SC Department of Natural Resources Receives State Partnership Award from Keep America Beautiful
Columbia, SC (March 2, 2026)–Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB) honored the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for leadership in river restoration, cleanup and corridor stewardship across the Palmetto State. The KAB State Partnership Award was presented during the Keep America Beautiful National Summit awards ceremony, which took place Friday, February 27 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Central to the KAB award was the removal of a long-standing log jam on the State Scenic Lynches River near the Chesterfield–Kershaw county line and cleanups conducted along the SC7 expedition (SC7 being an annual statewide expedition across South Carolina from the mountains to the sea). The river obstruction had restricted flow, accelerated bank instability and created hazards for more than four years.
Through coordinated action with public and private partners, the project restored navigability, improved safety and protected sensitive riparian habitat. Officials with Keep America Beautiful and PalmettoPride commended SCDNR’s broader collaboration on litter prevention and waterway protection statewide.
“SCDNR is integral to the work of our state’s Keep America Beautiful affiliates and PalmettoPride,” said Sarah Lyles, executive director of PalmettoPride. “We are grateful for their partnership and honored to nominate them for this national award.”
SCDNR and its partners have installed and maintain more than 132 monofilament recycling bins at waterways across the state, helping prevent discarded fishing line from harming wildlife.
The agency’s month-long SC7 Expedition also contributed to the recognition through coordinated cleanups, educational outreach and beautification projects from the Upstate to the coast.
Mullikin said the two awards in three days highlight the importance of sustained collaboration. “Our natural resources do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries,” he said. “These awards reflect the strength of partnerships across South Carolina and our shared commitment to protecting the lands and waters that define this state.”
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About
PalmettoPride leads statewide efforts that inspire and empower community action, build public awareness and support local solutions that reduce litter and care for South Carolina’s environment. Created as the South Carolina Governor’s Task Force on Litter by the SC General Assembly in 1997, the organization became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2001 and was renamed PalmettoPride — a public-private partnership united by a shared goal: preventing litter by shifting attitudes, habits and expectations around waste in South Carolina.