BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//South Carolina Association of Naturalists - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:South Carolina Association of Naturalists
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.scnaturalists.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for South Carolina Association of Naturalists
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Halifax
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20160313T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20161106T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20170312T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20171105T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20180311T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20181104T050000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20170923T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20170923T170000
DTSTAMP:20260507T130013
CREATED:20170201T084517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171023T031635Z
UID:1279-1506162600-1506186000@www.scnaturalists.org
SUMMARY:Jocassee Gorges WMA
DESCRIPTION:Jocassee Gorges WMA\nPickens County\, SC\nLatitude/Longitude (WGS84) is 34.95848N 82.85298W\nRegional Director: Katherine Boyle \nOn Saturday September 23 we will meet at 10:30 AM at one of the ‘angler access’ points on Eastatoe Creek\, Jocassee Gorges WMA. Named for the steep-walled coves that  characterize the landscape north and east of Lake Jocassee\, the Jocassee Gorges tracts were purchased from Duke Power by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources in 1998. The acquisition has protected an area of outstanding biodiversity\, as well as opened up special recreational opportunities such as trout fishing and bear hunting. Equally  ignificant is the simple fact that these tracts together constitute such a large\, scenic\, and remote property. \nThe highest mean annual rainfall in the eastern half of the United States makes for an abundance of cold swift creeks such as the Eastatoe. We visited Eastatoe Creek back in July 2015 on Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve; now our visit will take us to a section of the creek several miles downstream. This is the southernmost of the Jocassee Gorges tracts\, encompassing 770 acres of characteristically mountain forest though at a lower elevation (~1000 feet) than most of South Carolina’s mountain region (2000-plus feet)\, allowing relatively easy access and not-too-strenuous walking. \nWe’ll start out at a fishing pier adjacent to the parking area and explore both upstream and downstream along Eastatoe Creek\, following informal but well-worn creekside paths. About 70 yards downstream the creek becomes shallow (knee high at most) and sandy-bottomed\, and here we can easily cross. On the far side is the mouth of a tributary and\, just above\, a small waterfall. \nPlentiful stream habitat means we’ll have a good chance of finding salamanders\, such as Desmognathus spp. Jocassee Gorges is regarded by SCDNR biologists as exceptional for both abundance and diversity of salamanders. \nA great diversity of plants has also been documented by SCDNR in Jocassee Gorges. Heritage Trust lists over a hundred endangered\, threatened\, or ‘watch-list’ plant species for Pickens County\, most based on observations in the mountain region. And according to the Heritage observation database\, the rare Asplenium trichomanes has been reported from the immediate vicinity of our visit. Let’s keep an eye on rock outcrops for this fern! \nAnother plant that deserves our attention is the water hemlock Cicuta maculata. Considered the most poisonous plant in the North American flora\, it is often found along creeks. I photographed this plant just downstream from the fishing pier. \nHow to get there:\nFrom the junction of US-178 (Ann Street) and SC-183 (Main Street) in Pickens\, go 8.5 miles north on US-178 and turn left onto SC-11 (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy). Go 4.9 miles southwest on SC-11 and turn right onto Roy F Jones Rd. Go 1.2 miles west on Roy F Jones Rd; on your right you’ll see a turn-off with an SCDNR / Duke Energy sign that says “Angler Access Area: Dug Mountain.” Turn here and park in the parking area. \nLatitude/longitude (WGS84) is 34.95848N 82.85298W. \nLooking at the map\, it does seem that E Preston McDaniel or Shady Grove Roads would be the more direct routes\, but US-178 is the route I took. \nWhere to eat:\nFiesta Mexican Restaurant\nAddress: 712 West Main Street\, Pickens SC 29671\nOne-half mile west of the junction of of US-178 (Ann Street) and SC-183 (Main Street) in Pickens.\nPhone: (864) 878-8255
URL:https://www.scnaturalists.org/event/lake-jocassee/
CATEGORIES:Field Trip
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR