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OUTDOORS GREENVILLE

IMPORTANT: Call the given phone numbers to verify information posted on this page.

February 17, SC Native Plant Society
Special meeting with Rudy Mancke
Here's your chance to get Rudy Mancke to ID that mystery plant or critter you've been wondering about!  Bring it with you when you come to hear "A Naturalist Looks at Connections in Nature." The SC Native Plant Society invites the Upstate community to hear SC's best-known naturalist on Tuesday.  
7:00 pm, with a reception following.  
LOCATION: J. Verne Smith Technical Resource Center Auditorium, Greenville Tech Main Campus, 620 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville
Contact: www.scnps.org or call (864)-242-5400.

February 20, Pruning and Mulching Workshop
Trees Greenville will sponsor the first "Best Practices" workshop taught by Scott Carlson
.  This workshop will include the proper methods of pruning (NOT topping) crape myrtles and proper mulching, and will be a hands-on demonstration targeting those in the landscape industry, gardeners and Trees Greenville volunteers.
3:00pm- 5:00pm
LOCATION: Brutontown Community Center
Contact: (864) 313-0765 or email at volunteer@treesgreenville.org 

FEB 13-16 2009 ---The Great Backyard Bird Count is held February 13-16, 09. All the information from the GBBC and other surveys goes into a massive bird database called the Avian Knowledge Network. AKN now holds 36 million records of bird observations which are used by scientists around the world.Information is at The Great Backyard Bird Count

CAESARS HEAD HAWK WATCH SCHEDULE
September every year

Hawk Migration is one of natures most spectacular events. Each year thousands of hawks migrate south for the winter. These fascinating creatures make use of the prevailing wind currents as warm air from the valley below mixes with the cool air on the ridge of Caesars Head. The overlook provides a great opportunity to witness this annual event. Join us and learn about hawk migration and maybe witness part of this movement. Bring binoculars. Designed for ages 15 and older.
CONTACT: Caesars Head 8155 Geer HWY, Cleveland, SC 29635
Phone: (864) 836-6115

A book about Lake Hartwell has been published. Lake Hartwell, The Great lake of the South, by Russell Smith, is a informal collection fo lake loreprovides an in-depth, interestingly true and, in part, entertaining look at one of the nation's most visited lakes.As many as 14 million annual visitors can't be wrong. There's info about fishing, talkin' about fishing, wildlife, maps, state parks and campgrounds. Chapters about the construction, lake history, and a chapter of "bunk & more bunk."

Download the order form and learn more. Smith welcomes your input and additional info for the next edition of the Hartwell lake book. Each future edition will be updated with added or corrected information, as it becomes available. Similar guidebooks are planned for other aea lakes.

Russell Smith can be reached at rssmith@charter.net
or 132 Buckhead Drive, Townville SC 29689. (864) 238-1917.

WALK & HIKE

Cleveland Park in downtown greenville provides paved and unpaved light hiking and walking paths, playgrounds, tennis, volleyball, softball, a dog park and other points of interest. Reedy River runs through this very large city park.

Falls Park on The Reedy river is downtown's gem with winding walkways, trails, spectacular gardens and the "Liberty" suspension bridge. For a detailed tour of this park see the featured Reedy River Park photos on this website.

Paris Mountain State Park Located just minutes from downtown Greenville. Among many walk/hike features, there's the Fire Tower Trail, a mountain bike (bicycle) trail and more: Call 244-5565. More park photos and info coming soon.
Also, the
Paris Mountain State Park amphitheater.

Fernwood Nature Trail The Sierra Club has for a number of years maintained the Fernwood Nature Trail. This trail is found at the horse stable end of Cleveland Park on Woodland Way, across from the Julie Valentine sculpture play area. It runs up a creek bed and is about 1/4 mile long. Trees and plants are identified (courtesy of the Furman University Biology Department) with numbered posts and there are descriptive keys at the beginning of the trail. You are encouraged to enjoy the trail. Local schools use this wonderful resource in their teaching.

Linky Stone Park Canoe & Kayak Slalom Course in the Reedy River at Linky Stone Park, near the Peace Center in downtown. See description of Reedy River Paddling Guide, below.

Friends of the Reedy River Paddle Fest, maps, river history, river safety and activities along the Reedy River in upstate South Carolina. Website.

http://www.sctrails.net/TRAILS/Links.html

Also see field trips, park tours, hikes, workshops, paddling tours offered by the following groups:

PRESERVATION

Upstate Forever OUTINGS: visit the website for schedule: field trips, park tours, hikes, workshops, paddling tours. For info or to RSVP email gwilson@upstateforever.org or call (864) 250-0500.
Upstate Forever promotes sensible growth in upstate South Carolina, including Save Our Streams, a project to control and reduce the impact of pollution and storm water, to protect flood plains from imprudent development, and to preserve critical buffers along streams and rivers. upstateforever.org.

The Saluda-Reedy Watershed Consortium Greenville's watershed covers 1,200 square miles and is 80-miles long. It's the entire area from the Mountain Bridge Wildreness to Lake Greenwood, inlcuding along the way, the Reedy River Falls Park in dowtown Greenville. This is where Greenville's drinking water comes from. saludareedy.org.

