Local News

Manning Garden Club hosts speaker from SCWF

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This event will be held October 12 at 3PM. The newspaper mistakingly says it will be October 13. I apologize  for this misprint. 

The Manning Council of Garden Club has invited a special guest to give a presentation this October 12 at 3PM. The presentation will be held at Weldon Auditorium in Manning. The special guest will be Jay Keck from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is a 91 year old nonprofit organization that is dedicated to protecting South Carolina’s natural animal and plant species. Jay Keck is their Industry Habitat Manager. His role consists of contacting large businesses in South Carolina and encouraging them to enhance their property to be more wildlife-friendly. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation currently has about thirty business partners.

To explain everything the SCWF focuses on, Keck used the word model “CARE.” C stands for conservation, which is the act of protecting native wildlife and preventing it from going extinct. A stands for advocacy. The SCWF advocates for nature by supporting laws and bills that will benefit nature. R is for restoration, and the organization improves or builds new habitats or safe areas for native plants and species to thrive within. E stands for education. The SCWF visits schools, libraries, garden clubs, and more to inform audiences about the importances of native species, and how each person can make their area a safer ecosystem for many plants and animals. 

One interesting educational event the organization has planned is a dinner party, where chefs created dishes that were representative of different bird species. A recent restorative project the SCWF conducted was an installation of a pollinator garden. The pollinator garden will provide resources and homes for insects that will then help humans by pollinating local gardens and farms. They built educational signs near the pollinator garden so admirers will be able to read about its purpose.

Keck said, “While we were installing the pollinator garden, we were visited by five different butterfly species.”

During his visit, Keck has several topics he plans to share in his presentation. He is going to show many pictures of birds that live in South Carolina, and explain how and where you can find them. He may have audio clips of the sounds some birds make as well. He would also like to show the audience the different types of caterpillars and insects that are important meal sources for birds, and talk about why it’s important to plant native plants that will attract those insects.

Keck said, “Native plants and insects evolve with each other, and as long as you have insects in your yard, you will have all kinds of birds you’ve never seen before.”

The presentation is not just for gardeners or bird watchers. Anyone who has an interest in nature and would like to learn more about the more than 400 species of birds discovered in South Carolina are welcome to attend. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation hopes to inform as many people as they can about the wonderful plants and animals native to our beautiful state.