned Capers in the very early 1900s. In 1924 Coulter Hyler, a candy manufacturer, whose hearts desire to survive a sea island in South Carolina, acquired Capers for $35,000 and Dewees Island for $25,000. The Reynolds Corporation purchased Dewees and Capers in the late 1950s for hunting and fishing. In 1961 the Reynolds Corporation built the 100 acre impoundment on Capers Island for waterfowl searching. In 1972 the Royals purchased Dewees and Capers Island. The State of South Carolina purchased Capers from the Royals in 1975 for 2.8 million dollars and designated Capers as a State Heritage Preserve in 1977..
Fishing Charters Charleston SC Scheduled Trips Dolphin Discovery Sunset Cruise
Blue Crabbing Excursion Creek Fishing Marine Biology Day Camp
Shane Ziegler Owner/Captain/Naturalist Shane is originally from Atlanta and spent his summers vacationing with his family on the Isle of Palms. Pulling seine nets in the tidal creeks, crabbing, and fishing with his family in the salt marshes while they were on vacation sparked his deep interest for marine biology. Shane and his family moved to the Isle of Palms the summer before his freshman year at Wando High School. During his high school years on Isle of Palms, Shane spent the majority of his free time exploring the salt marsh, fishing, crabbing, shrimping, and roasting oysters with his friends on small hammock islands. Julie Cliff, his Marine Biology teacher at Wando, further inspired his passion in the marine world. During his summer internship in 1995 while attending Clemson University, he worked in four different South Carolina State Parks including Hunting Island State Park. At Hunting Island he realized the naturalist position was exactly what he wanted to pursue as a career. After graduating Clemson with a Bachelor of Science degree in Resource Management, Shane began his career as a naturalist at Hunting Island as an assistant to Mike Walker, head naturalist at the park. Shane enjoyed working at Hunting Island for a year and a half performing sea turtle research and barrier island and salt marsh ecology programs for visitors and school groups. At the end of 1997 he left Hunting Island to pursue his own business, Barrier Island Eco Tours, with Jose Hernandez. Shane now operates Barrier Island Eco Tours with his wife Morgan. They are able to run a small business and still find free time of their own for fishing, island exploring, or just relaxing on the house boat together with their dog Emma.
Morgan Ziegler Sales Manager/Owner Morgan grew up in Columbia, SC and visited the Carolina coast every year with her parents and grandparents. As a child and young adult, she was fascinated with the sea and the animals that lived in it. She loved swimming in the ocean and hunting for sharks teeth and shells with her Grandmother on the beach. Her passion for the marine world, and spending time in nature grew with her. Morgan later attended Clemson University with a major in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Morgan chose Travel and Tourism as her emphasis area in PRTM, and became very interested in the growing trend of eco tourism around the world. She decided for her summer internship to pursue eco tourism in the Charleston area, and luckily acquired an internship with Barrier Island Eco Tours the summer before graduating from Clemson. She fell in love with the business and Charleston s coast that summer, and decided to move to the area after graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science. She continued to work with Barrier Island Eco Tours in the summers, and began a career in event and wedding planning in downtown Charleston. While working with the company, Morgan and her dog Emma, also fell in love with Barrier Island Eco Tour s owner Shane Ziegler. Morgan and Shane are now married, live in Mt. Pleasant, and are running the business together. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, fishing, biking, boating and being with friends and family. Princess Emma, Dolphin Pointer/Fishing Guide Emma was a lost puppy found on Hwy. 76 in Anderson, S.C. when she was just 3 months old. By luck and fate she found a home with Morgan who was attending Clemson University at the time. Emma and Morgan did a lot of hiking to waterfalls, mountain biking and camping in the upstate.
Emma was very excited to move to Charleston with Morgan after leaving Clemson, and now lives in Mt. Pleasant with her Mom and Dad. She enjoys fishing with Shane (especially sharks); running on the beach, chasing squirrels, lots of treats and belly rubs. Princess Emma is the best Dolphin Pointer around and she would love to see you on a boat trip soon! Kid's Birthday Themed Parties -Pirate Treasure Hunt on Capers Island with beachside hamburger and hot dog cookout -Pirate included -Blue Crabbing(kids learn to go crabbing with hand lines and nets) -Shark fishing adventure Our fleet consists of a 6 passenger 23 foot bay boat, a 3 passenger flats boat for shallow water fishing targeting redfish, and a 12 passenger 27 foot Carolina Skiff for larger groups. We work closely with several of the top guides that also run out of the Isle of Palms Marina and can put together groups of 50 or more. Our captains are well experienced, patient, friendly, and have a deep passion for what they do. We cater to those who want a relaxed fishing trip with plenty of action. Our guides take extra care
with kids making sure they have the best experience possible. When taking a fishing charter with Barrier Island EcoTours, you get more than just a fishing trip. Our guides are also naturalists and while catching fish, you will also gain knowledge about the dynamics of the salt marsh. Contact Information Barrier Island Eco-Tours 50 41st Avenue Isle of Palms, SC 29451 843.886.5000 http://nature-tours.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/barrier-island-eco-tours/122897724440584 Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/107526428024194152646/about