SCDNR News
Happy 70th anniversary to South Carolina Wildlife magazine!
December 06, 2023
Happy 70th Anniversary to South Carolina Wildlife magazine!
SCDNR’s flagship publication has been a constant voice for natural resources conservation for seven decades, since its debut in 1954!
Join us as we celebrate seven decades of outdoor adventures through the pages of this iconic magazine.
Then and Now
Back in 1954, South Carolina Wildlife Editor Eddie Finlay envisioned the perfect subject for the first spring cover of the state wildlife agency’s new publication. Randy Dunlap, then twelve years old, was known in his neck of the woods for his love of fishing and his ability to catch a fish! So, Finlay and SCW photographer Gordon Brown met Dunlap at a local pond where soon enough the young man was holding up a nice bream in one hand and his Orvis split bamboo fly rod in the other, all with a youthful twinkle in his eye.
Seven decades later, Dunlap stopped by to visit South Carolina Wildlife staff. To our surprise he had held on to his grandfather’s fly rod, the same rod that he was fishing with in the original 1954 cover shot! Check out the spring 1954 cover AND this 2023 reenactment! The spring 2023 photo of Randy Dunlap was taken by SCW’s current editor and photographer Joey Frazier. Dunlap had no problem hooking a bream in this magical moment! The complete video coverage of the event, created by SCDNR videographer Andrew Busbee, is featured here.
South Carolina State Library
South Carolina State Library is going all out for South Carolina Wildlife!
In recognition of South Carolina Wildlife magazine's 70th anniversary, the South Carolina State Library has transformed its lobby and website into a museum-like exhibit of the magazine’s history.
Visit the S.C. State Library (1500 Senate Street, Columbia, S.C.) from September 2023 through January 2024 to view a selection of eye-catching South Carolina Wildlife magazine covers from past years.
South Carolina Wildlife staff will talk about their roles and reflect on decades of brilliant art, photography and feature stories during two scheduled events: 10:30 a.m. to noon on December 7, 2023, and 3:30 p.m. on January 18, 2024.
https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/handle/10827/39394
South Carolina Wildlife digitized archives
The S.C. State Library and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources have partnered to digitize seven decades of South Carolina Wildlife magazine! Access here, via the State Library's State Documents Online Depository. Take a look back in time through the pages of South Carolina Wildlife!
https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/handle/10827/39394
South Carolina Wildlife photographers
Time flies! Just five years ago, South Carolina Wildlife photographers gathered to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of SCDNR's flagship magazine. The interview with past photographers reflects on decades of work and spectacular images that have been treasured by subscribers through the years. Produced by SCDNR video production manager Danielle Kent. (Photo below, from left: Ted Borg, Phillip Jones, Jim Goller, Robert Clark and Michael Foster.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQoEr9AGjC4
South Carolina Wildlife artists
Ellen Fishburne's art regularly appears in South Carolina Wildlife magazine. The January-February 2022 edition showcased her watercolors of a pileated woodpecker on the front cover and Catesby's gentian on the back cover. A feature article by SCW editor Cindy Thompson compared Fishburne's natural history illustration methods to that of 16th Century English naturalist and artist Mark Catesby. Accompanying the article is a time-lapse video of Fishburne painting, by SCDNR videographer Danielle Kent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFG5-C7manY
Join South Carolina Wildlife as we celebrate seven decades of awe-inspiring outdoor journeys!
The flagship publication of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Wildlife magazine is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of our state’s wildlife and natural resources.
Each page of South Carolina Wildlife is geared for adventure. Whether we’re sporting camouflage, a backpack or business attire, that childlike inquisitiveness comes alive when we receive a new issue of the magazine in the mail. What adventure will we go on next?
Join South Carolina Wildlife as we continue to explore and learn about the natural world around us.
Through this video, SCDNR videographer John Slice takes us on a journey from pages of South Carolina Wildlife’s 1992 edition . . . into the great outdoors! With SCW magazine, the story continues!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y17_CqRPio
Don’t miss the seventieth edition of South Carolina Wildlife! Subscribe or gift today to receive South Carolina Wildlife’s anniversary issue in January 2024!