Adventure awaits on the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail

You’ve probably heard of BBQ or brewery trails (mapped out routes with curated stops for food & drink), but NC has a snorkel trail! For parents with small kids that are looking for safe places to get in a river (easy access, high water quality & safe water volume), the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail has a variety of locations to explore the underwater world in our mountain rivers. We recently visited the Mills River snorkel site and had a blast looking for crayfish, mussels & different fish species!!!

To learn more, visit www.BlueRidgeSnorkelTrail.com. There is a map to find the snorkel trail locations closest to you, as well as learn about the different wildlife that are native at that particular site. Inclusion within the snorkel trail means there is parking available and that the river access is public, and restrooms and other conveniences are often available. 

You don't need a whole lot of fancy equipment either. A mask, snorkel, and water shoes are the basics, and flippers, floaties or a life jacket possible extras. We've had the opportunity to use underwater viewers, and although they can get pricey, they offer an excellent alternative to a child that doesn't wear a snorkel, or a parent that wants to share the view; the two models I suggest are the Marine Sports Underwater and the Nuova Rade Aqua Scope. In the summer I often keep towels & dry clothes in the car, and the usual essentials - water, snacks, sun protection - will go a long way to keeping the crew happy. 

We've visited several sites, but the two we frequent the most are the Tuckasegee and Mills River sites. If you would like to get more involved, the local conservation organizations often host river cleanups and educational programs; the websites of Conserving Carolina, mountaintrue and Mills River Partnership are a great place to start for those particular sites.

Remember:

Never snorkel alone
 Don’t move rocks around as they provide shelter to our native species
Practice LNT and help keep our banks and waters clean
Be aware that rocks are often slick, and know your limits regarding water depth & current

ACE Basin, 6th wonder of SC

As correspondent to the South Carolina 7 Wonders expedition we spent a month exploring the state, our last week of July in the Edisto River area and ACE Basin, the 6^th Wonder of South Carolina. Want to know more about this ecologically unique area that checks all the boxes for a fantastic weekend in the Lowcountry? Keep reading to find out what the ACE Basin is, and how best to see it!

ACE Basin? What’s that?

Three rivers – the Ashepoo, the Combahee and the Edisto (ACE) – come together at St. Helena Sound in South Carolina’s Lowcountry to form a rich estuary. This 350,000-acre ACE Basin watershed contains one of the largest areas of undeveloped wetlands/uplands ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast, and features a remarkable interlocking web of ecosystems including forested uplands, wetlands, tidal marshes, barrier islands, and peatlands. According to The Nature Conservancy, it supports 33 types of natural plant communities and provides critical habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds and endangered species. In 2014, National Geographic featured the ACE Basin as its cover story, and The Nature Conservancy has declared the area “one of the last great places.”

Egret and roseate spoonbill

From the early 1700s to mid-1800s, much of the ACE Basin was home to large plantations that primarily grew rice. In the late 1800s many of these plantations were purchased by wealthy sportsmen as hunting retreats, who managed the former rice fields and adjacent upland estates for a wide range of wildlife – ensuring that the region remained relatively undeveloped.

Sounds cool! But how can we see it?

The principal road through the ACE Basin is U.S. Highway 17, the ACE Basin Parkway, which skirts the north end of the protected areas connecting Charleston to Yemassee. Small communities within ACE Basin include Bennetts Point, Green Pond, Jacksonboro, Wiggins and Willtown Bluff. There are numerous access points to the public lands of the ACE Basin including 23 boat landings, allowing visitors opportunities to experience it by land and by water!

Edisto Learning Center & Edisto Beach State Park

Edisto Spanish Mount Shell Midden

A good place to start is at Edisto Beach State Park. The park’s environmental education center is a “green” building with exhibits that highlight the natural history of Edisto Island and the surrounding ACE Basin. One of four oceanfront state parks in South Carolina, it features trails for hiking and biking in addition to the 1.5 miles of beach renowned for its shelling.

Edisto Beach State Park is also an excellent home base for additional ACE Basin explorations; if camping or staying at a cabin there, you are within an easy drive of the Edisto River side of the region including ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge and Botany Bay!

