Members and guests were welcomed by President Lynn King
Kevin Courtney offered the prayer and led the pledge to the flag
Announcements:
Founders night will be June 19th held at Spring Lake. Spouse/partner are welcome. This year will not include children because of the extra considerations needed. We will follow all guidelines, including social distancing to insure the safety of all.
Oyster bagging will be Sunday May 2. Members, family and guests welcome. There will be more information coming.
Membership - Jon Eggert announced that this is the second posting for proposed new member Joe Kyle. Orientation will be next week. Joe is owner of Kyle Realty Company and his industry is commercial real estate. John Cummingham is his sponsor.
Greg Wynn shared that at next year's Heritage the Serg Group is going to do the cooking and bring the food in. They will be using volunteers for serving. This means that we will not be making as much money since we will not have our own booth. The monies from the Heritage Foundation will go directly to the charities.
Kristin Keller, filling in for Sergeant at Arms Suzi Oliver, collected Happy $$
Speaker:
Rachel Price, AmeriCorps Program Director spoke about the Palmetto Trail.
The Palmetto Trail, established in 1994, when completed will be 500 miles of continuous opportunity for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, horse back riding, some water sport areas and some urban areas. There are 375 miles already completed. It goes Mountain to Sea, through forests, towns, mountain ridges, paths beside lakes, and across swamps, from Walhalla in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Awendaw on the intracoastal waterway. There are 26 passages ranging from 1.3 miles to 47 miles long and are of various degrees of difficulty - easy, moderate and strenuous levels. It is a non-profit organization and is free for all to use. There are only three full time staff members, with some others who are part time. There are also many volunteers. AmeriCorps is the domestic version of the Peace Corps and Rachel oversees the program.. It is a six month to a year long opportunity to maintain the trail. Volunteers can work on the trail with a team, be the "eyes" , passage monitor, walking certain parts of the trail regularly and submitting a report each time, or be a passage stewart, leading a team to work on the trail. It is a 501C3 and holds several events to raise funds: True to the Brew 10K, in fall a half marathon, with the goal to have a 15K. A Women's Outdoor Adventure Weekend is held in November at Table Rock State Park. There is something for everyone on the trail with rail to trail, urban walking, and natural trail types of trails. National Trails Day is the First Saturday in June and there will be guided hikes.
For more information about this phenomenal resource in our state visit: palmettoconservation.org/palmetto-trail