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SCDNR News

Hampton Wildlife Fund donates $195,800 to SCDNR for conservation projects

March 28, 2024

The Hampton Wildlife Fund has presented the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) with a check for $195,800 to be used for state-wide projects during 2024. The total donated to SCDNR by the Hampton Wildlife Fund over the years now stands at $4,574,970.

The Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund Inc. (Hampton Wildlife Fund) is a private, non-profit corporation which partners with SCDNR for the promotion of natural resources and natural resource education, which benefits the conservation of wildlife, marine and other resources in South Carolina. Funds are obtained solely through private donations and special promotional projects and fundraising events. Although some of the funds are donated to special projects run by SCDNR, they are not used to replace any of the department’s programs already supported by state-appropriated money.

"Our mission is to raise dollars in support of SCDNR, the stewards of South Carolina’s vast wildlife and natural resources and to be a partner in the agency’s educational efforts," said Hampton Wildlife Fund Board Chair Alvin Taylor, who is a former director of SCDNR.

"We are committed to providing SCDNR with funding for Palmetto State citizen programs, especially youth programs," said Hampton Wildlife Fund Executive Director Jim Goller of Beaufort and a DNR retiree.

Public education of wildlife and marine resources management and conservation is a major thrust of the fund’s purpose. Scholarships are annually awarded to South Carolina resident students who attend South Carolina institutions of higher learning majoring in wildlife, fisheries, forestry, biology, zoology, marine science, environmental science or related fields, with one awarded annually in the field of law enforcement/criminal justice and one in the field of journalism. Since 1995, The Hampton Wildlife Fund has awarded more than $1.1 million in scholarships to South Carolina students.

Projects supported and funded by the Hampton Wildlife Fund include:

  • Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic
  • Sassafras Mountain Overlook project
  • SCDNR shotgun and archery shooting sports in schools’ programs
  • Operation Game Thief
  • Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs youth fishing rodeos
  • Take One Make One youth mentoring program
  • Aquatic Education Program, Carolina Coastal Marine Education Program and Educational Vessel Discovery
  • Tiger shark research and tagging in Port Royal, St. Helena sounds
  • SCDNR Land, Water and Conservation Envirothon
  • Camp Wildwood
  • Bruce Rush Artificial Reef and the S.C. Memorial Deepwater Reef Project
  • Bruce Rush Pavilion and Youth Archery Range, Anne Springs Close Greenway
  • Hampton Wildlife Fund Adventure Center, Anne Springs Close Greenway

Find out more about the Hampton Wildlife Fund by visiting hamptonwildlifefund.org or visit on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/harryhamptonfund/.