 June 2025 News & Events |
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Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve Field Day
Thursday, June 26, 9:00 am  Hello Friends of Lewis Ocean Bay, We are cooperating with Carolina Wetlands, a nonprofit group in NC, on a project funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to make more people aware of local wetlands and their functions. We have established two wetland monitoring plots at Lewis Ocean Bay, both within the boundaries of Carolina bays.
We invite those who might be interested in participating. Our first field day will be Thursday June 26, at 9:00 AM. We will be measuring water table depth, plants, amphibians and water quality. This is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to learn a bit about the LOB system and scientific approaches for monitoring this system. This will be a long-term effort to track environmental and ecological changes in this cool place.
It will be hot, sweaty work, but very rewarding. We are looking for a dedicated team of about 6-8 people. If you are interested, please reply to friendsoflewisoceanbay@gmail.com or call Jim Luken at 843-385-6175 for more info.
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 Charleston Horticultural Society Book Sale! Books on gardening, plants, landscaping, natives, specific plant families, gift books -– some rare books such as Rickett’s Wild Flowers of America, Radford Manual of Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Come browse and find gems at 30% off used list prices. Parking across the street behind Earth Fare. For more info: office@chashortsoc.org or (843) 579-9922. |
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 The SC Certificate in Native Plant Studies is a popular option with environmental educators, landscapers, naturalists, and gardeners interested in obtaining formal training and certification in SC ecosystems, botany, native plant communities, and sustainable landscaping. But in recent years, most courses have been offered in Clemson — a long haul from SC coastal communities!! — so some participants in the certificate program have been requesting that classes be offered in other parts of the state. On June 28th, Sharleen Johnson (former President of the Lowcountry SCNPS, and owner of Native Plants to the People) will be teaching the Sustainable Landscaping core course at West Ashley’s Clemson TEACH Center (located in the Citadel Mall): https://calendar.clemson.edu/event/sustainable-landscaping-south-carolina-native-plant-certificate-core-class-62825 On August 14th, Samantha Porzelt (another former President of the Lowcountry SCNPS, and Clemson Extension Water Resources Agent) will be teaching a Rain Gardening elective at the Clemson TEACH Center: https://calendar.clemson.edu/event/south-carolina-native-plant-elective-rain-gardens-81425 Contact Sue Watts (watts9@clemson.edu) with any questions about the program and/or the code for the 10% discount available to SCNPS members and SC Botanical Garden Friends. (Note: It is important to enter your discount code at the time of checkout, as there is no way to apply it retroactively.) More information about the SC Native Plant Certificate is available here: https://www.clemson.edu/scbg/learn/native-plant-certificate.html |
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Clemson Extension’s Master Rain Gardener certificate course registration is now open. Rain gardens are always filled with native plants because of their many stormwater benefits. Registration will close on August 8th or sooner if all available spots are filled. This course consists of 4 self-paced online modules and a required field day on Tuesday, October 14th at Baruch in Georgetown, SC.
The Certification Track is intended for contractors, landscape designers, landscape installers and other professionals who will install residential-scale rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems for pay.
For more information and to register please visit https://www.clemson.edu/extension/raingarden/mrg/index.html
For questions about the Master Rain Gardener program, please contact
Samantha Porzelt Master Rain Gardener Course Coordinator |
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Save the Date!
Saturday, September 27 Lowcountry Fall Native Plant Market returns to Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market! 645 Coleman Blvd Stay tuned for time and details  |
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This year, SCNPS will elect new officers to the State Board for a two-year term. Per our bylaws, nominees must be shared with members 45 days before the election—this year, that’s September 3, 2025.
Each chapter may have one representative on the nominating committee, which includes three state board members. The committee will disband after the election on October 18, 2025. If you’re interested in joining the nominating committee or possibly serving on the board, please contact SCNPS President Dan Whitten at president@scnps.org. If you would like more info about any of these open positions, please contact these current board members:
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 Save the Date! The statewide symposium brings together SCNPS members from all chapters, and this year, the Grand Strand chapter will be hosting! Throughout the weekend of October 17-19, there will be numerous field trips, presentations, workshops, and opportunities to meet and connect with fellow members. The majority of events will be held in Murrells Inlet at Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park, with several additional field trips throughout the Grand Strand region. This year’s theme will be Gentians. In South Carolina, the family Gentianaceae spans a wide range of habitats from the mountains to the coast. Within the Grand Strand region, gentians can be found among riverbanks, salt marshes, and longleaf pine savannas. We are excited to celebrate the unique ecology of these plants and to highlight the conservation issues they face. More information about the 2025 symposium, including details about accommodations, can be found at scnps.org/symposium2025. The 2025 symposium will be open to SCNPS members (from any chapter) only. If you are not already a member, please join us today! |
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 Greetings from your SCNPS Lowcountry board members! |
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