January - March - Lynches River County Park

E NVIRONMENTAL
D ISCOVERY C ENTER
N EWS
R ECYCLED C ARD P ROGRAM
It is estimated that
more than 2 billion
Christmas cards are
made each year. Instead of throwing out
your old holiday cards,
why not send them to
a charitable organization that will turn them
into new cards?
Over thirty years ago,
St. Jude’s Ranch for
Children started their
recycled card program
as a way to show appreciation to their donors. Children used
the previous year’s
Christmas cards and
turned them into “new”
cards which were sent
to the donors. The
recipients were so delighted that they re-
quested the children
sell them their special
cards and the St.
Jude’s Children’s
Ranch Recycled Card
Program was born.
Children participate by
removing the front of
the old cards and
attaching new backs.
Customers who purchase cards help to
support the St. Jude’s
Ranch for Children
and the children learn
about the benefits and
importance of going
green.
We will be collecting
cards to send to St.
Jude’s Ranch from
January 1 - January
31. All categories of
G OT A Q UESTION - A SK T ERASA
Have you visited the
Park recently and
found something interesting that you would
like to know more
about? Perhaps you
have a question about
wildlife in your backyard. If you have a
question about nature,
send it to the Environmental Discovery Center Supervisor at
tyoung@florenceco.org.
Questions and answers
are published on the
Lynches River County
Park Website at:
www.lynchesriverpark.c
om/edc/ask-Terasa.asp
Terasa received her
B.S. in Biology and is a
Certified Master Naturalist. Send in your question today!
greeting cards
are eligible for the program. If you prefer to
send your own cards,
they may be sent to:
V OLUME 3, I SSUE 1
J ANUARY -M ARCH 2010
S PECIAL
OF INTEREST :
•
The Environmental Discovery Center will
be closed
January 1st in
observance of
New Year’s Day.
•
February 2nd is
Groundhog Day.
•
Don’t miss the
Bluebird Nest
Box Workshop
on February 6th!
•
Sign up for the
Guided Canoe
Excursion on
March 6th.
•
Spring officially
begins on March
20th.
•
March 22nd is
World Water
Day.
St. Jude’s Ranch for
Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
For more information
about St. Jude’s
Ranch or the Recycled
Card Program, go to:
www.stjudesranch.org/
help_card.php
POINTS
•
Earth Hour will
be celebrated on
Saturday, March
27th.
E NVIRONMENTAL D ISCOVERY C ENTER N EWS
P AGE 2
F OOD F OR T HE B IRDS
According to the Audubon Society, over 100
species of birds in North
America supplement
their natural diets with
that obtained from feeders. While birds may
visit feeders anytime,
they are especially important in the winter
when natural food
sources may be scarce.
In addition to benefitting
the birds, providing
feeders also increases
your opportunities for
bird watching right in
your own backyard. In
addition to providing
food, you can also help
birds by providing water
which can be used for
drinking as well as bathing. Planting native
plants can provide,
cover, potential nesting
places, and are a
source of natural food.
ter on Saturday, January 2, 2010 and make
birdfeeder from Cheerios. You can take it
home with you and
watch the birds enjoy
the tasty treat. The activity will be available
from 10:00 AM - 4:00
PM.
Stop by the Environmental Discovery Cen-
B UILD Y OUR O WN B LUEBIRD N EST B OX
“T HERE IS
NOTHING IN
WHICH THE BIRDS
DIFFER MORE FROM
MAN THAN THE
WAY THEY CAN
BUILD AND YET
LEAVE A LANDSCAPE
AS IT WERE .”
-R OBERT LYND
Over the years, as land
has been cleared and
building materials
changed, the number of
natural cavities available
for bluebirds to nest in
has been reduced. In
turn, the bluebird population has suffered. You
can help by providing a
nest box as an alternative to a natural cavity.
On Saturday, February
6, the Environmental
Discovery Center will
host the 2nd Annual
Build Your Own Bluebird
Nest Box Workshop. All
materials will be provided free of charge
thanks in part to the donation of lumber by
White Timber Company
Inc. Workshops will be
held at 10:00 AM and
2:00 PM. Registration is
required and space is
limited to 10 participants
per session. For more
information or to sign up
for the workshop, please
call (843) 389-0550.
