Barn Raising

Okay, the staff from the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest and volunteers from the Columbia Audubon Society will not be raising a barn on October 6th at the Wannamaker Nature Preserve. Instead, they will be raising an outdoor shelter. The footprint of that outdoor facility is outlined in tape in the image. The shelter will provide students with an area to spread out their collected treasures (leaves, insects, soil) or to escape the sun or rain.

The Wannamaker Nature Preserve was donated to the Charleston Audubon Society by the late by Mr. Jack Wannamaker and has since transferred to the Columbia Audubon Society. The preserve east of St. Matthews straddles Lyons Creek and is bordered by SC Hwy 6 and Beacons Light Road. Hopefully, the 2.5 miles of trails will soon be trod upon by students from local schools eager to learn more about the plants and animals in their backyard. However, before any of that can happen, a driveway and parking area must be constructed away from Hwy 6 to allow the students to safey exit their bus. Funds have yet to be provided for the driveway parking area, and bathroom facilities.

If you would like to help with the shelter construction or with financial support for the infrastructure required to begin environmental education programs, please contact Mike Dawson at 843.462.2150.