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BLUE HERON NATURE TRAIL & LEARNING CENTER
Traveling on I-95, you will see this billboard alerting travelers to this hidden treasure at Exit 21, South of Charleston and just north of Savannah.
A Success Story of Community, Conservation, and Dedication
With the vision of the Jasper Soil and Water Conservation District and many other volunteers, construction of a nature trail and Learning Center in Jasper County was a high priority in the late 1980s. Many partnerships evolved from this endeavor.
This is the entrance to the trail before construction. Note the light pole in the center and stores in the background.
This is another angle of the same area of the trail with protected wetlands in the background. Note again the light pole and flagging laying out the trail.
Much thought went into the detail of trail construction. A local brick mason donated his talent and materials for the butterfly garden.
Visitors now enjoy a spring in their step from the recycled tire materials in the trail. This surface was made possible with a grant from SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control.
Carol Stanley, Conservation District commissioner, was always on hand to help with the construction of the entire Learning Center and trail. Sadly, Carol passed away before the project was complete. The Learning Center classroom is dedicated to him.
Also featured along the trail is a dry fire hydrant which provides additional education opportunities and fire safety.
After the completion of the trail, a plan emerged for the construction of the environmental education Center.
Our Conservation District chairman, Gordon Wells, began fundraising in December 1999. Lowcountry RC&D received funds through Environmental Justice Grant program to kick off the fundraising drive. Projects of this magnitude are not possible without financial assistance and the determination of individuals like Gordon Wells.
Another example of community involvement, this local logger cut the sawtimber off the lot, hauled it to the mill, and gave the District the check from the mill at no charge.
A local contractor donated his time to this project. Allowing the costs to remain as low as possible to the District.
Once the building was complete (October 2001), our attention focused on landscaping. The District was fortunate to receive assistance from Stan Jones, Clemson Extension, in landscape design.
Salkahatchie Youth Challenge Academy provided landscaping work as a teaching tool for their commercial horticulture program.
The exhibit room contains a wealth of materials, mostly donated from locals who support resource conservation. A bee farm is pictured here.
The Classroom is dedicated to Carol Stanley. Currently, over 2,000 students visit the classroom annually. Pictured here is one of our favorite programs: Feathers, Furs, and Fins.
We utilize the pond and the trail in all of our outdoor programs. Here we are doing an activity in pond ecology.
We hope you will come see us at the Blue Heron Learning Center, we are tucked away behind the pond and live oaks at Exit 21 on I-95.