AIC's 51st Annual Meeting

The rich history of the South Carolina Lowcountry is preserved not only within its many archives, libraries, museums, special collections, and historical societies but also through its cultural landscapes, historic and archaeological sites, neighborhoods, and tribal and historic communities. These sites and collections can be utilized to study everything from the Lowcountry practice of sweetgrass basketry to evolutionary biology as a function of climate change. However, the impacts of climate-related disasters on coastal communities increase in frequency and intensity with every passing year. This is especially true for the Lowcountry, where the ever-present threat of coastal erosion, sea level rise, and tidal flooding can easily threaten and overwhelm this low-lying landscape.

The Alliance for Response (AFR) initiative, generously supported by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), provides a flexible model which can be adapted for region-specific considerations. The Lowcountry Alliance for Response (LAFR) network must be developed to meet the unique demands of the Lowcountry where the daily threat of tidal “sunny-day” flooding compounds the annual threat of tropical systems and storm surge, and with a vast number of historic sites and cultural landscapes outside the typical “institutional custodian” structure that contribute heavily to the Lowcountry’s unique culture and sense of place. The negative effects of climate change on the cultural heritage sector are of grave concern as heritage custodians are continually asked to undertake more responsibilities with fewer resources. Furthermore, marginalized communities are even more susceptible to loss of their material culture and heritage from environmental impacts and commercial development.

LAFR held its Kick-Off Forum on June 21, 2022. The steering committee was comprised of Clemson University’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, Charleston Library Society, City of Charleston’s Emergency Management Division, Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, Historic Charleston Foundation, Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the South Carolina Historical Society. Ultimately, LAFR will aim to increase preparedness and resilience of cultural assets in the Lowcountry by fostering local connections with emergency responders, supporting organizations in writing emergency plans and training staff, and advocating for inclusion of historically excluded stakeholders. With a regional focus, LAFR can better tailor the network to address regional threats and risk factors as well as provide stronger connections between local first responders, emergency managers, and heritage custodians who must be working cooperatively in a time of crisis.