Seasonal Naturalists for Fall 2010

The new seasaonal naturalists have arrived at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest!

Tara Bailey is a former middle and high school teacher as well as a freelance writer, certified City of Charleston tour guide, and former volunteer at the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey.  Her children have been coming to Francis Beidler Forest for Swamp Camp for the past several years, and when she decided to enter a new career realm, she couldn't think of a better place to combine her loves of  natural and cultural history.  She lives in Summerville with her husband and three daughters.

Elizabeth grew up in Rock Hill, SC where she chased frogs and lizards at an early age. She went to college at Coastal Carolina University where she earned two Bachelors degrees: one in Marine Science and another in Biology. She then moved to Charleston, SC and entered into the Masters program of Marine Biology at the College of Charleston.  While earning her masters degree, she worked with the Department of Natural Resources studying Diamondback terrapins as well as with U.S. Fish and Wildlife monitoring Loggerhead sea turtle nests in Cape Romain. She also volunteered as a SCUBA diver and was the herpetologist intern for the South Carolina Aquarium.  After finishing graduate school, her interest in reptiles lead her to Four Holes Swamp and the Francis Beidler Forest.

Our standards-based curriculum focuses on two units, “Birds” and “Wetland/watersheds,” with grade-specific lessons, some of which can be found on our webpage. Other webpage links point to our species lists and images and our blog, which provides images and examples of school visits as well as mini-lessons for a plethora of natural sciences topics. An online education department calendar allows teachers to see what dates are currently available prior to scheduling their swamp visit. We can comfortably accommodate 100 students or four groups at any one time.

Check out the education department's calendar to see when space is available for your students to visit the unique, old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp.  All the logistical information for your trip can be found here.