Kay Wade of Jocassee Wild Outdoor Education on “Jocassee Gorges: The Perfect Outdoor Classroom”
You may know it as the home to the elusive Oconee Bell, but according to National Geographic Magazine, the Jocassee Gorges ecoregion is one of “the world’s last great places” (number nine out of 50, in fact — but who’s counting?). But what makes it a mecca for hikers, fishermen, botanists, herpetologists, mycologists, geologists, and loon researchers alike? Beyond the stunning beauty of the mountains and waterfalls, what has made this place a “crucible of life” through times of change? And of utmost importance, who is going to protect this uniquely special land in the future?
Seeking to provide some answers to these questions, Kay Wade of Jocassee Wild Outdoor Education will be joining the Upstate Chapter at its February 21st meeting, presenting a talk entitled “Jocassee Gorges: The Perfect Outdoor Classroom!”
About Jocassee Wild Outdoor Education
Kay Wade
Jocassee Wild Outdoor Education, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is dedicated to introducing people – from children to senior citizens – to the many mysteries and wonders of the Jocassee Gorges, bringing participants to a deeper understanding (personal, ecological and social) of the importance of the region’s wild, pristine, spaces, and to what we can all do to help protect it for generations to come.
Kay Wade co-owns Jocassee Lake Tours with her husband Brooks. Kay came to the Carolina mountains as a young person and fell in love with the region. She has worked as a professional gardener and garden designer from the NC mountains to the Florida coast and back. For several years she wrote a weekly newspaper column on environmental and ecological challenges related to the so-called “green industry.” In 2014 Kay retired from gardening to join husband Brooks in expanding the reach of Jocassee Lake Tours, offering students of all ages access to a wide range of nature studies in the perfect outdoor classroom, the Jocassee Gorges, by way of the blue highway of Lake Jocassee.
Meeting Location
The meeting will be at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, in the Parker Auditorium (between Oconee Hall and Pickens Hall). The presentation will begin at 7pm, but socializing begins at 6:30. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.
Click here for a PDF map for the meeting. The Parker Auditorium is notoriously tricky to get to, especially in the dark. Once you turn at the light to get on campus, there is a center barrier, and you are not able to immediately turn left onto the one-way access driveway down to the Auditorium. Instead, after turning left into the campus, continue straight until the center barrier ends, at about Woodburn Road. Make a U-turn there. Just before you reach the stop light, turn right onto the access driveway to the Auditorium.
Parking spots may be available in front of Oconee Hall. There is also a parking lot just past Oconee Hall on the right and further down on the left.
Click here to add this event to your calendar.
