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Greetings
Welcome to the Blue Wall Weekly, your source for what's going on outside along the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. Feel free to share your own photos, videos, and adventures along the Blue Wall by sending them to the email address at the bottom of the page, and we'll do our best to make you (locally) famous!
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Evening Sounds
The sun is down, and last light fades away into gentle evening clouds. The cricket symphony is tuning up. For a few minutes the crickets have the stage to themselves, then the golden-throated wood thrush sings out, its beautiful melody echoing across rolling hills. It’s a blissful evening concert… for a minute. A yellow-billed cuckoo is nearby, its call a croaking, discordant song, and the wood thrush goes silent, respectfully giving the stage to its neighbor. And now, at the edge of dark, a Chuck-will’s-widow joins in, hidden somewhere close by, loud and persistent, drowning out even the crickets. ~K
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SPECIAL EVENTS
WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
May 27: 10:00 AM--2:00 PM
FIRST SUNDAY EXPEDITION WITH PATRICK MCMILLAN Booked
June 2: 10:00 AM--2:00 PM
864-280-5501
BOOK A PRIVATE JOCASSEE LAKE TOUR TODAY!
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WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
EVERY WEDNESDAY TOUR
EVERY SATURDAY TOUR
May 25: 10:00--2:00 PM Book Now!
SATURDAY SUNSET TOUR
EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON TOUR
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Lake Jocassee in May
Photo by Dixie Thomasson
STATE PARK EVENTS
Oconee Station State Historic Site
January 1--December 31
Saturdays & Sundays: 1:00--5:00 PM
This Historic Site offers both recreational opportunities and a unique look at 18th and 19th century South Carolina. Oconee Station - a stone blockhouse used as an outpost by the S.C. State Militia from about 1792 to 1799 - and the William Richards House, are the only two structures that remain today.
Gorges State Park
May 25: 1:00--2:00 PM
Join Ranger Coburn, to learn about how we got mountains, and why they are still here. We’ll also talk about how geology plays a role in other features like ecology and of course why this area has so many waterfalls.
Tri-County Adventure Group
May 25: 9:30--11:30 AM
Greenville Sea Kayakers
May 25: 10:00 AM--1:00 PM
ACA certified instructor Janie Butcher will help you develop that forward stroke to paddle faster and farther with less effort. We'll also work on the draw strokes to move sideways, and the turning strokes that are the basis for maneuvers. If you are thinking of buying a kayak, take this class first! We will cover equipment fit, kayak recommendations, and safety gear.
Women Trailblazing the Carolinas
May 26: 9:00 AM--3:30 PM
Rim of the Gap Trail, photo by Brenda J. Wiley
GNHA
May 26: 10:00 AM--6:00 PM
From the Walhalla Fish Hatchery (Hwy. 107), we will hike down East Fork Trail to the Chattooga River. We will then follow the river up to Ellicott Rock, where GA, SC, and NC meet. We will eat lunch by the river, and swim if you like! This is an out and back hike.
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Jocassee Lake Tours/Visit Oconee
May 21: 5:45 PM
Come listen to Jocassee Lake Tours and Visit Oconee talk about the best things to do in our area! Refreshments on hand. RSVP encouraged.
SCNPS
May 21: 7:00--9:00 PM
Dr. L.L. “Chick” Gaddy will talk about the various Shortia around the globe, including a species (Shortia rotata), newly discovered by Gaddy and collaborator Maaxim S. Nuraliev. All Shortia species are considered to be rare, so come out for this rare opportunity to hear about them.
Shortia rotata, Photos by A.J. Floden, B. Wynn-Jones, M.S. Nuraliev
Friends of Jocassee
May 23: 10:00 AM
Join Bob King as he discusses fly-fishing & chapter activities related to cold-water fishery conservation efforts in the Jocassee Gorges.
Lake Conestee Nature Park
May 23: 3:30--5:00 PM
May 24: 9:30--11:00 AM
In this class we will learn about seeds and how they grow into grasses, flowers, and humongous trees!
Mushroom Mountain
May 25--26: 9:00 AM--5:00 PM
5 year mushroom foraging permit for SC, GA and NC, VA, PA, NY. This permit will allow for sale of wild foraged mushrooms.
SC Botanical Garden Events
May 23: 4:00--5:30 PM
Elementary students, (ages 6-12) explore the exciting habitats of South Carolina. Participants will learn about the animals and plants who call this State home and the landscapes that define S.C.
