Keep South Carolina Wild

Working for Wildlife Day

THANK YOU to our volunteers who helped to rake around Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity trees!! Friends, volunteers and staff of Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge along with the SC Wildlife Federation hosted a workday at the Refuge on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The workday is an annual project of the SC Wildlife Federation. Volunteers learned about refuge wildlife as they helped conserve and protect valuable natural resources. Projects included raking around red-cockaded woodpecker trees to exclude them from prescribed burns, maintaining trails, installing trail signs, and building information kiosks.

Established in 1939, Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge contains rolling sand hills dominated by the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem. Along with the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the refuge is home to more than 190 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 41 species of reptiles, and 25 species of amphibians. More than 800 species of plants have been identified on the refuge, including rare species of pitcher plants, Well’s pixie-moss, and the white-wicky.

The Friends of Carolina Sandhills NWR is a group of citizens dedicated to supporting the role of the refuge in protecting and preserving the longleaf-wiregrass ecosystem; promoting the enjoyment and responsible use of the refuge by the public; and engaging in educational and civic activities to promote the refuge and wise stewardship of its resources.

Arbor Day Celebration

To celebrate Arbor Day in South Carolina, 27 students from Heyward Career and Technology Center participated in a program coordinated by the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation Dec. 2 at Harbison State Forest.

Students learned about many wildlife species in South Carolina and their adaptations for survival. They also planted 16 trees, including persimmon, plum, crabapple, dogwood and redbud, donated by the Forestry Commission’s Taylor Nursery in the SCWF certified wildlife habitat behind the Education Center at Harbison State Forest. After lunch, students made suet feeders to take home to feed the birds in their backyards and went on a guided hike to learn about how fire can be good and bad in the forest.

The Heyward CTC industrial technology program partners with the SCWF to build nesting/roosting boxes for bluebirds, nuthatches, bats, owls and wood ducks. These nesting boxes are then sold to the public to support SCWF programs. Three of these nesting boxes are installed in the Harbison State Forest certified wildlife habitat. The certified wildlife habitat has undergone major renovations this year which were funded through a Palmetto Pride Community Pride grant. The wildlife habitat is open to the public and shows homeowners what they can do to create a beautiful and environmentally-friendly green space that is also beneficial to wildlife.

SCFC Environmental Education Coordinator Matt Schnabel partnered with SCWF’s Sara Green and Laura Blake on this Arbor Day program.

Click HERE to see more photos from this great event!

Pro Birders at Congaree

SCWF’s Palmetto Pro Birder class visited Congaree National Park with instructor Dr. Drew Lanham on November 30, 2016. Species encountered included: Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, Black & White Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Barred Owl, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and several others.

The Palmetto Pro Birder Program was developed in 2012 to expose motivated citizens to the diversity of avifauna in the Palmetto State and, by that exposure, build an understanding of the importance of conserving native habitats to maintain or restore the state’s avian diversity. More info HERE.

Check out more photos from the 11/30/16 class at Congaree National Park HERE.