View from Dawhoo Bridge boat ramp

ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Driving north from Edisto Beach there is a boat ramp at the Dawhoo Bridge that offers westerly views (great for sunset viewing!) over the salt marsh and towards Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge. At just under 12,000 acres, the Refuge is key in protecting the Edisto portion of the estuary. In addition, the Refuge office is a former rice plantation house that was built in 1828, one of only a few antebellum mansions that survived the civil war in the area; today it is protected on the National Register of Historical Places.

While the Grove Plantation House is temporarily closed to visitors, all Refuge grounds remain open to a variety of recreational activities such as hunting (in season), picnicking, hiking, fresh and saltwater fishing, canoeing, wildlife watching, photography and environmental education. Special events and programs are held throughout the year for visitors to learn more about the ACE Basin and National Wildlife Refuges; see the Fish & Wildlife Service website.

ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Botany Bay

The 3,363 acre Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the northeast corner of Edisto Island, and is important to numerous wildlife species including the federally-threatened loggerhead sea turtle and the state-threatened least tern. Cultural sites including the Fig Island Shell Rings, outbuildings from Bleak Hall Plantation and elements of the Alexander Bache U.S. Coast Survey Line – all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The causeway to the beach is wheel chair accessible, and the designated driving tour provides excellent viewing opportunities for the mobility impaired; for more information, please visit the SC DNR website.

Edisto River & State Parks

A great way to see the Edisto River is from kayak or canoe. For more on the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail, Edisto River Adventures tubing, and the two SC State Parks that provide access to the Edisto (Givhans Ferry and Colleton), see my article on the Edisto River and Givhans Ferry here. The blackwater river is the longest of its kind in North America, and is a favorite for cooling down on hot summer days.

Audubon's Beidler Forest

A portion of the headwaters of the Edisto River and ACE Basin is Four Holes Swamp, which visitors can experience through Audubon’s Beidler Forest. This 18,000-acre bird and wildlife sanctuary in the South Carolina Lowcountry is the world’s largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest, home to thousand-year-old trees and a wide range of wildlife. It is a great place to visit for families, as the entire 1.75-mile trail is a boardwalk: easy to follow, and provides safe viewing of wildlife without getting muddy or wet. 

Ravenel Caw Caw Interpretive Center

This nature center has over six miles of walking trails that wind through its diverse habitats, with interpretive exhibits, displays, and an assortment of programs. Boardwalks take visitors through the wetlands and rice fields dating to the eighteenth century. Caw Caw is a birding hotspot for coastal SC, but is also important historically: it’s one of the important sites of the Stono Rebellion, a Member of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, and features thousands of naturalized tea plants from a 20th century tea farm.

Caw Caw Interpretive Center

On your visit you can expect to see American alligators, swallow-tailed kites, and bald eagles! Admission is $2/person, for more information see the Charleston County Parks website. 

Bear Island Game Management Area

It was a hot day in July when we found ourselves turning off Highway 17 towards Bennetts Point a few weeks ago. Much like many of the destinations on this side of Charleston – Edisto Beach, Hunting Island, Hilton Head – there is a significant drive from the main highway to reach the ocean. Over the next 15 miles we wound our way along live oak-shaded lanes, the giants draped in Spanish moss functioning almost as curtains to the lands beyond. After crossing the Ashepoo River we entered Bear Island Game Management Area, home to countless waterfowl and protected species such as wood storks and bald eagles. The miles of dikes on Bear Island provide plenty of wildlife-viewing, hiking, biking and hunting opportunities.

ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve

Soon after passing Bear Island we arrived at the Michael D. McKenzie Field Station. Headquarters for the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), the field station serves as a community hub for coastal science, education and collaboration. The NERR encompasses nearly 100,000 acres of ACE Basin, and is managed in a joint effort by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Adjacent Mosquito Creek was living up to its name, but luckily we were able to escape the insects by boarding a boat and heading out on the Ashepoo River as part of the South Carolina 7 expedition.