G UIDED C ANOE E XCURSION
Join us on Saturday, March 6 for a
three mile guided
paddle along the
Lynches Scenic
River. Two trips
will be offered with
the first beginning
at 10:00 AM and
the second beginning at 2:00 PM.
It is estimated that
the 10:00 AM trip
will return to the
park around 12:30
PM and the 2:00
PM trip will return
to the park around
4:30 PM. The
event is free but
space is limited to
14 participants per
trip. Canoes hold
a maximum of two
people; one of
which must be 18
or older. To sign
up for the guided
canoe excursion or
for more information, please call
(843) 389-0550.
V OLUME 3, I SSUE 1
P AGE 3
R ECYCLING E FFORTS A T T HE P ARK
It wasn’t long ago that recycling efforts were nonexistent
at the Park. Fortunately, that
is no longer the case. Recycling bins are now found
throughout the park to collect
plastic, aluminum, and glass.
Thanks to the efforts of visitors and staff, the Park has
kept bottles, aluminum cans,
and glass containers out of
the landfill.
In addition to saving valuable
space in the landfill, recycling
saves energy. Recycling just
one aluminum can saves
enough energy to power a TV
for 3 hours. Recycling 1 glass
jar saves enough energy to
power a 60 watt light-bulb for
4 hours.
Recycled soda bottles can be
turned into a fiber and made
into T-shirts. Recycling just 5
soda bottles makes enough
fiber for 1 T-shirt.
Next time you visit the Park,
please remember to help us
by placing recyclable items in
the blue recycling bins. If you
need more information about
recycling in Florence County,
a list of drop off locations can
be found at: http://
www.florenceco.org/recycle/
locations.htm
Number of items
Recycling at Lynches River County Park
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Apr.
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Month
Aluminum Cans
Plastic bottles
U PCOMING G ROUPS
Date
Organization
Grade/ Age
1/29
Dewey L. Carter Elementary
2nd
2/10
Dewey L. Carter Elementary
5th
2/11
Dewey L. Carter Elementary
5th
3/11
Dewey L. Carter Elementary
4th
3/12
Dewey L. Carter Elementary
4th
3/25
Savannah Grove Elementary
K
3/26
Savannah Grove Elementary
K
Environmental Discovery Center
5094 County Park Road
Coward, SC 29530
(843) 389-0550
www.lynchesriverpark.com
Operating Hours
Tuesday - Saturday
9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Mission Statement
To develop and reveal the natural resources of the park for the purpose of advancing education,
stewardship, and recreation for the residents and visitors of Florence County
H AVE Y OU M ADE T HE S WITCH ?
As I took my Christmas
lights out this year, I
decided this would be
their final appearance.
Several years ago, in
retaliation to the icicle
light craze, I purchased
several sets of the
large, traditional C9
lights. The same style
lights are now available
in LEDs which use only
about 10% of the energy required for the
incandescent bulbs.
This energy savings is
not only good for
Mother Earth but also
for your budget since
that savings will be
reflected in your elec-
tricity bill. Compared to
incandescent bulbs,
LEDs are also longer
lasting, more durable,
and safer since they
produce very little heat.
Given all the benefits, I
feel it is my responsibility to make the switch
to LEDs.
Then there is the question of what to do with
the old lights. Rather
than putting them in the
trash, I will be sending
my lights to a free recycling program offered
by HolidayLED.com
since I have not been
able to find a local
recycling option. I
invite you to make the
switch to LEDs too.
Bring any of your old
strands of Christmas
lights to the Environmental Discovery
Center between now
and January 31 and I
will include them with
my shipment. If you
prefer to send your own
lights, send them to:
HolidayLEDs.com
Attention: Recyling Program
118 Rosehill Drive, Suite 1
Jackson, MI 49202
For more information, go to
www.holidayleds.com/
holidayledscom_christmas_light_recycling
_program