Coastal Master Naturalists...

Category: Training

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.

SC Native Plant Forum – September 22, 2018

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Training

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!)

<Use this link to get more information>

Drawing Outdoors – Learn tips and techniques to create accurate sketches

Debbie SeabrookTraining, Updates

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!

Advanced Training – Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission

Debbie SeabrookTraining

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

Advanced Training: May 17, 2018 CCPRC presents “Nature Soundscape: How To Really Tune In”

Debbie SeabrookTraining

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

Registration Open for Blue Wall Birding Festival

Debbie SeabrookEvents, Field Trips, Training, Updates
Fourth Annual Blue Wall Birding Festival, held in Upstate South Carolina, from May 3-6, 2018.
Landscape view of Table Rock Mountain
Table Rock State Park

This small festival is again being hosted by South Carolina State Parks, and is meant to showcase the great spring birding that the area has to offer, as well as the area’s fantastic state parks. Birders who attended any of the previous festivals or the Carolina Bird Club meeting at Clemson in 2015 can attest to the great birding that Upstate SC has to offer in the spring.

Festival field trips will include The SC Botanical Garden at Clemson, the Townville area, the Nine Times Preserve, Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks, Lake Jocassee, and Lake Conestee Nature Park. New this year will be a workshop on birding by ear, and we’ll again this year include one butterfly-focused field trip. Participation will be capped at 50 birders. For more information, click the link below.

http://www.gcbirdclub.org/BlueWall.html

Shorebird Steward Training at Caw Caw, February 20, 2018 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Debbie SeabrookTraining, Updates, Volunteer

Shorebird Stewards is a program that engages a growing group of volunteers to protect coastal birds. Volunteers patrol high-traffic beaches where birds are on a collision course with weekend crowds and help visitors share the shore with birds.At the training, you’ll be introduced to shorebird and seabird species and learn how to approach someone on the beach to talk about shorebird conservation.   To register contact Nolan Schillerstrom at nschillerstrom@audubon.org.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018
10:00am – 12:30pm
Ravanel, South Carolina

View SC Audubon post here

 

Advanced Training Opportunity – Plants the Permaculture Way ~ December 3rd and 4th 2016

Kristina WheelerTraining, Updates

Surplus Permaculture Design is offering a course where you can gain techniques to help identify and use local trees and plants, come to an understanding of their significance in the landscape and practice using these plants for food, medicine and utility.  You will also study how natural plants form guilds and communities and how these structures can be utilized or replicated to provide for many of needs. For more information and/or to register, please visit this link!

garden-bed