NERR, photo credit Charlie Whitney

Viewing the ACE Basin from the water is an excellent way to not only get away from the bugs, but also to get a feel for the enormity of coastline and estuary protected by the NERR and other entities.  There are numerous science, education and training programs operated by the SC DNR out of the field station including ones off and on the water; the facility contains offices, wet/dry labs, a conference room and an outdoor classroom, while science related school groups and naturalists visit the field station for a variety of educational outdoor activities. For more on the programs and workshops offered, please visit the ACE Basin NERR website. Our boat tour with the SC7 team included an orientation to the ACE Basin watershed, and contained a look at the oyster reefs, plenty of wildlife-viewing, and discussions of salt marsh and estuarine diversity. For those wishing to tour the ACE Basin by boat, but looking for an option other than the NERR, a number of outfitters in Charleston, Beaufort and Colleton counties offer guided kayaking trips on the three rivers, as well as tours for those who prefer to enjoy the scenery from the comfort of a motorboat.

Islands only accessible by boat!

If traveling by water in the area, you more than likely will pass through or near the St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve, a collection of coastal and barrier islands only accessible by boat. Otter Island is part of this Heritage Preserve, and receives special protection because of its significance for rare plants, threatened and endangered species, and as an historic site. With developed islands to the north (Edisto) and to the south (Harbor, Fripp and Hunting), Otter Island is the only spot where wildlife species can rest, feed and reproduce without development pressures for a long stretch of coastline. Another barrier island only accessible by boat but providing ample wildlife viewing is South Fenwick Island.

Loggerhead sea turtle nesting area

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area

Heading back out from Bennetts Point you’ ll pass the 8,000-acre Donnelley Wildlife Management Area just as you reach ACE Basin Parkway (Highway 17). The nature trails here offer birdwatching, hiking, biking, riding and hunting opportunities; check the website for seasonal closure information, as the WMA is closed during certain hunt periods. 

When should we visit?

As anyone who has spent time in the Lowcountry knows, each season down near the coast comes with advantages and hindrances. Summer days can be hot and buggy, especially in the marsh, however a hot August day might just be perfect for tubing the Edisto or enjoying the ocean surf. Spring and fall offer excellent birdwatching, cooler temperatures and fewer bugs, but some areas might see closures for hunt seasons. And while winter might mean you have the trail/boardwalk to yourself, it also brings cold & unpredictable weather… As with any trip, planning ahead can really pay off in terms of knowing what to expect and what adjustments might have to be made. Our year-round basics include protection against the weather & insects, water and snacks, and comfortable clothes & footwear.

But snakes, alligators and spiders?!

Before we took our boys tubing on the Edisto, I asked how often they see alligators on that stretch of the river – the answer was never. However if you are kayaking the Four Holes Swamp, chances are you might see one or two. In any case, the key is to follow the basic guidelines as you would with all animals - keep your distance, and don’t feed or harass the wildlife. For our family, the fear of encountering the animals that get all the bad press has slowly turned to hopes of catching a glimpse of one of them: a gator from a causeway as we head out to one of the barrier islands, a snake from the safety of the boardwalk at Francis Beidler Forest, or a shark feeding out beyond the break as we sit safely on the shore of Edisto Beach. Know what to do in case you come across a venomous snake, and know how to tell the difference between the ones that can hurt you and the harmless ones that help keep the rodent population in check. And finally, stay on the trail, be mindful of where you are stepping, and exercise caution when out in the wilderness; animals are a part of the outdoor experience, and will add so much to your ACE Basin adventure!

Something for everyone!

More than 130,000 acres of land have been protected through public/private partnerships in the heart of the ACE Basin, qualifying it as one of the most acclaimed freshwater natural areas found on the East Coast. It is open to hiking, biking, boating, driving, riding, diving, viewing, tasting (we enjoy stopping at local stands for fresh produce and seafood – but that’s a whole other post!)… Each time we visit, we discover another thing we love about the area, and I hope this article has inspired you to visit the ACE Basin and find something of your own to love. Happy adventuring!

Four Holes Swamp, Beidler Forest

For more on the ACE Basin, check out The Nature Conservancy page. 

This article first appeared on Kidding Around Greenville in conjunction with the South Carolina 7 Expedition as Here’s How to See Amazing Wildlife and Plants in South Carolina’s ACE Basin.

Hike with llamas at Earthshine!

I knew we were in for an adventure as soon as Mark, our llama guide and self-proclaimed “all things llama dude,” asked my husband if he would watch the llamas.... 

