SCDNR and SCETV launch new conservation storytelling initiative with premiere of Into the Wild

August 07, 2026

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) has launched a new multimedia partnership with South Carolina ETV and Public Radio (SCETV) to highlight the people, places, and conservation efforts that protect South Carolina’s natural resources.

The collaboration officially launched on Aug. 5 with the debut of Into the Wild, a new one-minute feature segment airing weekdays on South Carolina Public Radio (SC Public Radio) and hosted by SCDNR Director Dr. Tom Mullikin. The partnership will continue to grow over the coming months through additional television, radio, and digital programming designed to connect South Carolinians with the state’s natural resources and the people dedicated to conserving them.

Rooted in a shared commitment to education and public service, the partnership uses compelling storytelling to inspire greater understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of South Carolina’s wildlife, waterways, and natural landscapes.

Into the Wild airs weekdays at 5:42 a.m., 7:42 a.m., and 12:42 p.m. on South Carolina Public Radio and is also available on demand wherever listeners get their podcasts.

Through stories, observations, and discoveries from his travels across South Carolina, Dr. Mullikin explores conservation, outdoor recreation, fisheries, forests, boating, hunting, and the remarkable people and wildlife that make the state’s natural heritage unique. Each segment encourages audiences to get outside, discover the state’s natural resources, and embrace their role as stewards of South Carolina’s outdoor heritage.

The partnership will also expand to television and digital platforms with What's Wild: The Protectors, a special season of the award-winning series expected to premiere early next year. Hosted by Dr. Mullikin and produced by SCETV in partnership with SCDNR, the six-episode season will take viewers behind the scenes of conservation work happening across South Carolina, featuring stories on the state’s bat populations, marine resources research, the SCDNR K9 Team, oyster shell recycling, shorebird protection efforts, and the restoration of the recovering wood stork population.

"This partnership allows us to share the incredible conservation work happening across South Carolina every day," said SCDNR Director Dr. Tom Mullikin. "Whether through radio, television, or digital media, we hope these stories encourage more people to experience the outdoors, better understand our natural resources, and become lifelong stewards of them."

For more information about this initiative, click here.