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Nature in the heart of Florence County
www.lynchesriverpark.com
In celebration of lynches river
Lynches River, named for Thomas Lynch,
Jr., signer of the Declaration of Independence,
rises in North Carolina near Waxhaw, North
Carolina, at about 700 feet in elevation, flowing only a short distance to the South Carolina
border. It joins the Great Pee Dee River near
Johnsonville. It is about 140 miles long and
the drainage area is 1030 square miles.
The river corridor provides excellent habitat
for fish such as redbreast and wildlife including
river otters, white-tailed deer, and wood ducks.
Canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing are popular recreational activities.
The river also holds historic significance as
a hideout for slaves during the Civil War and
as the site of the state's last duel fought at
Shannon Hill in 1880 between Colonel William
S. Shannon of Camden and Colonel E.B.C.
Cash of Cheraw. Colonel Shannon’s death
resulted in a State law against dueling.
Additionally, at Bethune, South Carolina you'll
find the only bridge in the world that crosses
the same river three times and the river
does not fork Here, the Lynches River
forms a large 'S" at the place where US
Highway 1 crosses the river one mile north
of Bethune.
In 1994, Governor Carroll Campbell
signed the Lynches River Scenic River bill
officially designating the stretch between
US 15 in Lee County and the eastern
boundary of Lynches River County Park in
Florence County as a State Scenic River
and in 2008, Governor Mark Sanford
signed a bill extending the designated scenic stretch from Lynches River County
Park to the confluence with the Great Pee
Dee River for a total of 111 miles through
four counties (Darlington, Florence, Lee
and Sumter).
Soon after the Lynches was designated
as a State Scenic River, a ten-member
advisory council was appointed to put
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Upcoming Events
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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
Go to www.lynchesriverpark.com for more information about all the exciting activities happening
at the Park and to join our mailing list!
Saturday, February 7 — Build a Bluebird Saturday, March 7 — Rag Quilting (Time: TBD)
Nest Box Workshops
Join Sharon Cooper-Murray, aka the Gullah Lady, for a
We’re kicking off the bluebird nesting season with
our annual Build-a-Bluebird-Nest-Box Workshops.
Workshops are free of charge and will be held at
10:00AM and 2:00PM. Registration is required and
space is limited to 10 families/groups per session
(limit of 1 nest box per family/group). To register,
please call (843) 389-0550 beginning January 13.
lecture and hands-on workshop about the
folk art tradition of rag quilting. This quilting
tradition, using feed and grain sacks combined with rag strips to make unique quilts,
has been passed from generation to generation. Registration is required for this event
and space is limited. Please call the EDC at (843) 3890550 beginning February 17.
Swift or smooth, broad as the Hudson or narrow enough to scrape your gunwales, every river is a world of its own, unique in pattern and personality. Each
mile on a river will take you further from home than a hundred miles on a road.
- Robert “Bob” Marshall, American forester, writer and wilderness activist
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together a plan for long-term protection of the river.
One of the projects completed by the Advisory
Council and the SC Department of Natural Resources was the development of the Lynches Scenic River Trail Guide. This guide can be found
online at: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/envaff/river/
scenic/lynches.html and includes valuable information for accessing and traveling the river by boat.
In addition to the Scenic River designation, part
of Lynches River has also been designated by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as critical habitat for
the federally endangered Carolina heelsplitter
(Lasmigona decorate) a freshwater mussel. The
Carolina heelsplitter is a medium sized freshwater
mussel, reaching almost 4.5 inches in length, with a
greenish brown to dark brown shell. It is threatened
by pollution and silting and only six small populations still are known to exist. Another aquatic invertebrate that inhabits the Lynches River is a gastropod called, Ridged Liopla (Lioplax subcarinata).
South Carolina has designated it a Species of Concern. It has only been found in the Lynches and
Waccamaw Rivers.
For more information about our upcoming guided
paddling trips, including a moonlight paddle on Saturday, April 4, please join our mailing list or visit our
website at www.lynchesriverpark.com.
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 [email protected] 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: Eastern Woodrat
The Eastern woodrat (Neotoma
floridana) is the only woodrat found in
South Carolina. This large, graybrown or rusty colored rat was originally separated into two subspecies
because the thinking was that the rats
that resided in the mountains of SC
were different than those in coastal
habitats; however, they were eventually identified as the same species.
The woodrat is easily recognized
because of its white belly and paws,
unfurred ears, and long whiskers.
White fur also extends along the underside of the jaw. Their large eyes
and blunt noses are quite different
than those of Norway rats, which are
more well-known and commonly seen
in developed areas. While female
woodrats are slightly smaller than
males, both sport long, furred tails,
almost the same length of their bodies, which also sets them apart from
other rats.
These opportunistic foragers eat a
variety of food. Buds, leaves, small
nuts, berries, and seeds make up
the bulk of the woodrat’s diet. The
rats search for their meals across
many different
habitats from
southeast
North Carolina
t o
t h e
Sandhills
of
South Carolina
and westward
to Georgia. As
long
as
a
woodrat
has
access
to
building material for its nest, it can thrive in an
array of ecosystems.
Even though the population of
the Eastern woodrat in SC is secure, there are still challenges for
these rodents. The development
and urbanization of natural landscapes result in major habitat loss
for the rats and also influence isolation. Predation is also a huge threat
to these small mammals, as well as
the potential of parasite transmission
from other animals,
like
r acc oons .
Thankfully,
the
woodrat is protected over 162,000
acres of land in the
mountains of SC.
Interestingly,
the
nickname
“packrat”
comes
from the Eastern
woodrat because
they tend to build
extensive nests, made of sticks, and
stow random items they have collected inside. It’s not surprising to find
brightly colored and shiny objects hiding in these nests. Like ferrets, these
rodents have a knack for swiping jewelry and valuables, if they can get
their paws on it.
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?
 Certain frogs can be
frozen solid then
thawed and continue
living.
 Male Emperor penguins withstand the
Antarctic cold for 60
days or more to protect his eggs, which he
keeps on his feet, covered with a feathered
flap. During this entire
time he doesn't eat a
thing.
 The expression "three
dog night" originated
with the Eskimos and
means a very cold
night - so cold that you
have to bed down with
three dogs to keep
warm.
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