We had driven 1.5 hours from Greenville into the Blue Ridge Mountains to Earthshine Lodge, our basecamp for adventure for the weekend, with the express objective of participating in a llama hike. Mark met us with exciting news – one of the Earthshine llamas had given birth a few days ago!

Earthshine Lodge is home to four female llamas, who can be seen grazing in their pasture as visitors drive the winding road that leads up to the Lodge. We admired the llamas and the four-day-old cria (baby llama) with their colorful autumn backdrop, and then headed back up the hill to relieve my husband of his llama-care duties – of course all the hiking llamas were still happily grazing, and our infant son contentedly watching the show. 

After a quick orientation, my three older children had a rope in hand, and were each leading a llama off across the meadow. The 76-acre Earthshine property has multiple trails for exploration, and we had a mile-long loop planned. As we hiked across the meadow and into the autumn-cloaked forest, we learned more about the llamas; not just what they can and can’t eat and how to properly guide them, but also about their individual personalities. My 8yo led “Vision,” a gentle but very alert llama who evidently has the best eyes of the group, while the 6yo and 10yo followed with “P Diddy Peaches” and “Legend.” All the llamas were well-behaved, responded to the guidance of their novice guides, and provided the boys with an extraordinary experience that they are already asking to repeat! When not out on Earthshine hikes, the llamas are offering wilderness therapy to special needs kids through the S.O.A.R. 3-day, 2-night Llama Trek Expedition in Panthertown Wilderness area, being ringbearers at weddings, or surprising guests at birthday parties; think of an occasion that wouldn’t be livened up by a llama… these are some exceptional llamas! 

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“You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you.” - Muir

A post shared by Liene | Femme au Foyer (@femmefoyer) on Oct 10, 2020 at 6:54pm PDT

As we descended into the valley’s magical mist, I marveled at the scene before us; the wooden Earthshine Lodge rising stately on the ridge overlooking the surrounding valleys, reminiscent of the great lodges of our national parks. The views from the lodge stretch into the distance on a clear day, and on this autumn afternoon the sight of my boys traversing the meadow was storybook-perfect.

Having returned to the lodge and each hugged our llama a couple of times goodbye, we sat down for a delicious dinner prepared by Earthshine Lodge chef, Shelley. A perfect end to the day included warming up from the chill of the evening with a cup of hot chocolate – all the while soaking in the magic from the mountain view. Once darkness fell, we tucked in the boys in their loft nook and snuck away to one of the several chairs on the outdoor terrace for a minute. However, the lure of a warm bed proved to be too hard to resist, and soon we too were dreaming llama dreams… 

There is a good reason for their slogan “Your Basecamp for Adventure”; Earthshine is located right in the middle of some of the most breathtaking public lands in the Carolinas. Sandwiched by the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, the Lodge provides access to popular Gorges State Park, DuPont State Recreational Forest and Panthertown Valley. The proximity allowed us to reach popular trailheads before they got too crowded, although it was hard to leave the property because there was more to do on site – an example being the hammocks in the trees just calling for a daytime nap. 

Gorges State Park is only 15 minutes away!

Earthshine started thirty years ago with a mission to provide environmental education and family vacations, and then in 2018 new owners stepped forward to continue the legacy as well as add to it; all that time the natural beauty of the Lake Toxaway region has nourished and grown the experience to what is today. Earthshine Lodge is not just a place to stay – it is full immersion into a Blue Ridge adventure! Whether you choose to book a family vacation and take a wilderness skills workshop, or want to celebrate an anniversary with a romantic weekend away, the mountain oasis is a retreat from the chaos of the year. 

Speaking of the chaos of 2020… Earthshine is taking all precautions to keep visitors safe, including even small details like disinfecting the llama lead lines. For those e-learning, homeschooling and learning remotely, Earthshine Lodge has wi-fi, and offers multiple programs to incorporate into your curriculum such as Cherokee Village (pottery making), Pioneer village (where guests can try their hand at blacksmithing, wool felting and candlemaking), art-based activities (nature art and seasonal crafts), the before-mentioned wilderness skills classes (including shelter construction and fire-starting), geology and hydrology (creek hikes with gem mining), and more! During the week the Lodge caters to school groups with programs that have been updated to support state standards, while on weekends various retreats are held, with workshops on everything from mindfulness to fly-fishing. On our visit we had the option to join in outdoor yoga, archery/tomahawk throwing, and a “paint & wine” – check the calendar on their website to see what fun opportunities are available during your stay. 