Save Our Saluda A newly organized Citizens Action Group started in Marietta, South Carolina. The Mission Statement is about protecting and preserving the headwaters of the Saluda watershed through concerned citizen action. S.O.S is dedicated to monitor the aggressive development in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the effects of development that causes degradation to our fragile and diverse ecosystems and pristine rivers. Visit the website of the Save Our Saluda organization by clicking here.

SC Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR). SC State Hunting & Fishing License Info: South Carolina hunting & fishing licenses expire June 30 of each year. Residents and nonresidents age 16 and older are required to purchase licenses to hunt and fish. Anyone born after June 30, 1979, is required to complete a hunter education course to purchase a hunting license. Residents 64 years or older may purchase a lifetime combination hunting & fishing license. For more information contact the SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Write to: Regulations, P.O. Box 167, Columbia SC 29202. Call (803) 734-3833.
OPERATION GAME THIEF You can help the Department protect South Carolina's natural resources! If you see violations of wildlife, boating, or litter laws, please call 1-800-922-5431.

For nuisance WILDLIFE control officers, see the animal info page of this website.

Palmetto Conservation Foundation
Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation
and Palmetto Trails
: Website.

Native Plant Society's annual plant sale rolls around in September. Fall is the best time to plant! Keep up with the group's events, see their website here.

G.R.O.W. Gardening & Recycling Organics Wisely DHEC (South Carolina Dept. of Health & Environmental Control scdhec.gov/recycle

Web Soil Survey USDA NRCS (U.S. Dept Agriculture Natural Resources Concervation Service). Analyze soil data in three basic steps. websoilsurvey

Botanical Gardens A special treat is just outside Greenville, in Clemson, SC. Visit the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University. Features site-specific sculpture made from natural materials such as trees, soil, plants, rocks, etc. The sculptural works are designed to fade away into the environment over time, so see them while they last (expected to last 10 to 30 years or more). www.clemson.edu/scbg

Butterfly House Clemson University's Department of Entomology, Soils and Plant Services has at times offered tours of the Butterfly House, a special garden enclosed with various species of butterfly in a 900-square-foor structure. Reservations are required and you should call (864) 656-5041 to verify this posted information.

The Bob Campbell Geology Museum Clemson University / minerals and fossils. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Sunday 1-5 pm, and Saturdays 10 am-5pm. Closed major holidays. Call for info 864-656-4600. Visit the geomuseum Web site

Outdoors Groups
Get your group listed,
send contact info and web address

Remember ethics of the trail: "Pack it in -- pack it out, leave no trace of your visit."

Audubon in South Carolina - Piedmont Audubon's Wildlife Rehabilitation Program: an ongoing partnership to provide first-aid to injured wildlife with the hope of reintroduction into the wild. Website.

Greenville Spinners Greenville's bicycle people.

Palmetto Cycling Coalition State (all of SC). PCC advocates bicycling access, safety and education in South Carolina. pccsc.net.

Downtown Greenville has a great selection of parks, walking paths and greenways -- and more "greenway" is in development. That's all in the city of Greenville, smack in the middle of downtown.

With a drive of one hour or less out of downtown Greenville, you will find streams, river gorges, mountain trails, and mountain lakes. Rugged terrain and natural beauty is minutes beyond downtown Greenville.

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Photos: © 2009 greenvillesouth.com

--gs

It's time to restock this web page with up-to-date information. If you can suggest good stuff about Greenville's outdoors that everybody should know about, send me an email with details and contact info.

Eighth Annual Symposium
February 7, 2009
"What a Wonderful World of Gardening"

The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners invite you to their eighth annual gardening symposium to be held February 7, 2009, at the Carolina First Center on N. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville, S.C.

The day is divided into five sessions. Participants will hear three speakers in the morning and can choose between concurrent speakers for the initial after-lunch session. We are pleased to present a variety of vendors offering information and an array of practical as well as decorative items for your home and garden. Included will be: plants, books, wildlife feeders, garden art, and much more! Learn more about Greenville's Master Gardeners and the upcoming Symposium

Jocassee Gorges Newsletter is available free by Department of Natural Resources

The Jocassee Journal newsletter is published twice a year and is available free to South Carolina residents. The newsletter is available to out-of-state residents for $2 per year. For out-of-state residents to receive a one-year subscription, mail your name and postal address, along with a $2 check made out to Jocassee Gorges Trust Fund, to Jocassee Newsletter, DNR–311 Natural Resources Drive, Clemson, SC 29631. Also, you can download and read issues of the Jocassee Journal newsletter on their website.

Shelter, warmth, water & food!
An outdoor dog's life can be tough year round. Make sure they have nifty new bedding for the coming cold. With a little time and a few bucks at a home store you can fix 'em up really right.
And remember, a dog makes more body heat with a bit of grub in his belly -- feed 'em before you hit the hay.
And in the end, the wag you take is equal to the wag you make.

SEPTEMBER 6 2008
Friends of the Reedy River Kick Off River Fest at the Peace Center Amphitheater, for more info see
http://www.friendsofthereedyriver.org

Bird Club outings
More information about the Park and an updated bird list and monthly records can be found on the Greenville County’s Bird Club Projects page under “Lake Conestee Nature Park”.

--gs