Nature Walk
with Dr. Eran Kilpatrick
Saturday, May 3 at 10 am
Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary
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Enjoy a morning nature walk in the scenic Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary. The group will walk a paved trail through natural areas associated with Ireland Creek, part of the headwaters of the Ashepoo River. Participants will be able to observe and learn about a variety of woodland bird species, native plants, and other wildlife characteristic of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Please bring water, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, and bug repellant.
Meeting Location: Washington Street Entrance
Dr. Kilpatrick is a field biologist with research focused on herpetofauna and vascular plant ecology and natural history. His research, frequently coordinated with undergraduate mentees, is conducted in a variety of ecoregions and unique natural areas throughout the Carolinas. Current projects include a regional study evaluating hybridization and
natural history patterns in the Eastern Newt, imaging and archiving specimens in the USC Salkehatchie herbarium to the Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections, and identification of microbial flora isolated from the human hand.
Walterboro's nature-based attraction, the Wildlife Sanctuary, offers visitors the ultimate Lowcountry experience, combining history, culture, recreation and education in a singularly southern lowlands setting.
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Just three minutes from I-95, the environmental jewel is ideally positioned to serve as the gateway to other nature-based centers in the state and as a catalyst for the greatly expanding ecotourism market. Located within the ACE Basin, the East Coast's largest estuarine preserve, the 600 plus acre Sanctuary features what may be the only "braided creek" swamp accessible to the public.
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A completed network of boardwalks, hiking, biking and canoe trails provide a perfect vantage point to observe the diversity of wildlife inhabiting the black water bottomland. The most historically significant of these paths follows the Colonial-era Charleston-to-Savannah Stagecoach Road still bearing the cypress remnants of long-fallen bridges.