The llama hikes continue through the year, occurring two or three days a week at several different times. For three weekends in December they will take a backseat as an add-on to Earthshine’s Appalachian Christmas, an all-inclusive holiday package featuring meals, caroling, pioneer village activities, crafts, a movie and the highlight – brunch with Santa! For rates and times, please visit the Earthshine website. And for the cutest baby llama pics, check out their Instagram and Facebook pages! 

We thought we had signed up for a hike with a llama. What we didn’t realize was that we would return from our weekend feeling so well-rested and healthy after a peaceful yet high-adventure weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And we certainly didn’t imagine we would be among the first to greet an hours-old llama to the world! As we were leaving, we stopped by the llama barn where the tiny cria was shakily standing on four legs, marveling at the world from under the gaze of her protective mama. Unforgettable moments for the kids, thanks to the Earthshine family! 

Earthshine Lodge
1600 Golden Road Lake Toxaway, NC 28747
https://earthshinenc.com/
info@EarthshineNC.com
(828) 862-4207

This post was first published on Kidding Around Greenville. 

Huntington Beach and Atalaya

With Hurricane Florence bearing down on the Carolinas, I thought I would pay homage to an iconic coastal state park and the most recent of our coastal South Carolina adventures - Huntington Beach State Park. Huntington Beach (along with others including Myrtle Beach, Edisto Beach and Charles Towne Landing) has been closed until further notice due to mandatory hurricane evacuation orders. There is some irony in that our Labor Day trip was the result of two previous hurricanes; it was after Hurricane Hugo that the south campground was abandoned, but this year 42 new full-service campsites were added to this southern-most point of the park, and we were invited to take a look for ourselves. Hurricane Matthew changed our initial plans, but a few weeks ago we packed up and headed to the coast to enjoy the last bit of summer in what had been a relatively hurricane-free season so far. Now we are holding our breath while Mother Nature does her thing…

The Atalaya inner courtyard and watchtower at Huntington Island State Park

Although just 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach State Park, Huntington Beach couldn’t be further from Myrtle in style. The quiet, near empty beaches are just as appealing, even more so if you don’t fancy setting up your beach umbrella inches away from the next family. Book a site in one of the campgrounds and enjoy beach access away from the hustle and bustle at the public beach access points; even on our Labor Day weekend visit we virtually had the beach to ourselves.

A great starting point is the Park Office. The building also houses camper registration and the gift shop; this is the place to pick up ice for your coolers, wood for the evening’s campfire, and get that park stamp in your Ultimate Outsider book. They’ll also have info on the week’s programs, which during our stay included a snakes and reptiles program, crabbing catch and release, hikes with rangers, and guided tours of Atalaya.

This National Historic Landmark home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington is located between the South Beach Access and South Campground. Take a self-guided audio tour or a ranger-led tour of the picturesque, Moorish-style home that was the winter retreat of the renowned 20th-century sculptor. Named ‘Atalaya,’ a Spanish term for watchtower, the house was designed after the Moorish architecture of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. From the fascinating, square form of the outer walls to the grassy inner courtyards; from the 40ft tall watchtower (which actually was the water tower) in the center to the bear pen for Anna Huntington’s ursine models – Atalaya is a picturesque refuge that has withstood many hurricane-force winds. In tribute to Mrs. Huntington, the annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is held in the Castle next week, during what annually is the fourth weekend of September; stay tuned to the SC State Parks website for more info how this might be affected by Hurricane Florence.

The Atalaya grillwork was designed by Anna Huntington

Archer Huntington designed Atalaya, but Anna’s influence is everywhere – from the grillwork she designed for the windows, to the spacious indoor/outdoor studios and the facilities to host the animals she traveled with. Locally hired workers alternated between construction on Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens (just next door) in the early 1930s, and the home was used up until Mr. Huntington’s death in 1955. Admission is $2/person, but the really adventurous can wait until early November when guests can spend the night in Atalaya, complete with ghost stories by the campfire, nighttime beach walks and dinner/breakfast (for pricing and more info see Huntington Beach official website).