May 24: 3:30--5:30 PM
We’ll learn fun facts about birds and beginner birding skills for locating and identifying common birds of South Carolina. We’ll hear and see birds on a garden walk, and we’ll finish by creating nature journals and recording the days feathered friend findings!
May 25: 11:00 AM--4:00 PM
Join craftsman Rick Owens as he demonstrates some of the skills needed to build a cabin in the nineteenth century. Learn how to split a shingle, use hand tools and more.
May 25: 11:00 AM--4:00 PM
Now things are really beginning to hop in the Garden! Discover more about the life cycles and habits of bees, butterflies, beetles and more! Hands-on activities will introduce young and old alike to the fabulous worlds of insects and the Clemson Entomology Club, Master Naturalists and the Butterfly Garden Volunteers will be on hand to help.
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THIS WEEK ON LAKE JOCASSEE
MAY 20, 2019
TAKE A LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST!
Kit Parks of Active Travel Adventures chats with the guides of Jocassee Lake Tours. Brooks Wade, Dan Whitten, Sheryl White & Zach Maddox talk about Boat Tours, Kayaking, Hiking, Waterfalls, Loons, Wild Flowers, Fishing, Secret Places, Sunsets and more.
MAY/JUNE
STATE PARK EVENTS
Table Rock State Park
May 29: 5:30--10:30 PM
Oconee Station State Park
June 1: 10:00 AM--3:00 PM
Gorges State Park
June 1: 10:15 AM--12:15 PM
Table Rock State Park
June 1: 5:30--10:30 PM
Oconee State Park
June 8: 10:00 AM--12:00 PM
Table Rock State Park
June 8: 2:00--6:00 PM
Table Rock State Park
June 15: 9:00--11:00 AM
GNHA
June 1: 8:30 AM--5:00 PM
Women Trailblazing the Carolinas
June 2: 9:30 AM--4:30 PM
GNHA
June 2: 12:00--6:00 PM
GNHA
June 8: 8:00 AM--5:00 PM
GNHA
June 15: 10:00 AM--5:00 PM
GNHA
June 16: 10:00 AM--5:30 PM
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Atlanta Outdoor Club
May 31:4:00 PM--June 3: 1:00 PM
Foothills Trail Conservancy
June 1
Palmetto Conservation Foundation
June 1
Mushroom Mountain
June 1: 9:00 AM--12:00 PM
SCUMS
June 3: 6:00--8:00 PM
Sierra Club of the Foothills
June 4: 7:00 PM
The New Sassafras Mountain Viewing Tower w/ Heyward Douglass
SCNPS
June 8--9
Mushroom Mountain
June 11: 2:00--3:30 PM
Greenville County Bird Club
June 15: 7:00 AM--12:00 PM (Longer Walk)
June 15: 8:00--10:30 AM (Shorter Walk)
Hagood Mill Historic Site
June 15: 10:00 AM--1:00 PM
SC Botanical Garden Events
June 11: 10:00 AM--12:00 PM
June 15: 7:45--8:45 PM
JOCASSEE WILD CHILD!
Do you remember the freedom of childhood? The lightness of bare feet? The fearlessness to enter into new places? The excitement of making your own discoveries? This is what it looks like to be a wild child. What a beautiful sight!
BORROWED GLIMPSES
A bloomin' Hearts-a-bustin'
Photo by Betsy George
Monarch's eye view of milkweed
Photo by Patricia Whitener
The ladys are blooming! Yellow ladyslipper, photo by Betsy George
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DID YOU KNOW?
Chuck-will's-widow numbers declined by about 2.3% per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 69%, according tot he North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 6 million with 100% spending some part of the year in the U.S., and 13% in Mexico. The species rates a 12 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score.
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ABOUT THE BLUE WALL
Spanning three states (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) and encompassing 859,000 acres, the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, known as the 'Blue Wall' by Native Americans, contains some of the highest natural diversity of rare plants and animals found anywhere in the world.
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Phone: 864-280-5501
PLEASE CALL 864-280-5501 AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS!
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Love Jocassee? Help protect and preserve the beauty of Lake Jocassee and the Jocassee Gorges by joining FOJ!
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 Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Your Portal to Paradise!
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Lake Jocassee
&
Lake Keowee
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85°F
71°F
94°F
66°F
