FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Monahan
karen@coastalexpeditionsfoundation.org
646-242-3406

Sponsorship funds The Coastal Expeditions Foundation’s work in Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge

CHARLESTON, SC (November 14, 2022) Boeing has granted The Coastal Expeditions Foundation funds to make possible the organization’s Our Refuge initiative. Our Refuge focuses on coastal preservation, veteran education, and community service. It is the perfect alignment of Boeing’s community impact goals with the mission of the Foundation, and delivers comprehensive programming all with one focus location – the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR). The goal of the initiative is to not only preserve a valuable ecosystem, but to provide a forum for more people to visit and protect it.

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is the heart of the longest stretch of protected coastline on the east coast of the United States, and is one of only three Class One Wilderness areas on the Atlantic coast of North America. “We know at least two things about Wilderness, it is rare and it is precious.” said Chris Crolley, CEO of Coastal Expeditions and the Foundation’s Board Chair, “ The opportunity the Our Refuge initiative represents inside this bellwether refuge is unparalleled. The generous recognition by Boeing South Carolina will allow us to amplify what may prove to be the most important environmental work we will have a chance to take part in in our lifetimes.”

With coastal erosion encroaching upon our shores at an alarming rate, preservation efforts are critical. Like a canary in a coal mine, loggerhead sea turtles are an indicator species. Their plight is a harbinger of what is to come for other wildlife, and eventually humans. Boeing’s commitment to habitat and wildlife conservation and specifically the efforts inside CRNWR is a model for what is possible on the eastern seaboard.

Our Refuge continues the important preservation work in Cape Romain for the nearly 300,000 people who visit it annually, but the scope of the initiative aims to involve veterans and the community more deeply in its conservation.

“We value the Coastal Expedition Foundation’s commitment to preserving South Carolina’s precious coastline and their method of utilizing our local environment to help our military heroes transition to civilian life. The Our Refuge initiative will create greater access for many in the Lowcountry to experience the uniqueness of the coastal ecosystem, and we are proud to partner with them to make it possible,” said Lindsay Leonard, Senior Director of Government Operations for Boeing.

Our Refuge will support three of The Coastal Expeditions Foundations’ programs including: Coastal Warriors, a sea kayaking and resiliency training program for PTSD afflicted veterans; the Coastal Warriors Council, an ongoing veteran community engagement program that conducts environmental service projects with and within the community; and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nest Protection Program which inventories and protects loggerhead sea turtle nests on the barrier islands that comprise Cape Romain. This program has demonstrated remarkable success, with this year seeing the second most successful nesting season in the last 25 years.

“I cannot think of a more inspirational place to conduct habitat and wildlife preservation, run educational programming, and also engage the public in environmental service work than the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge,” said Karen Monahan, Executive Director of The Coastal Expeditions Foundation, “The scope of this grant allows us to not only protect habits and wildlife but also take people to experience it up close and this is completely fulfilling our mission. We are so grateful to Boeing for making this important work possible.”

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nest Protection Program
Every year, with a small staff and many volunteers, the Cape Romain Sea Turtle conservation program identifies, inventories, protects and relocates when necessary between 2,500-3,500 loggerhead sea turtle nests on the barrier islands that comprise Cape Romain. In 2017 the budget to conduct this critical work was cut. Through grass roots efforts The Coastal Expeditions Foundation has raised the funds every year to continue the program with this year having one of the most successful nesting seasons in the last 10 years recording 3,310 loggerhead nests. This grant provides the funds to fully support the current team needed, and also creates engagement opportunities for veterans, the community, non-profit partners and other institutions, including Boeing staff to participate in refuge preservation.

COASTAL WARRIORS PROGRAM
Coastal Warriors, which been funded by Boeing from its inception in 2018, is a ten week Veterans Sea Kayak and Resiliency Training Program, which gives military veterans the skills they need to prevent suicide by connecting them to their environment and each other. This grant will allow the program to incorporate more of the actual kayak training within the reserve, setting the stage for the ongoing work that will be conducted throughout the entire year through the Coastal Warriors Council.

Resiliency Training and Sea Kayaking Partnership
Adjustment to civilian life is difficult for many veterans. Many are hesitant to seek medical treatment for PTSD and related health issues. Many do not realize they need help or if they do, they are not equipped to ask for help. The Coastal Warriors Veterans Sea Kayaking and Resiliency Training (VSKRT) helps to sidestep the stigma of traditional medical treatment by folding a thorough curriculum of resilience training into a program of active, physical sea kayak skills instruction. Essential to sea kayaking are the skills of self-rescue (saving yourself in a life-threatening emergency), assisted rescue (working with someone to conduct a rescue), and receiving help (relying on the help of others to be rescued). Self-rescue requires self-awareness skills and confidence, while assisted rescue additionally requires the participant be willing to ask for help and have established a trusting bond with a fellow paddler, ensuring a successful partnership leading to rescue. By working in a group instructional setting, we are creating an environment based on peer education and the competitive, physical nature of the military culture so familiar to these veterans.

Coastal Warriors Council
Once veterans finish the Coastal Warriors program, they are invited to participate in environmental service projects through the Coastal Warriors Council to maintain their veteran community and give back. Past efforts have included litter sweeps and repairing trails/bridges at Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. This grant provides for expansion of that programming as well as provides the support to involve other community groups.

ABOUT BOEING
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and ind your purpose at boeing.com/careers.

Community Engagement:
At Boeing, we believe that in order to remain a sustainable, healthy, dynamic and global company, it’s imperative that we continue in our commitment to partner with and invest in the communities where our employees live and work—contributing to efforts that build and enhance the places we call home. We have an opportunity to be a force for change by recommitting to our values, all while advancing our community engagement strategy.

Guided by our principles, our strategy is focused on developing tomorrow’s innovators by investing in the skills required in today’s modern workplace, supporting military veterans and their families transitioning back to civilian life, encouraging environmental sustainability, and advancing racial equity and social justice. This is our legacy—and our duty—and we are moving forward together. Our Boeing Global Engagement website: http://www.boeing.com/principles/community-engagement.page

ABOUT THE COASTAL EXPEDITIONS FOUNDATION
Founded in 2018, The Coastal Expeditions Foundation, a 501c3 non-proit, has the mission to ensure that experiences with wildlife and the habitats we all share are accessible for all, and to provide opportunities for us to channel our collective passion for the environment into preserving and visiting these ecosystems for generations to come. We do this through our three program pillars: education, community service, and habitat and wildlife conservation.

ABOUT CAPE ROMAIN
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, extending 22 miles along the South Carolina Coast, is a rich mosaic of barrier islands with forest and ponds, vast salt marshes and intricate waterways. This diverse and dynamic system supports a myriad of wildlife including over 293 bird species, and is a critical stopover for many threatened migratory coastal birds. Nearly fifty percent of refuge lands (28,000 acres) are designated a Class I National Wilderness Area. It is the largest endangered loggerhead sea turtle nesting site in South Carolina and over 50% of endangered coastal birds rest and nest there. With nearly 300k visitors each year (2021), the impact of our work will be exponential, allowing visitors to appreciate this pristine environment for generations to come.