SCAN’s March visit to Manchester State Forest by 26 people and a baby goat, partly along the new Palmetto Trail, was like one of our old-fashioned outings–participants scattered along a mile of trail all doing their own thing on a beautiful day. The Manchester State Forest which includes part of Poinsett Park is unique within our state in that it encompasses within a relatively small area five types of habitat: a long-leaf pine-dominated arid area that also had goodly stands of turkey oak, holly, and yucca; a river bottom zone heavy with yellow poplar, oaks, and a cane understory; a mixed hardwood area with a variety of oaks and hickory; extensive wetlands (formerly rice-plantations) dominated by tupelo gums, cypress, and beeches along the drier rim; and finally a north-facing Piedmont-type slope with rich stands of yellow poplar, black walnut, and hickory trees. This was certainly a region that could not be covered adequately in only one day and would merit a return visit in the future. Following the outing, most participants went to a homey little restaurant in Wedgefield to sample fried alligator tail and other low country staples. This portion of our outings has become so successful that it is difficult to break off the socializing and let the waitresses clean up after us. Many thanks and appreciation to Sandy and Jim Schmidt who did a wonderful and very conscientious job of organizing this successful trip.
See the Flora/Fauna List
Alex Ciegler, Vice-President
Spring Weekend – April 23 – 25
Hobcaw Barony (Baruch Marine Lab)
Georgetown County
Itinerary for the weekend is as follows:
Friday 23 April
Evening arrivals find lodging at Hobcaw Dormitories or nearby Hampton Inn.
Observe living marine plankton at dormitory after about 9:00 PM
-Saturday 24 April
8:00 a.m. Early-bird excursion to Pawley’s Island for beachcombing/birding
10:30 a.m. SCAN rendezvous at Hobcaw dorms.
10:45 a.m. Caravan to Baruch Marine Lab (rooftop lookout for birds: salt marsh boardwalk)
12:30 p.m. Caravan to Friendfield Village for self-provided lunch (the village is a former slave town, associated with a plantation called Friendfield, that was occupied until 1956. It is in a pinewoods clearing with adjacent forest.)
2:00 p.m. Depart for Hobcaw House and grounds (Usually very good birding; dock on Waccamaw River; grove of mature live oaks)
2:30 – 3:30 Tour of Hobcaw House (retreat and hunting lodge of Bernard Baruch, daughter Belle, and guests including FDR and Winston Churchill)
3:45 Depart for 1000-acre rice field (birding, botanizing, etc.)
5:00 Return to dorms via Kings Highway (remaining part of Colonial Road, originally from Washington to Charleston: variety of habitats en route)
-Sunday 25 April
9:00 a.m. Rendezvous on Beach Road Causeway at Huntington Beach State Park. (The normal $4.00/person admission charge will be waived for SCAN’s visit). Saltwater marsh on one side of causeway, freshwater marsh on the other. Good Birding! Nearby beach and dunes.
Lodging: Two dormitories with 4 bedrooms each (4 beds to a room) and a cottage with 2 bedrooms (3 beds to a room) for a total of 38 beds have been reserved for SCAN on April 23 and 24 at Hobcaw Barony. The bed cost is $10/night per person. Couples will not sleep together in order to keep each bedroom for a single gender. An alternative to the dorms/cottage is to stay at the local Hampton Inn (Tel No. 843-545-5000). Ed has gotten us a reduced rate of $70/night as opposed to $80 – $95/night. Anyone making a reservation at the hotel should do so immediately because there is another event in Georgetown on the SCAN weekend. You must mention SCAN when making your reservation in order to get the reduced rate Reservations for the dorms or cottage should be made by sending a check to Pat Chaplin for the entire amount for the nights that you intend to stay and will be held on a first-come first-served basis. Her address is: 3520 Hartsville Highway, Darlington, SC 29540 The Hobcaw dormitories and cottages have complete kitchen facilities (fridges, stoves, pots and pans, dishes and utensils) Also, they have a telephone and TV. The bedrooms have 4 beds/room. Each person supplies his or her own linens.
Vehicles – All of the 100+ miles of road on the Hobcaw grounds are unpaved. Travel over these sand roads will be slow and sometimes bumpy. This is ideal terrain to exercise your SUV or minivan. Those with such vehicles should be prepared to car pool in order to reduce the size of the caravans and minimize wear on the roads.
Anthropod repellant – We will have a good opportunity to share our vital fluids with ceratopogonids, tabanids, and cullicids, not to mention acarines. Please don’t forget your favorite repellant.
Directions – From south of Georgetown on Route 17. After crossing two bridges north of Georgetown, take the first turnout to the right into the Hobcaw Barony (Baruch Lab) parking lot. Once in the lot, bear right and follow the road to the dormitories. From north of Georgetown on Route 17. After passing Pawley’s Island and Debordieu development, look for small sign on the right side of the road that indicates the upcoming left turn into the Baruch Lab parking lot. Once in the lot, bear right and follow road to the dormitories.