Coastal Master Naturalists...

Category: Training

Improve Soil & Reduce Greenhouse Gases Lecture

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training, Updates

Master Gardener and Coastal Master Naturalist Fall 2014 graduate, Linda Geronilla offers a lecture series to discuss the importance of creating healthy soils and a sustainable ecosystem in your own yard.  Learn what  “carbon gardening” is all about.

Land management is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. First lecture is on improving soil and reducing greenhouse gases.

Please share with friends and family or bring a guest if you have already signed up!

Johns Island Public Library Auditorium – Friday, March 15, 1:00 – 2:30 pm  FREE

Click here to sign up

News from SC Native Plant Society

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training, Updates, Volunteer

Spring Native Plant Sale!

Saturday, March 16, 9 am – 12 noon
(SCNPS Members can start shopping at 8:30; volunteers can shop at 8:15.)
Charles Towne Landing parking lot, 1500 Old Towne Road, Charleston 29407

We have a great selection of native plants with many hard-to-find species — colorful perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, ferns and edibles.  A plant list is available on the SCNPS website: https://scnps.org/lowcountry-spring-2019-plant-sale-list
Cash, check, or credit card accepted. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own carts or wagons to facilitate movement of plants; box donations are also encouraged!
Admission to the plant sale is free. If you wish to explore Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, please pay admission in the Visitor Center.
For more information, or to volunteer, contact Eddie Bernard (edlbernard@aol.com or 843-270-1112)

Lecture: The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative: A New Course for Conservation in the 21st Century
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30 pm, Biology Auditorium, 101 Duckett Hall, The Citadel
Dr. Dwayne Estes, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative
Grassland loss is the single greatest conservation issue currently facing eastern North American biodiversity. Southern grasslands are nearly extinct and the species that depend on them are fading fast. The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative (SGI) is a collaboration of leaders in international biodiversity conservation led by the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for Field Biology, in partnership with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and Roundstone Native Seed. SGI seeks to integrate research, consultation, education, and grants to create innovative solutions to address the complex issues facing Southeastern grasslands.

Fire Festival – Sewee Outpost

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training, Updates, Volunteer
Attend or Volunteer!

On Saturday, March 23rd, you’re invited to bring the family to the Awendaw Green and Sewee Outpost for a free event showcasing how controlled burns are making our communities safer and restoring native forests.  For more information about attending click here.
The Nature Conservancy and other groups are once again having the Fire Festival, this time at an area around the Sewee Outpost. If you would like to volunteer to help direct traffic, welcome attendees, and help count attendee numbers, please email, Ed Siggelko, The Nature Conservancy, SC Chapter, State Volunteer Coordinator, at ed.siggelko@tnc.org.

Invitation from South Carolina Aquarium

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training, Updates

YOU’RE INVITED TO

Holland Lifelong Learning Finale 
& Annual Watershed Dinner 

Friday, March 22
Finale: 6 – 7:30 p.m. | The American Theater
Dinner: 7:30 – 10 p.m. | The William Aiken House

What does the future of ocean exploration look like? What will we discover in this alien world? Will colonizing the ocean become a reality?

Explore these questions and more with ocean conservationist, Fabien Cousteau, at the Holland Lifelong Learning Finale. As the first grandchild of famed explorer, Jacques Cousteau, Fabien Cousteau has grown up with an innate connection to the marine world. A pioneer in his own right, Fabien is a filmmaker, scientist and aquanaut “dedicated to protecting the Earth’s waters and its inhabitants for our next generation.”

Join Fabien and an esteemed group of experts as they shed light on the deepest, darkest parts of our oceans, then enjoy an open bar, delicious food and live music at the Watershed Dinner.

Buy Tickets

Upcoming with Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission – Advanced Training!

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Newsletters, Training, Updates

The programs at Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission will fulfill advanced training hours for the Master Naturalists requirements; and they are lots of fun! (use this link to search & sign up for programs)

Coming up:

Early Morning Bird Walks at Caw Caw
Every Wednesday and Saturday, 8:30am-11:30am.
Join us on one or more of our regular bird walks. Our trek through many distinct habitats will allow us to view and discuss a variety of birds, butterflies, and other organisms.  Preregistration is not required.

Exploring Edisto Island: Future County Park
February 21, 2019 9:00am to Noon
Join a Master Naturalist instructor to see the natural wonders of our parks in a new light. You’ll discover plants and animals and learn about their connections to the world around them. Preregistration Required: online or call 843.795.4386
Course # 5837 leaves from Caw Interpretive Center

Beginner Birding Course 
Saturday, March 2, 2019 9:00am to Noon
Even the best birders were “fledglings” at one time. Join a naturalist to learn birding essentials, like proper gear and basic terminology. We’ll then take a walk to spot and identify some feathered friends.
Preregistration Required: online or call 843.795.4386
Course # 6183 at Palmetto Island County Park

Master Naturalist Sampler
Thursday, March 14, 2019 9:00am – Noon
Would you like to take our Master Naturalist course, but don’t have the time? We offer half-day sessions for the naturalists at heart with busy schedules. The forested areas and salt marshes of this park provide a superb outdoor classroom for learning how to read landscapes. Walk away with a greater understanding of the natural world and your place in it!
Preregistration: online or call 843.795.4386
Course # 6188 at James Island County Park – Park Center Parking Lot

Tones at Twilight
Friday. March 15, 2019 6pm to 8pm
Have you ever wondered about sounds from the natural world? Join a Master Naturalist instructor to figure some of them out. We will listen for owls, frogs, and other creatures awake during the twilight hours. Preregistration: online or call 843.795.4386$12.00
Course # 5945 at Caw Caw Interpretive Center

Heritage to Habitat Canoe Tour
Saturday, March 23, 2019 9:00am to Noon
Glide silently past feeding herons and witness features hidden to trail-bound visitors by canoeing Caw Caw’s waterways. These interpretive paddles offer a unique look into the ecology of the Lowcountry. Trained naturalists will enlighten you to the cultural and natural history of the area, citing important connections to the past, present, and future.
Preregistration required online or call 843.795.4386
Course #5940 at Caw Caw Interpretive Center

2018 Stormwater Pond Management Conference – Nov 14

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training

We’re excited to share that registration for the 2018 Stormwater Pond Management Conference is open!

The 2018 Stormwater Pond Management Conference will provide a forum to give the latest information, resources, and tools on stormwater pond management for the Lowcountry community. Format includes a plenary session, hands-on training, field tours, breakout sessions, and a Vendor Showcase and Ask-An-Expert tabling event. Lunch and morning refreshments are included. Continuing education credits are available.

DATE: November 14, 2018

TIME: 8:30AM-4:00PM

LOCATION: Trident Technical College, 7000 Rivers Avenue, Building 920, Charleston, SC 29423

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Stormwater pond owners/HOA representatives, property management professionals, and pond management professionals

TO REGISTER: www.ashleycooper.org

Registration closes November 9, 2018.

As part of this year’s conference, we’re offering complimentary registration to 30 pond owners/HOA representatives in the Tri-County. Limit one representative per HOA. To apply, please encourage community members to visit the conference website for more details.

Crab Bank Free Lecture – From Holaniku to Crab Bank

Debbie SeabrookTraining, Updates

Since the 1950s, seabird populations have declined by nearly 70 percent worldwide, and most South Carolina seabird populations are in decline, largely due to loss of habitat, according to the Department of Natural Resources, which named Crab Bank a protected seabird sanctuary in 2006. Crab Bank is one of just five protected rookeries statewide, has been a prime nesting spot for pelicans and more than a dozen other species of sea- and shorebirds for decades, but its high ground has been washed over at high tide since Tropical Storm Irma. No birds have nested there this year.

Please join us in supporting Crab Bank renourishment in any way that you can.

September 13, 2018 from 6-8pm is a free lecture at the Charleston Museum to get more information and show your support. Click here for details and to register to attend.

Click here to read a recent Post & Courier article on Crab Bank.

 

Upstate Master Naturalist Association hosts Patrick McMillan, September 18, 2018

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training, Updates

You are invited to the Upstate annual meeting September 18th at 7pm to hear Patrick McMillan present his recent discoveries of unusual plants of the Jocassee Gorges.  Dr. McMillan will take us on a fern-focused trip to one of South Carolina’s botanical treasures, the Jocassee Gorges.  He will introduce us to some of his latest discoveries, including the Copper Fern (Brommeria hispida) and Wright’s Canebrake (Pallaea wrightiana), the first time either plant has been documented in South Carolina.  The Jocassee Gorges are one of South Carolina’s botanical and geological treasures, a temperate rain forest. These gorges, their streams, and the more than 75 inches of precipitation that occurs there each year make this area unique among mountain settings in the eastern United States and provide niches for plants you would not expect to find in this region.

Dr. Patrick McMillan is the host, co-creator, and writer for the Emmy award winning Expeditions with Patrick McMillan, seen on SCETV.  He is a professional biologist and naturalist and is the Hilliard professor of environmental sustainability at Clemson University where he teaches Forest Biology, Natural History, and Plant Taxonomy.  He is also director of the South Carolina Botanical Garden and the Bob Campbell Geology Museum.

The event begins at 7pm at the J Verne Smith Technical Resource Center Auditorium on the main campus of Greenville Technical College, 620 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC.  A reception follows the lecture. The program is free and open to the public. For a map and more information go to http://www.scnps.org.