REGISTER FOR THESE FAMILY-FRIENDLY OUTDOOR EVENTS!

Prior registration is a must by the Wednesday at 5:00 pm before the event by calling and speaking with someone at the park office at 277-2004.  Please note that staff time is limited at the park office , and while we try and return every message in a timely manner, that is not always possible.  To ensure your registration, you must speak with a staff member. You can also email us with questions at ginavarat@gmail.com.

$5 per person per class unless otherwise noted.

Saturday, May 11, 10 am – noon -Teachers Event – Are you a local public/private/homeschool teacher wanting to get your students connected with nature?  Join park educators as well showcase our new Learning Loops and opportunities for standards –based field trips designed with you in mind. Free event – but call for details and to register.

Saturday, June 1, 10 am – noon – Flowers – join renowned writer and gardener Marian St. Clair as she walks and talks with us about the beautiful spring flowers at Lake Conestee Nature Park.  Wildflower seed planting for kids as well! Limited to 25 participants.

Saturday, July 6,  8 pm – FROGS! – Join Park educators and local FROGWATCH coordinator Barbara Foster from the Greenville Zoo as we learn about the importance of frogs and listen for the songs they sing.  Frog song lessons, a walk to hear some frogs, and activities for kids included. Limited to 25 participants. Meet at Belmont Fire Department.

Saturday, August 3, 10 am – noon – History Hike – Join Don Koonce and LCNP executive director Dave Hargett as we walk back into Greenville’s industrial  past.  Native Americans, early Greenvillians, the Conestee Mill, Vardry McBee, Carruth’s Armory and much more will be discussed as we walk.

Saturday, September 7, 10 am – noon – Outdoors 101 – Join park educators and field instructors from REI as we become comfortable with navigating nature and the great outdoors.  Leave no trace, compass skills, plant identification and more. Limited to 30 participants.

Saturday, October 12, 6 – 8 pm – Conestee After Dark –Join park educators and Tim Taylor from Roper Mountain Science Center and come explore Conestee at night and hunt for nocturnal animals that rustle and go hoot in the dark.  Limited to 20 participants.

Saturday, November 2, LCNP welcomes all veterans and their families to come explore and enjoy our 400 acre nature park.  Watch for birds and beavers, hike or bike the trails, picnic in the meadows. Co-sponsored by Upstate Warrior Solution.  Call the park office for more details or visit www.upstatewarriorsolution.com.

Saturday, December 7, 10 am -noon – Night Tree – Join park educators as we read Eve Bunting’s Night Tree, sip hot cocoa and make edible decorations for a park Christmas tree for the animals… just like they do in the book. Limited to 20 participants.

Prior registration is a must by the Thursday at 2:30 pm before the event by calling and speaking with someone at the park office at 277-2004.  Please note that staff time is limited at the park office , and while we try and return every message in a timely manner, that is not always possible.  To ensure your registration, you must speak with a staff member.

$5 per person unless otherwise noted.

Audubon South Carolina and Bird Life International have designated Lake Conestee Nature Park as an “Important Bird Area of Global Significance”.

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds and biodiversity by setting science-based priorities for habitat protection and management necessary to safeguard critical bird habitats.  Specifically, IBAs are sites that provide essential habitat for one or more bird species of special concern.

The background research supporting the nomination was conducted by Dr. Paul Serridge (a former CF Director) and other members of the Greenville County Bird Club (GCBC).  Paul and his colleagues at the GCBC submitted reports to Ann Shahid of SC Audubon Society which works with the IBA program in SC.

The bottomland and wetlands at LCNP provide an exceptional habitat for the largest known wintering population of Rusty Blackbirds east of the Mississippi.  The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) breeds in swampy wooded areas of Canada and Alaska and winters in swampy areas, like Lake Conestee, in the southeastern United States.

This species has undergone a steady population decline since the mid-1960s due to loss of habitat.  Because of a rate of population decline estimated at 10 percent per year and continuing habitat stresses, this species is considered by Audubon as especially vulnerable to continued decline, and is on its Watch List.

Lake Conestee Nature Park (LCNP) is a wildlife sanctuary and nature park encompassing 400 acres of ecologically diverse site conditions supporting a remarkable variety of both breeding and over-wintering populations of birdlife, as well and other wildlife.  This rich diversity includes extensive wetlands, riparian forests along four miles of the Reedy River, as well as upland hardwoods, meadows, and successional habitats.  Dedicated members of the Greenville County Bird Club have now inventoried an amazing 167 bird species at Lake Conestee Nature Park.

Through the collaboration of highly engaged members of the Greenville County Bird Club, Audubon South Carolina, and the Conestee Foundation, the exceptional birding environment of Lake Conestee Nature Park has been established as a “must see” location for birders throughout the Carolinas and the Southeast.

http://web4.audubon.org/bird/iba/

http://iba.audubon.org/iba/profileReport.do?siteId=3865&navSite=search&pagerOffset=0&page=1

http://web1.audubon.org/science/species/watchlist/profile.php?speciesCode=rusbla

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rusty_Blackbird/id

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