Volunteer at Hunting Island
Friends of Hunting Island State Park was founded in 1993 to help preserve and enhance the unique bio-diversity of South Carolina’s Hunting Island State Park. Friends of Hunting Island offers its members an effective and fun way to assist Hunting Island State Park in conserving the natural wonders and promoting the educational opportunities that exist on the island. Since its founding, membership has swollen from a handful of individuals to hundreds of active families.
Membership in Friends of Hunting Island makes you a champion of the park and an environmental steward. We work in partnership with the paid staff to maintain and improve the 5,000-acre barrier island. We often have programs and projects that require volunteer support; watch our newsletter for opportunities and check in on our Social Media pages
for ad-hoc projects that pop up.
How You Can Help
Lighthouse
​
Trained volunteers conduct scheduled Lighthouse tours. The Grand reopening of the Hunting Island Lighthouse in May, 2026 is shining bright after a multi million dollar refurbishment.
​
Our docents are on site and ready to show you the beauty and history of this 1859 National Treasure.
​
Please visit Lighthouse Volunteer or contact our Lighthouse Director,
Ted Panayotoff at keepertedp@gmail.com
Sea Turtle Conservation Project
​
Our plan for the future seasons, which runs from May 1 to usually mid October when the last nest hatches and is inventoried, is to have people interested in volunteering come walk with us for one season to learn and make sure it is something that you want to do.
Volunteering requires one day a week commitment for at least the majority of the season for the sake of your team. We of course take medical conditions and emergency situations as well as vacations into account and those can be expected from time to time. We have implemented this plan related to a quickly growing volunteer base and a beach that is getting smaller related to erosion. Our returning volunteers who have given us their loyalty, time, energy, and effort are very important to us and we want to ensure that there is enough for everyone to do. This also limits the number of new volunteers that get a few weeks into our season and deciding that the 6AM time commitment or walking in the heat just aren’t for them after all the hard work, effort, and time it takes to get them registered and on the beach. During this first season, you will not be able to actively work with the eggs or sea turtles but can be there and witness everything that we see. This first season of learning also ensures that by the time people complete that first season, they will have all the knowledge necessary to safely complete the work that we do. This is better for the safety and conservation of the sea turtles which is why we are all here.
If you are interested in starting your training season, let us know if there are any days that you are not available to walk along with a team. We will choose volunteers for next season based on participation this season. Thank you so much for your interest in our project! For more information, please visit Sea Turtle Conservation Project or contact FOHIseaturtleproject@gmail.com
Shorebird Stewardship Program
​
The Friends of Hunting Island has been working with Audubon South Carolina since 2019 to protect the sanctuary on North Beach. Since then, we have been witness to the preservation of a wonderful nesting area that has become a natural and undisturbed habitat, removed from most beach goers, allowing shorebird and seabird parents to safely forage for food and raise their young with minimal human disturbance. This nesting area has grown over the years and was especially protected, for development, during covid restrictions in 2020 and 2021. North beach has also become home to migratory birds which stop to rest and refuel. Federally threatened Piping Plovers and Red Knots have all been seen here at Hunting Island due to the protection of this sanctuary, as well as Wilson’s Plover, American Oystercatchers, Least Tern, Black Skimmers, Snowy Egret and Willets. For information on how to be part of this exciting new team, visit Shorebird Stewardship at Hunting Island, or please contact our Director at FOHIbirdstewardship@gmail.com.
​
Conservation Outreach
is a newly introduced FOHI initiative seeking to “reach out” and bring together caring individuals and organizations working towards the shared, synergistic goal of protecting and enhancing Hunting Island State Park and the surrounding natural lands that support it and us.
Highlighting the achievements and partnering to support the ongoing missions of these individuals and groups, FOHI hopes to inspire new faces to volunteer and participate in reaching our shared goals.
​
FOHI will host periodic events at the Nature Center to showcase both our programs protecting Sea Turtles, Shorebirds and clean water as well as the substantial conservation minded efforts of others. People only work to protect what they understand and value. HISP, St. Phillip’s Island and the surrounding preserved lands of the ACE basin are as much a continued success story due to the efforts of dedicated individuals and organizations such as FOHI, The Open Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited as they are of state and federal agencies.
​
For more information, please visit Conservation Outreach or email FOHIConservationOutreach@gmail.com
Environmental Project
​
Trails has expanded to include our Adopt-a-Stream Project and various other volunteer opportunities around the 5,000 acre State Park. A new initiative - Adopt-a-Stream Project has been introduced at Johnson Creek and is sponsored by Clemson Extension and DHEC. FOHI will be a reliable steward tasked to measuring and observing water pollution for these organizations in our water ways including fresh water, salt marshes and the tidal creeks of Hunting Island. Trails development, improvement and maintenance are other examples of getting involved in this highly popular conservation effort at Hunting Island. To join our Environmental Team, please contact our Director at FOHIenvironment@gmail.com. Visit Environment at Hunting Island for more information.
Wild Island Nature Garden Project
Introducing FOHI's newest volunteer project!
​
Join the Wild Island Nature Garden Project and become a vital part of preserving the stunning natural beauty of Hunting Island State Park. Our project focuses on cultivating native plants, nurturing local wildlife habitats, and enhancing the park's visitor facilities.
​
As a member, you will not only play a key role in conservation efforts but also immerse yourself in the rich biodiversity that makes Hunting Island truly special. Your dedication and passion can make a lasting impact, ensuring that generations to come can enjoy our beautiful landscapes.
​
Led by Master Gardeners, the teams will be assigned locations throughout the Park to maintain and cultivate, while learning the landscape and vegetation from our seasoned project leaders.
​
Become a Member and select this category on the Volunteer Form and we will contact you as we develop this newly created core conservation project. Join us today in this rewarding endeavor and help preserve the magic of Hunting Island State Park.
Construction Projects
From time to time, Friends of Hunting Island takes on construction projects that can range from painting, repairing, and upkeep to top-to-bottom construction jobs. One of our favorite projects was building the Virtual Mobile Lighthouse Unit in 2025. We had a great team of volunteers assist and they had fun making it happen. When help is needed, these jobs will be advertised in the monthly newsletter or contact FOHIconstructionproject@gmail.com for more information.
Visit Construction Projects at Hunting Island
Education​
Assist the Park's Interpretive Ranger with educational duties as needed and requested. Volunteers may be asked to act as chaperones or station managers during field trips, or to deliver talks about Hunting Island ecologies. A brief training will be required for volunteers who wish to assist with field trips. For more information, please contact rdunn@scprt.com.