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Greetings!
Welcome to the Blue Wall Weekly, your source for what's going on outside along the Southern BlueRidge 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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Dear Santa,
First, please allow me to thank you (quite belatedly) for all the nice gifts you brought when I was a child. They were (almost) always appreciated. My older sister did make me a slave to the rickshaw, but I’m sure you didn’t intend for that to happen. Oh, and fyi, I did finally get that pony I asked for every single year of my young life. My sister gave it to me, probably to make up for the rickshaw abuse. Now, these many years later, I have a new request. Can you please bring me a person? Not just any person… specifically, I need a person familiar with non-profits and mega grants. Not for me, Santa, but for the many Wild children who want to experience the wonders of Jocassee through Jocassee Wild Outdoor Education. Our community is giving us wonderful support, but I don’t always remember to fill out the paperwork on time to get their contributions. I could use some help with that! Santa, if you can find the perfect person who also knows how to tap into funds big enough to keep our wonderful Jocassee Wild Child director above the poverty line, that would make my life complete. Oh. And an illustrator. And both these people just love Jocassee and want to help with the effort for little or no money. Of course. Is this too much to ask? I hope not! I’m counting on you, Santa! Merry Christmas, and please give my best to Mrs. Claus and all the elves. Love, Kay
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This, Santa, is from our next generation of Jocassee keepers!
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SPECIAL EVENTS
WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
#2 Laurel Fork to Canebrake
December 16: 8:30 AM
#3 Canebrake to Horsepasture
December 23: 8:30 AM
FISHING ADVENTURES WITH CAPT. ZACH
Call to Book!
CALL OR BOOK ONLINE TO RESERVE SEATS
The rocks of Jocassee have some particulary interesting stories to tell!
THIS WEEK!
DECEMBER 11
STATE PARK EVENTS
Oconee Station State Historic Site
Originally a military compound and later a trading post, this Historic Site offers both, recreational opportunities and a unique look at 18th and 19th century South Carolina. A self-interpretation station is available at the park office.
South Carolina State Parks
November 23, 2023-January 1, 2024
Through this scavenger hunt you will learn more about your parks, enjoy some great events, have a lot of fun -- and earn prizes!
Oconee State Park
December 1-January 10
Enjoy the lights from the warmth of your vehicle as you drive around the Lake loop through the campground. The Park is open until 9:00 PM.
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Friends of Jocassee (FOJ)
December 11: 12:00-2:00 PM
FOJ proudly maintains over 4 miles of roadways leading from Hwy 11 to Devils Fork State Park. We call it the “road to paradise” - help us keep it beautiful!
Mushroom Mountain
December 14: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Tours include an introduction to fungal ecology and life cycles, laboratory tour and research overviews, tour of the fruiting room, and if there is anything fruiting on the trail, you will get to experience it. Many aspects of mushrooms, including medicinal properties, cooking, and mycoremediation to soil creation will be discussed along the way!
Green Bird Nature Therapy w/ Jeanne Malmgren
December 16
This experience allows you to try out the practice of Noble Silence, while enjoying the healthful effects of fresh air and green, living things …all in the company of like-minded others.
Greenville County Bird Club
December 16: 8:00-10:30 AM (Shorter walk)
December 16: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (Longer walk)
Shorter walk-Meet at the Spanco Drive parking area next to the old Conestee Mill and Dam to bird a section of the paved trail. Longer walk-Meet behind the baseball stadium to bird a variety of paved and natural surface trails.
Sphyrapicus varius Yellowed-bellied sapsucker, Photo by Anthony Q Martin
GNHA
December 17: 8:30 AM-3:30 PM
This 8.7 miles hike is generally all ascent to Drawbar (2050’ EG) and descent back to the cars. This should be a good pre-holiday hike close to Greenville.
Upstate Hiking and Outdoor Adventures
December 17: 9:20 AM-1:20 PM
This is a woodland hike through state land typically used by hunters. There is one very nice view, an interesting rock face, and no crowds.
SC BOTANICAL GARDEN EVENTS
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WEEKLY EVENTS
WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
Cool Season Lake Tours
Tuesday & Saturday: 11:00 AM-2:00 PM Book Now!
PRIVATE TOURS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE!
THIS WEEK ON LAKE JOCASSEE
DECEMBER 11, 2023
Lake Jocassee is low, down over 10 feet and falling, but it’s nothing new to us. The lake was 25’ down when we started JLT. It’s raining this Saturday, with much rain predicted for tomorrow,, so perhaps the drought will subside. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the ‘different’ lake we have for a while. Despite the prop eating nature of a low lake, there are some really spectacular advantages. For one thing, geology classes rock! (excuse the pun). The Jocassee Wild Naturalist geology class was held this past week, and all involved had a great time. We are blessed to have Dr. Bill Ranson, geology professor emeritus from Furman University, teach this class, and what a day was had. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen two boat loads of people so happy on a cold lake day! Rocks in hand and stories were being told at the dock as we secured the boats. In 2017 the lake was down 17’ during our first year of loon research, and the count of loons, at 155, was the highest number we’ve ever had. I have suspected all along that a low lake forces the bait fish upon which the loons feed to concentrate in the river channels, making the finding of food a much easier task for the loons. If the bait is easy to locate, why migrate on? If the drought persists, we’ll test my theory in January when we do a full lake loon census. The lake is a silent joy to behold this time of year. Full of birds, not boats, the shoreline a geologic marvel. ~B
COMING SOON!
STATE PARK EVENTS
Gorges State Park
January 1: 10:00-10:30 AM
Caesars Head State Park
January 1: 10:00-11:30 AM
Devils Fork State Park
January 1: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Oconee State Park
January 1: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Table Rock State Park
January 1: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Oconee Station State Historic Site
January 1: 1:00-2:30 PM
Devils Fork State Park
January 1: 2:00-3:00 PM
Keowee-Toxaway State Park
January 1: 2:00-3:00 PM
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Mushroom Mountain
December 21: 6:00-9:00 PM
SC BOTANICAL GARDEN EVENTS
READY TO RAMBLE A LITTLE FURTHER? CHECK OUT WHAT THESE FRIENDS HAVE TO OFFER!
Borrowed Glimpses
Chroicocephalus philadelphia Bonaparte's gull
Photo by Pam Barbour
Wild ginger and Oconee Bells drape a stump along the Foothills Trail.
Photo by Heyward Douglass
Recent Jocassee Wild Naturalist geology class with Dr. Bill Ranson. Photo by Debra Girard
Dr. Bill Ranson
Photo by Debra Girard
Wouldn't you like to help a young person become a Jocassee Wild Child and connect with this special place?
Your support makes this program happen!
Check out what we're doing here:
and follow Jocassee Wild Child Adventures on Facebook!
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DID YOU KNOW?
Lake Jocassee’s full pond elevation is 1,100 feet above mean sea level (MSL) with a maximum licensed drawdown of 30 feet. At full pond, the surface area is approximately 7,980 acres with approximately 92 miles of shoreline. The Jocassee Dam is a zoned earth and rockfill structure approximately 385 feet high and 1,800 feet in length. ~Duke Energy
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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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Thanks to Sheryl White for compiling the Blue Wall Weekly calendar,
and to all JLT GUIDES for photos and continuous inspiration!
Phone: 864-280-5501
Jocassee Lake Tours Depart from the Main Dock at Devils Fork State Park
PLEASE CALL 864-280-5501 AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS!
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Enjoy this Lake Jocassee peaceful hideaway.
CAMP GLAMP!
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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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Visit Oconee Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Your Portal to Paradise!
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Lake Jocassee
&
Lake Keowee
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