December 2, 1996
Dear fellow SCAN members,
It was a small hardy lot who drove to Hilton Head Island on November 16th to brave the cold wind in order to explore a classic maritime forest. Sea Pines Forest Preserve is a protected area in the midst of a highly developed barrier island. Indians had clearly visited this area long before “American settlers”, as there is a large shell mound that dates back about 4000 years in the middle of the preserve. It has been cleared and planted in grass to show off the structure of the mound. Old rice fields added a fresh water habitat. Plants were the highlight of the day as it was too cold for any self-respecting ‘critter’ to venture out very far in the wind. Birds wouldn’t even respond to an owl tape. But the plants on the trails sheltered by large trees, provided a fine feast for naturalists. Many thanks to Dee Hope for planning the trip. At least we did not need insect repellent.
In the area of more mundane business, please remember to return your ballot about the recommended constitution and by-laws revisions. Remember if you fail to vote, it is assumed you approve, but we need a minimum number of members voting to make it legal.
The nominating committee would like to offer the following list of people as nominees for 1997:
- President: Kenneth Boni
- Vice-President: Dee Hope
- Secretary: Lynn Smith
- Treasurer: Tom and Robbie Allen
- Parliamentarian: Jerry Shrum
- Historian: Virginia Winn
- Northern Director: Charlie Williams
- Southern Director: Alex Ciegler
- Eastern Director: Julie Finlayson/Sandy Elliott
- Central Director: Greg Mancini
- Western Director: Ted Cottingham
All of the above have agreed to serve. Other nominations may be made at the time of the annual meeting. However, please remember the potential nominee must first give permission for the nomination.
REMINDER: For the two slide shows planned for the annual meeting, i.e., the remembrance of years past and the usual tour of the past year’s sites, we need the cooperation of all photographers in the group.
If you have slides of scenes of people or special sightings from trips from the beginning of SCAN through 1995, please contact Lynn Greenlee at (803) 787-7494, or mail them to her at 5225 Clemson Ave. #236, Columbia, SC 29206. Please do so as soon as you can. Putting together 20 years worth of information into a coherent and enjoyable tale will take a lot of planning. Plus if you have good slides taken on field trips of this year (1996), Lynn Smith, (803) 432-1504, really needs those. The mailing address is 407 Ridgecrest Drive, Camden, SC 29020. In either case you can also hand them to us (or either Lynn) at the December trip. Be certain you identify the slide as belonging to you. If it contains people from previous years, some help in identification would be nice. We will take extra good care of your slides, return them promptly, and all members will be eternally grateful, even if they don’t know they are!
Lynn Smith, Secretary
SANTEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
CLARENDON COUNTY
Saturday, December 14, 1996
This is a return visit to an old friend that was hard hit by Hurricane Hugo. However, in the intervening years, the 15,000 acre refuge with its wide variety of habitats has made a remarkable recovery. Since it will be late in the year, our foray will probably be centered around the birds of the area, notably ducks, geese, raptors, etc., but it should also be a good exercise in winter botany; some insects (not biting, we hope) may also be present. We will visit two separate parts of the refuge starting at the Bluff Unit and, after lunch, the Pine Island sector.
To get to the refuge: form Columbia, take I-26 toward Charleston; get off at Exit 154 (Orangeburg-Santee) and head east on US 301 past Santee. You may want to plan a necessity stop here or on the rest area on I-95 (see note below). This road runs directly onto I-95. Drive north, cross Lake Marion, then take Exit 102 to US 15 & 301; curve around to the left under the interstate, turn right, heading north. In less than a mile watch for the signs to the refuge whose entrance is on the left. Enter the refuge and watch for signs to the Visitors Center, where we will meet in the parking lot. WARNING: The visitor center and its restrooms will be closed for the season.
Plan as usual to be there early enough to be ready to hit the trail at 10:30 a.m. Bring your lunch, drinks, and appropriate clothing. It may be very cold and/or wet, or it may be sunny and mild. We plan to eat lunch at the cars and then head for the Pine Island Unit. If you need more information, you may call Alex Ciegler at (803) 796-2862.