Anne Springs Close Greenway Offers Naturalist Course to Expand Stewardship in 2013
Training Teaches Participants How to ‘Read the Land’ and Encourages Volunteerism
Nature lovers can become certified Master Naturalists and join a regional corps of citizen scientists by attending a 12-week environmental training course hosted on the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
The Catawba Master Naturalist Program is a Clemson University Cooperative Extension initiative that teaches participants how to explore the world around them, identify plants and animals and better understand ecological concepts they can apply through volunteering in their communities.
As part of the S.C. Master Naturalist program, the course includes field trips across Upstate South Carolina to landmarks such as Forty Acre Rock, Lansford Canal State Park, Museum of York County, Kings Mountain Military National Park and Draper Wildlife Refuge.
The course is set for Tuesdays, March 12 through May 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $600, which covers course materials, instruction and field trip expenses. Participants also receive a free one-year membership to the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
Those who complete the training as well as 30 hours of volunteer work at the Greenway or other sites will receive Master Naturalist certification, making them eligible for alumni chapter activities and advanced training. The S.C. Master Naturalist program is a Clemson Cooperative Extension program administered through the S.C. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in cooperation with various partners around the state.
For information, please call 803.548.7255 or click here to register.
For Educators
Introduction
This section is designed to give teachers and parents suggestions for exploring the outdoors with students and children. The Greenway offers a variety of natural habitats and historical areas for fun and learning.
Lesson Plans for Outdoor Activities
- Overview of 5th Grade Ecology Lesson Plans
- Forest Ecology: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
- Field Ecology: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
- Pond Ecology: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
- Lichen Lookin’: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
- Scavenger Hunt: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
Webb’s Grist Mill Education Activities
These lessons help students understand the importance of a grist mill to the development of a community in the 1780s; how topography shaped the location of the grist mill; and the science and mathematics integrated in operating a mill.
- Oxbow: Why grist mill Was Built Along Steele Creek: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan / Lesson Answers
- Baking Cornbread K-2nd Grade: Teacher Info / Lesson Plan
- Baking Cornbread 3rd - 12th Grade: Teacher Info / Lesson Plan
- Water Power and Gears: Student Worksheet / Leader Lesson Plan
- Measuring the Millstone: Teacher Info / Student Worksheet
- Grist mill Hike Journal Ideas
Schedule a Group Tour of the Greenway
Groups are welcome at the Greenway for environmental education explorations, guided nature hikes and history tours, including Webb’s grist mill.
Special rates for groups depend upon the program. For additional information and reservations, contact Linda Turner by calling 803.548.7252.