1. pets
2. birds

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Nature in the heart of Florence County
www.lynchesriverpark.com
Come Jam with Us at River Jamboree
It’s time for River Jamboree! This
year’s event, sponsored by McCall
Farms, will be held on Saturday, May 2,
2015 from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.
We’re also excited to have live animal presentations from Stephen
Hughes, Wildlife Educator; the Pee
Dee Wood Carvers group; a
flintknapping
We’ll have some of the
demonstration;
crowd favorites again this
DNR
Fishing
year, including free guided
Simulator; Keep
canoe excursions; FMU
Florence BeautiSnakes exhibit; a slackline
ful;
Florence
to try out your balancing
Darlington
skills; free hayrides;
Stormwater Conbouncy houses; face
sortium; and a
painting and temporary
park scavenger
tattoos; balloon art by
hunt, plus many
Todd’s Twisted Balloons;
more
familya fossil dig and display; a frozen t-shirt
friendly
activities.
contest; food and drink vendors as well
as Scotty the Squirrel!
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2015
1110 Ben Gause
Road
Coward, SC 29530
(843) 389-0550
Hours of
Operation:
Tues - Sat
9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM-5:00 PM
(Continued on page 2)
Upcoming Events
Go to www.lynchesriverpark.com for more information about all the exciting activities happening
at the Park and to join our mailing list!
Saturday, April 4 — Moonlight Canoe Excur- River Jamboree sponsored by McCall Farms —
Saturday, May 2 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
sion 6:30 pm-9:30 pm
Join us for a guided moonlight canoe excursion when
we’ll paddle from Lynches River County Park to the
landing at Highway 52. This excursion is free, but
space is limited; call us at (843) 389-0550 to reserve
your space. Must be 10 years or older to participate.
At least one person in each boat must be 18 years or
older; two people per boat only (no exceptions).
Join us on Saturday, May 2, 2015 for River Jamboree
at Lynches River County Park, sponsored by McCall
Farms. We’ll have lots of family-friendly events, and
exhibits from organizations from the local community.
Free canoe and hayrides available throughout the day.
Visit our website and Facebook page (Environmental
Discovery Center) for more information.
“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got
it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but
it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain
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(continued from page 1)
Beginning at 8:00 AM, we’ll also be hosting
an archery tournament for youth and adult
participants. Pre-registration is required
(must be registered by Friday, May 1).
There is a $5 registration fee for youth participants and a $10 registration fee for
adults. Participation is in one of three age
categories: 9-13 yrs; 14-17 yrs; 18 yrs and
up. To register, please call or stop by either
the Environmental Discovery Center at
Lynches River County Park or Irby Street
Sporting Goods at 1333 S. Irby St., Florence
(843-665-6462).
We’re also looking for volunteers for this
event. If you are interested, please contact
Jennifer Majors at the EDC at (843) 3890550 or by email at jmajors@florenceco.org.
There are many jobs available and all volunteers will receive a complimentary lunch.
Come join us for a day of fun for the entire
family!
Photo of the
Month
Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints
The Environmental Discovery Center is looking for nature
photographers of all levels to submit their best nature photos
for the photo of the month contest. Every month, a photo will
be featured on our Facebook page as well as in our monthly
e-newsletter.
Submissions are open to anyone, any age, and any experience level. Your photo should be taken within Lynches River
County Park and can feature any of the landscapes or wildlife.
Please email all submissions to EDC@florenceco.org and
include the following information: your name and your city
and state of residence. Also, please remember to specify in
your email that your photo is for the contest!
Unselected photos are still under consideration for future
months.
Wild Weekends
Are You Connected?
Join us every Saturday and Sunday for
live animal meet-andgreets! We’ll introduce
you to one of our animals
and allow you the opportunity to meet that animal
up-close. Animal presentations are every
Saturday at 11:30 AM and 3:00 PM and
on Sundays at 2:00 PM.
Join our online community to keep in touch with
the latest news, tidbits, events and opportunities. Subscribe to our mailing list by scanning
the QR code below or text ‘EDC’ to 42828. You
can also sign-up online at
www.lynchesriverpark.com. And,
don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Stop by and say hello to your favorite
critter!
Please help the
EDC with items
on our wish
list:

