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
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.
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.
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.
On Saturday, September 22nd, The South Carolina Native Plant Society and Magnolia Plantation & Gardens will present our 2018 Native Plant Forum – “Bringing Nature to Our Own Backyard“. From understanding how man and nature shaped the Lowcountry landscape to learning how to achieve harmony within and beyond our garden gates, this event offers something for everyone.
There are tours of the gardens, an exhibitor and vendor area and lectures to attend (advanced training hours for the lectures!)
Coastal Master Naturalists have been invited to attend the Fort Johnson Marine Science Seminar Series. This event is every Friday (through November 2018) at 4:00pm at the MRRI Auditorium at Fort Johnson. The presentations cover a wide range of topics and one of our own members, Laura Murray, will be presenting on November 9, 2018.
click here for dates and topics
Join us for a morning class, Saturday, July 28, 2018, 10:00am-12:00pm, on drawing with pencil. This can improve your observation skills and enhance your nature journals. Meg Skow (wife of recent MN graduate Eric Skow) offering this class at Caw Caw classroom. CMNA members – free, Master Naturalist not current members of CMNA $5.00
Use link here for more details and to sign up. Limited seating!
Summer is here! Are you in need of advanced training hours or general nature enrichment? Here are CCPRC’s upcoming programs that count as Master Naturalist Advanced Training opportunities. These are registration-required programs. If you are interested in these programs, please register ASAP. If they do not meet minimum requirements (which are kept low) they cancel three days prior to the program date. To register online, follow the link to CCPRC’s registration area. Click on the “Cultural and Natural History’ tab to find these offerings OR call (843)795-4386 and simply reference the course number to the Program Services Agent. The Master Naturalist instructors hope to see you in the field soon!
Sunrise Canoeing At Caw Caw
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.
Tuesday 7-24 from 6:00 – 9:00am
Fees: $30.00
To register: https://online.activecommunities.com/charleston/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp?UseLink=true&Course=true&aid=1501
Course Number: 56254
Folly Beach Bird Walks (TWO dates)
From inlet to inlet, birding experts help participants explore the wonderfully diverse areas of Folly Beach. Our spotting scope will help you see shorebirds, seabirds, songbirds, and raptors too.
Friday 7-13 from 8:30-10:30am at Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve : Course number 56072
Friday 8-10 from 8:30-10:30am at Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve : Course number 56073
Fees: $7.00
To register: https://online.activecommunities.com/charleston/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp?UseLink=true&Course=true&aid=2293
Nature Rambles- Jaunt Around Johns Island County Park
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.
Thursday 7-19 from 8:30- 10:30am at Johns Island County Park
Fees: $7.00
To register: https://online.activecommunities.com/charleston/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp?UseLink=true&Course=true&aid=2286
Course number: 56429
A training opportunity designed with you in mind!
Advanced training opportunities provide exposure and skill development in areas such as natural history, natural resource management, and nature interpretation. In order to keep your Master Naturalist certification current, you must take at least eight hours of advanced training per year.
Nature´s Soundscape: How to Really Tune In
Hearing is often the best sense to use for experiencing certain facets of our environment, and every place has its own unique sounds. Hone listening skills to enhance your connection to the natural world.
Thursday 05-17-2018 9:00AM – 3:00PM Caw Caw Interpretive Center Fees: $50.00 Registration required – link to register