David Branham of S.C. Farm Bureau and Anne Neely of the Sierra Club and Florence Public School District No. 1 are looking at a display at the Native American site on the Outdoor Education Trail at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

CONTACT: Dr. Jim Frederick, 843-662-3526, ext. 228; jfrdrck@clemson.edu

DATE: 3/26/2007

WRITER: Tom Lollis, 803-284-3343, ext. 241; tlollis@clemson.edu

Clemson to dedicate Pee Dee REC Outdoor Education Trail April 14

FLORENCE – Clemson University invites you to take a walk on the Pee Dee Research and Education Center Outdoor Education Trail April 14.

“This will be our official public opening,” said Jim Frederick, Clemson faculty member and coordinator for trail development. “The trail will be open from 1 to 5 p.m., with an official dedication ceremony at 2:30.” The ceremony will feature talks by John Kelly, vice president for Public Service and Agriculture at Clemson, and Breck Carmichael, deputy director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

“We’ll have a special treat at 3:30,” he said. “Rudy Mancke, probably South Carolina’s most famous naturalist, will conduct a nature walk along the trail.” Mancke is the long-time host for S.C. ETV’s “Nature Scene” program.

“Tour wagons will begin taking visitors to the trail at 12:30. Please wear your comfortable walking shoes,” said Frederick.

The Outdoor Education Trail runs along the scenic 150-acre Dargan’s Pond and features a series of learning centers focused on the great variety of natural resources that can be found in agricultural, forest, lake, wetland and urban ecosystems.

The grand opening will also include wildlife displays, live animals, equipment demonstrations, children’s activities and more.

“Our April 14 event has a theme of ‘Merging People with Their Environment,’” said Frederick, who noted that the list of partners who support the trail with money and time is growing.

The trail advisory board is made up of financial partners and people with similar goals, like the Florence School Districts.

“What’s unusual is the diversity of the board,” he said. “We have environmentalists representing groups such as the Sierra Club, the Pee Dee Land Trust, Clemson’s 20-20 Alliance, Francis Marion and Landscapes for Learning.” We have traditional agriculture groups involved -- such as the S.C. Farm Bureau, Arbor one (formerly the Pee Dee Farm Credit), the S.C. Soybean Board and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, just to name a few.”

“The Sierra Club and Farm Bureau don’t always agree on the issues, but they agree on this trail,” he said.

Anne Neely is a member of the Sierra Club and the math/science facilitator for Florence Public School District No. 1. She’s pleased with the Outdoor Education Trail for more than one reason.

“We’re excited to have this facility for all the schools. We have nothing else like it. Kids can come here and see crops growing, the nature trail with all the kiosks and learning centers and find out about wildlife and many other things,” she said. “The Sierra Club sponsors a kiosk. We’re involved in wetlands preservation right now, and this ties in nicely with that effort.”

Neely also sees the trail as a drawing card for Florence and Darlington counties as they recruit new business and industry.

David Branham, director of commodity relations for the S.C. Farm Bureau, said his organization has contributed $3,500 for a kiosk, which is under development.

“This is a great program. It’s sort of an extension of our Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Program,” he said. “Teachers can bring their kids out here and work with the Pee Dee REC staff to have a hands-on experience rather than just a discussion in the classroom.

For more information about the Outdoor Education Trail, visit the website at www.clemson.edu/oet.

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