Watching it rain over the ocean

The east side of Atalaya faced the ocean and the pristine Grand Strand beach, although today the view is of scrub and maritime forest. However, the surrounding area has always been well known to birders, who for years have been coming to see some of the more than 300 species that have been recorded in the park. Visitors looking to spot wildlife will want to check out one of the four trails within the Park, the best known of which might be the Atalaya Straight Road; the 0.5 mile trail leads directly from Atalaya west between Mallard Pond and Mullet Pond. Between 3 to 7pm it is common to see alligators moving between the ponds, but sightings aren’t restricted by the clock; on our visit we spotted a giant gator hanging out near the trail in the early afternoon. Reptiles, birds, spiders and wildlife galore – bring binoculars, pick up a bird list at the Park Office, and heed the warnings to stay on the trail!

A snowy egret and a roseate spoonbill in Mullet Pond

The three miles of beach can be easily accessed from the South and North Beach Access points, as well as from the campgrounds. Beachcombers will enjoy hiking along the beach another 1.2 miles up from the north access to the very northern tip of the Park and the jetty, passing through the bird sanctuary and enjoying the ocean breeze. We hit the beach at different times of day, and each time had a slightly different experience. With low tide we dug up mole crabs and watched them burrow back in. High tide brought with it a shark’s tooth for Lauris to find. While the morning meant an almost-empty beach and cooler temperatures, dusk/twilight was perfect for hunting sand crabs. Even during the heat of the day we saw numerous birds, crabs and even jellyfish (yes, jellyfish, so careful in the water).

Even crabs need love

If you want to see dozens of crabs without the effort of chasing after them on the beach, try walking out on one of the two boardwalks over the marsh. Much of the park is salt marsh, one of the world’s most productive eco-systems. The 1/4-mile Kerrigan Trail and the 0.1 mile Boardwalk extend out into the saltmarsh and freshwater lagoon for exceptional wildlife viewing; visitors may spot pelicans and alligators, as well as catching rare glimpses of nesting loggerhead sea turtles and roseate spoonbills. There is a parking area at the first intersection after entering the Park/admissions and driving across the causeway; it gives access to the walkways and viewing points along the causeway, with frequent alligator sightings as well as excellent birdwatching almost any time of day.

We saw these baby alligators near Mullet Pond, but the 8ft giant was in Mallard Pond

Florence isn’t the first hurricane to come ashore on the beaches of the Carolina, nor is it likely to be the last. While we wait to see what the results of Hurricane Florence will be, please stay safe. Heed evacuation warnings, don’t drive into water, and be mindful of downed wires. Our beaches are ever-shifting, and hurricanes, while significantly affecting our coastline, are a natural occurrence; time will tell what Florence does with the Carolinas.

*** Sculpture by Anna Huntington can be found in nearby Brookgreen Gardens, or if you are in the Upstate, visit Andrew Jackson State Park to see her piece Boy of the Waxhaws. For my first post on Huntington Beach State Park, click here.

The purple martins of Lake Murray

A late summer trip to Lake Murray to watch the purple martin phenomenon has been on my South Carolina bucket list for more than five years, ever since one of my Fish & Wildlife Service friends told me about this amazing experience just 1½ hours from Greenville. This year the stars aligned when The Nature Conservancy announced the purple martin migration boat cruise on a night when we could make the trip.

Photo credit: Roberts

The cruise was aboard Catch the Spirit, a dinner yacht that is also available for public booking; see the Spirit of Lake Murray website. We pushed off from the dock located on an arm of the lake near Oswald Park, and soon were within sight of Dreher Island State Park and the main body of Lake Murray. Our destination: Bomb Island.

The 12-acre island is formally known as Doolittle Island, named for the commander of the 1^st US air raid on the Japanese Home Islands during WWII. The raid was planned in Columbia, and B-25 pilots often practiced on the island, hence the nickname. Records indicate that at least five B-25s crashed into Lake Murray during this period; three were immediately salvaged, and at least one remained abandoned in 150 feet of water until September 2005 when it was once again brought to the surface.  (Today the aircraft can be viewed at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama.)

More recently Bomb Island is famous for a different form of aviation - the purple martins. Today Bomb Island (also labeled Lunch Island on some maps) is the largest purple martin sanctuary in North America, with hundreds of thousands of birds flying up to 160 miles every evening to roost there. From the first week of July through the end of August, the purple martins begin congregating over the island at dusk, putting on quite a show with their murmuration.

Purple martins are the largest type of swallow in North America, on average 7.5 inches long and weighing 1.9 ounces. The males are solid black, appearing a glossy purple in the sun. As we cruised through the waters of Lake Murray to a sun slowly slinking in the sky, we started seeing the birds swooping overhead, passing us on their way to the island. Two, then four, then ten at a time. Before we even saw the dozens of boats gathered around Bomb Island we could see the cloud of martins circling above.

The closer we approached, the thicker the sky was with martins. According to the TNC naturalist, the swooping and swirling is a social behavior, not a feeding or mating ritual. The masses appear to descend into the trees to roost, only to take up into the sky again and again for an encore, all the while hundreds more birds are flying in from around the lake.

In late summer after leaving the nesting colony, the purple martins gather in large flocks to socialize, rest, and feed on the insect populations in the area, building and storing fat that will fuel their trip to their wintering grounds in Brazil. The dry island with low thick brush provides a sanctuary from predators and a micro-climate warmer and less windy than land. An individual martin may use a roost for several weeks before moving on, but the migratory roost lasts for about 8 to 12 weeks or more until all the birds are gone.

Every morning the purple martins exit the roost all at once, just before sunrise. The air is so thick with the birds that they show up on the National Weather Service radar; to see it for yourself visit the NOAA radar website for the region between 6-7am, and check “loop” & “auto update.” On the one morning I was able to get online in time there was some cloud cover over Columbia, but the bulls-eye was still visible.

The Lowcountry and GA populations are better visible on this radar shot, source here

Although the Bomb Island roost is well established and has been used for many consecutive years, the number of birds can range widely. A wildlife research biologist at Clemson University studied the roost in 1995, making visual surveys to determine size of the roost, and then comparing it to radar images from NOAA. His estimate was that the total roost population numbered at least 700,000 birds, possibly the largest purple martin roost in the world. However in 2014 the martins didn’t show. Using doplar radar researchers found a roost on Lake Monticello, with a portion of the birds possibly moving southeast to join a roost on Lake Moultrie. They were back again a few years later... My best guess as to the number of birds this year – maybe somewhere around 200,000-300,000? Regardless, it was simply breathtaking.

Out west purple martins usually nest in abandoned woodpecker nest cavities, but here in the southeast the martins depend on humans to build them bird condos, made from wood or gourds. There are two practical reasons for attracting a martin colony to your homestead; first is that they are voracious insect eaters, and the second is to scare away certain less desirable birds. The birds prefer roosting in homes placed away from tall trees – another reason why they might return to Bomb Island year after year, as the bombing runs destroyed most of the trees years ago.

There are still a few weeks left to catch the purple martins before they leave on their epic journey to South America. Grab your binoculars, load up the boat, and head for Lake Murray; a cruise to Bomb Island to enjoy the aerial acrobatics show will become a summer tradition.

Bison at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

All the National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites etc. are managed by the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. Also within the Department of the Interior is the Fish & Widlife Service, in charge of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The National Forests are under the purview of the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture, however that doesn’t explain why the rather newly formed Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is managed by the Forest Service; I would expect that the resident bison and the tallgrass prairie ecosystem would be conducive to NPS management. But as it turns out, the area once housed part of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, and in 1996 the Department of Defense transferred almost 20,000 acres to USFS who have been since managing the restoration of the historic habitat that is the first national tallgrass prairie in the country.

Restored tallgrass prairie on the right

Portions of Midewin (pronounced miDAY-win) were industrial while others were agricultural, and it was only after 8 years of restoration work that the first 5,000 acres could be opened to the public. Today, more than 13,300 acres are open to visitors for hiking, cycling, riding, birdwatching and hunting, with 34 miles of trail offering unique opportunities for outdoor recreation - just 60 miles south of Chicago.

First stop, the Visitor Center. In addition to maps, the knowledgeable folks there can tell you what is blooming, which migratory bird species have recently been spotted, as well as which quadrant the bison are in. Across from the Visitor Center is the Midewin Interagency Hotshot Crew headquarters; the Midewin Hotshots are the only Hotshot Crew in the Region, which means that you probably won’t see the crew as they are busy criss-crossing the country chasing fire and assisting local agencies with everything from prescribed burns to habitat management and wildfire training.

Batman and Bison at the Midewin Visitor Center

In addition to being one of the rare places to see tallgrass prairie, Midewin is also host to a herd of American bison. The last bison seen in Illinois was in 1808, but today over 1,000 acres in Midewin are home to an experimental herd that is being closely studied to learn how the bovids can aid native prairie restoration efforts. The bison range over four quadrants, and your stop at the Visitor Center will alert you as to which of the four they are currently in. On our visit they were in the southwest quadrant, easily visible from Hwy 53. Sure enough, we spotted their distinctive humps coming over a rise, and had we had the time we could have hiked out on the Route 53 Trail to the Southwest Bison Overlook for a closer look. For a live feed from the earthcam that looks out over an area the bison frequent, please visit the Midewin website or click here. 

Those dark bumps in the middle are bison. Or shrubs, you choose.

We opted for a short loop from the Iron Bridge Trailhead instead, the intense afternoon sun dismissing any idea of a multi-mile hike in the open prairie. As I mentioned previously, the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant was a former tenant (manufacturing munitions for the Korean and Vietnam Wars), and the Group 63 Trail allows visitors to view some of the old bunkers that were once used for storing ammunition. In 2010 the National Forest Foundation partnered with the USFS to remove drain tiles and roads to restore the prairie’s natural hydrology, as well as removing ammunition bunkers with the exception of a few in this particular area. We found one with the door open, and after the boys tested out the echo in the coolness of the interior we climbed to the top to take in the view. 

Inside one of the old munitions bunkers

While hiking, it is very important to remember that Midewin does have wild parsnip, the 4ft tall non-native plant that looks like dill or Queen Anne’s lace (but with yellow flowers). When touched, the plant's sap and the sun break down skin cells and tissues, making your skin extremely sensitive to sunlight; you get a bad sunburn everywhere the sap touches your skin. Easiest way to stay safe is to stay on the trail. The oils can be transferred to pet owners by their dog, and encounters with the plant frequently end in a visit to the emergency room.

However you shouldn’t let the parsnip deter you from hiking out on the tallgrass prairie on one of the many trails. Our midday trek was rewarded with the sighting of a Loggerhead Shrike, an endangered bird that hunts for prey over the open grasslands. Larger prey is impaled on sharp projections such as a thorn or strand of barbed wire, which anchors it for the shrike to tear off manageable pieces. The shrike will also use thorns to store food for later consumption, and so the barbed wire encircling the bison habitat is a great place to look for evidence of these rare birds in form of impaled insects. In addition to the loggerhead shrike, 148 other species of birds utilize the prairie for nesting, breeding or overwintering; 108 are permanent residents.

Monarch caterpillar on milkweed

More Midewin numbers: 18 endangered or threatened species, 40 aquatic species, 23 species of reptiles and 27 species of wild mammals. While the tallgrass prairie is the unique identifier, Midewin also has restored prairie savannah woodlands, restored marsh areas, seed production areas, and a pond. Check out the WW II era portable bridge on Bailey Bridge Trail that connects to the Wauponsee Glacial Trail, the 22.42 mile former railway that connects Joliet to Custer Park.

A huge shout-out & thank you goes to fellow blogger Barefoot Rose for the tour! Thanks to SR, PK & the boys for joining us at Midewin, for taking us to one of the best-kept secrets of the area (the Bathtub), and for feeding us. Next time we’ll try to time our visit with some cooler temperatures!

American bison photographed at Brookfield Zoo

PS For those looking to get a closer look at an American bison in the Chicago area, you can see the massive animals at Brookfield Zoo. And for more on prairie ecosystems, take the kids to the Peggy Breitbart Nature Museum!