Tetrafauna ReptoMin Floating Food Sticks For Aquatic Turtles,
Newts and Frogs

PetsMart and Pet Lovers gift cards


Birdseed and deer corn
Aquariums with lids (any sizes)
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Animal Spotlight: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
The red-cockaded woodpecker
(Picoides borealis), or RCW, is a medium-sized woodpecker and is a yearround resident in the southeast, so it
is native to areas in South Carolina.
This woodpecker can be easily identified by its large, white cheek patches
and black cap. The majority of this
bird’s body is covered in black and
white feathers, displayed in a barredlike pattern. This is clearly seen when
looking at a red-cockaded woodpecker’s back while it’s perched on a tree.
This bird gets its name from the very
small red line of feathers that is on the
side of its head. A “cockade” is a ribbon or ornament worn on a hat. The
cockade of the RCW is the tiny red
line on the side of the head of the
male. It may be hidden and is very
difficult to see in the field.
cavities and nests in dead or dying
pine trees; however, RCWs only
nest in live pines that are infected
with some kind of
fungus or rot. The
infection makes the
wood much softer
and allows the bird
to easily dig a cavity
for nesting purposes. Once the woodpecker begins to
drill into the pine,
the tree “bleeds,” or
produces a sticky
gum that flows
down the trunk of
the tree. This substance acts as a
great defense mechanism for the
woodpeckers because it deters treeclimbing snakes from attempting to
reach the nest.
This insectivore resides mainly in
open pine forests that require frequent
Unfortunately, due to major habitat
burnings. All other woodpeckers make
loss in the southeastern region of
the US, RCWs are listed as an endangered species. The extreme reduction of pine forests, especially
longleaf, has led to major
population declines of
RCW. Additionally, the lack
of breeding habitat for the
birds has resulted in the
extinctions of small colonies in the 20th century.
Even though the loss of
pine forests in the southeast has had a significant
effect on the success of the
RCW, organizations such
as the SC Department of
Natural Resources and the
US Fish and Wildlife Service work to conserve this rare species. With the help of these dedicated
and knowledgeable organizations,
there is hope of restoring the redcockaded woodpecker’s natural habitat and maintaining a healthy population of this beautiful bird.
Join the Fun: Volunteer!
The EDC relies on the help of
dedicated volunteers for many aspects of the center's operations,
including animal husbandry, trail
maintenance, landscaping, assistance at special events, and interaction with our many visitors.
The EDC has many exciting
and rewarding volunteer positions.
You will have the unique opportunity to be a part of our everexpanding and dynamic educational facility. Volunteers will also receive: an invitation to our annual
volunteer appreciation banquet;
after completing 20 hours of volunteer service, you will receive an
EDC t-shirt; and, after completing
40 hours of volunteer service, a
leaf with your name will be Saturday events, and many more!
placed on the Benefactor Tree Exhibits - Assist with exhibit deat the EDC.
sign and construction.
Volunteer Job Descriptions:
Animal Husbandry - Assist with
Docent - Assist with providing the maintenance of habitats, food
educational programs to visi- preparation and care for the EDC
animals.
tors.
If you enjoy the outdoors and
Landscaping - Assist in maintaining native plant gardens sharing your love of nature with
others, then you will definitely enand landscape plantings.
joy volunteering at the EnvironRoving Naturalist - Roams mental Discovery Center! Come
the EDC and answers ques- and volunteer - there's room for
tions about the animals, exhib- everyone! Learn about nature,
its and Lynches River County gain experience, and build your
Park.
resume.
Come once a month or once a
Special Events - Assist with
events such as Earth Day cele- week — the sky's the limit!
brations, River Jamboree, First
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Visiting the Environmental Discovery Center
and Lynches River County Park
Lynches River
County Park is
open everyday except Thanksgiving,
Christmas Eve and
Christmas day from
9:00 a.m. to sunset.
Did You
Know?
 Benjamin Franklin first
conceived the idea of
Daylight Savings
Time.
 Strawberries are the
first fruit to ripen in
spring.
 The first day of spring
is known as the vernal
equinox.
 Legend states that on
the first day of spring,
you can balance an
egg on its end; however, with the right egg,
you can balance an
egg any time of year.
 Spring is considered
the first season of the
year since Winter begins in December.
Do not depend
on
MapQuest,
Google Maps or
GPS units for driving
directions.
These sources often provide alternate routes to the
park, which may
not be accurate.
Education Programs
The environmental education
programs offered at the EDC actively engage students in learning
about nature and the environment
and are correlated with South Carolina Science Academic Standards.
Teachers are encouraged to
bring their public, private and
home school classes to the EDC
to engage in standards-based activities, including an off-trail nature
hike, that will further their
knowledge of the natural world
while they have fun outside the
classroom.
To see a list of programs offered,
please visit our website at
www.lynchesriverpark.com. There,
you will also learn about grants that
will assist you and your students
We are also very happy to announce the addition of our new
Reptile Rodeo Outreach program
where we can bring the EDC to
your classroom with this onehour program for all grade levels.
This program features live reptile
species common to South Carolina and teaches your students
about the role and importance of
reptiles in the ecosystem (only
available within Florence County
during the months of November,
December, January and February).
There is no charge for our
with the costs associated with programs; however, specific times
traveling for field trips.
and dates must be reserved. Call
Programs range from one to the EDC at (843) 389-0550 to
two hours in length.
schedule a field trip experience.
This promotional item was funded by the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau