Consortium Welcomes Slagel as Coastal Resilience Program Manager

Matt Slagel was recently hired as the Coastal Resilience Program manager, leading a team of extension specialists and graduate students working on projects and programs to strengthen the resilience of South Carolina’s coastal communities. The team accomplishes this by extending science-based information and technical support related to issues such as flooding, erosion, sea-level rise, shoreline management, land use, and extreme heat. He also contributes to research driven by community needs regarding coastal hazards and extreme weather.

Slagel earned a B.S. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in ocean sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Prior to joining the Consortium, he worked in coastal management for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and then the S.C. Department of Environmental Services in both planning and regulatory roles.

Registration Now Open for Coastal Science Research Symposium

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium is pleased to announce registration is now open for its third biennial Coastal Science Research Symposium, to be held at the College of Charleston, June 9-11, 2026. Registration will remain open until May 19, 2026, with a limited number of single-day and discounted student tickets.

This symposium serves as the South Carolina coast-wide public, professional forum for researchers, resource managers, marine educators, students, and community leaders to share findings, strengthen professional networks, and help inform the strategic direction of the Consortium’s applied, on-the-ground coastal research.

Topical areas will include coastal resilience, water quality, stormwater management, marine debris, coastal fisheries and aquaculture, science literacy, and sustainable coastal development.

Abstract Submissions for oral and poster presentations will be accepted through April 1, 2026.

Visit the Symposium website for more information, including the latest event updates and announcements.

Dolphins Signal Phthalate Pollution

Bottlenose dolphins are recognized by researchers as a ‘sentinel species,’ whose health and behavior are key to warning about environmental hazards. In Sarasota Bay, FL, one community of bottlenose dolphins, and the generations before it, has been providing researchers with the data needed to heed those warning signs for more than 55 years. Recently, researchers studying the health of these dolphins have detected prevalent and high concentrations of phthalates, a class of chemicals considered contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Phthalates are commonly added to plastic, household cleaners, and personal care products, enhancing properties such as flexibility, solubility, and durability.

This is the focus of the Consortium’s collaborative research project, “Climate factor influences, spatiotemporal variability, and bottlenose dolphin health related to phthalate exposure measured over 30 years in Sarasota Bay, Florida (1993–2023),” led by Principal Investigator Leslie Hart, Ph.D., at the College of Charleston, with a team of partners and collaborators. The research is sponsored by the Southeast CEC Program, which was established through a partnership between the Consortium, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, and the National Sea Grant Law Center. The program focuses on the environmental impacts on CECs, such as phthalates and PFAS, in the region.

Hart and her team aim to measure the dolphins’ exposure to phthalates and identify sources of contamination, determine what role weather events or environmental conditions have in the distribution of phthalates, and inform the public about the risks of phthalate exposure caused by plastic pollution. Understanding the health of dolphins in other U.S. regions leads to a better understanding of the marine mammal populations found off the coast of S.C.

Learn more about phthalate exposure in dolphins, contamination pathways, and study methodologies in the full version of the article. For more information, contact Brooke Saari, Coastal Environmental Quality and Extension Services specialist, at (843) 953-6406 or Leslie Hart, Ph.D., principal investigator, at (843) 953-5191.

Kylie Warden, Stella Martin, and Leslie Hart work with National Marine Mammal Foundation Biologist Todd Speakman on a bottlenose dolphin photo-identification survey in Charleston Harbor. Similar surveys in Sarasota Bay assisted in identifying dolphin home ranges for spatial analysis of phthalate exposure. Photo: Catie Cleveland, College of Charleston.

Special thanks to Hailey Murphy, Coastal Public Information coordinator, for providing this research update.

“Save Our Saluda” President Receives 2025 Environmental Award

The S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and participating state agencies recently announced Melanie Ruhlman, president of “Save Our Saluda,” as the recipient of the 2025 South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award. Ruhlman was presented with the award during a ceremony held on February 3, 2026, at EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia, S.C.

Ruhlman received this recognition for her leadership in water-quality protection and watershed planning in the Upper Saluda Watershed. She spearheaded the development of two watershed plans, engaged more than 22 community partners to address pollution, and led two successful Clean Water Act Section 319 grant implementation projects, with a third underway. These efforts prevent an estimated 5,650 tons of sediment from entering South Carolina waterways each year.

The South Carolina General Assembly established the South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award during the 1992 legislative session to recognize outstanding contributions made toward the protection, conservation, and improvement of South Carolina’s natural resources. Each year, residents are encouraged to submit nominations that are then reviewed by an awards committee comprised of representatives from the S.C. Forestry Commission, S.C. Department of Environmental Services, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, and S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Read the full press release on the Consortium’s website. For more information about the awards, contact April Turner, Coastal Communities Program specialist, at (843) 953-2073 or Susan Ferris Hill, Communications Program specialist, at (843) 953-2092.



SCDES Director Myra Reece (left) presents the 2025 South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award to “Save Our Saluda” President Melanie Ruhlman. Photo: S.C. Department of Environmental Services.