Hundreds of Eastern Brown Pelicans and other coastal birds flew from Castle Pinckney in Charleston Harbor early Saturday morning, October 5th, as about a dozen volunteers aboard several small boats approached the site.

The volunteers were on a mission to clean up Castle Pinckney.

Armed with shovels and pitchforks and a variety of powered tools, including pruning shears, the volunteers cleared the entrance immediately within the fort’s front sallyport from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They also removed trash, including plastic bottles, and other debris in and around the fort.

Weeds and other plants had virtually overtaken Castle Pinckney’s interior since a larger group of volunteers removed most of the overgrowth in a major cleanup on April 1st. The overgrowth was so thick, according to Matthew Locke, who led Saturday’s cleanup, that another group of volunteers will probably revisit the site soon to remove more of it.

Volunteers periodically lower flags and hoist new ones when visiting Castle Pinckney.

Shortly before boarding boats to depart the fort early Saturday afternoon, volunteers re-hoisted the Honor and Remember Flag that was hoisted last November. The flag honors the LCpl. Roy Henderson Dalgliesh, USMC, and 1.3 million fallen service men and women. (See story, posted on Nov. 8, 2023.)

“Saturday’s cleanup was hard work,” Locke said, “but we accomplished our mission.”

Meanwhile, the hundreds of Pelicans and other coastal birds that flew from Castle Pinckney as volunteers approached for this week’s cleanup have long since returned. In fact, the birds began returning to the fort well before the volunteers had even left.

Before and after …

As shown above-left, weeds and other plants have virtually overtaken the interior of the fort since the previous major cleanup on April 1st. As shown above-right, volunteers successfully cleared the area immediately within the fort’s front sallyport on October 5th.