Lynches River County Park’s Discovery Center unveiled
Filed Under Caucus, Leatherman
A canopy walk at the Lynches River County Park passed the ultimate test Friday when state Sen. Yancey McGill of Kingstree walked across it with the encouragement of Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone.
McGill, Boone and other dignitaries were present for the formal opening of the Environmental Discovery Center at the 676-acre park. A major feature of the 2,700-square-foot Discovery Center is the canopy walk. It enters the treetops to offer a panoramic view of nature that humans rarely see.
“It was very exciting, absolutely beautiful,” McGill said as he stepped off the swinging canopy and planted his sturdy 6-foot-4-inch frame on the walkway’s solid foundation. “My heart was pumping and the oxygen was flowing.”
“I loved it and I know the kids are going to love it,” Boone said. “It’s exciting and it takes your breath. I’m very, very impressed.”
State Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence also urged McGill to walk the walk. He offered the advice to “just bounce along and never look down.”
“It’s my understanding that the canopy is one of the few, if not the only one, on the East Coast,” he said.
Leatherman, McGill and other representatives also presented the center with a $120,129 check from the state to be used for the park.
Sterling Sadler is chairwoman of the Discovery Center and a Florence County Soil and Water Conservation district commissioner.
“We’re here today to contemplate the beauty of the Earth’s natural resources and what we have been given,” she said.
Lake City native Darla Moore was the featured speaker at Friday’s event. The University of South Carolina’s business school is named after Moore, who created the Charleston Parks Conservancy, established the Palmetto Institute and has been elected to the S.C. Business Hall of Fame.
“Today, we celebrate the opening of this incredible environmental discovery center right in the middle of our own rural Pee Dee region,” she said. “It is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time and effort. But, most important, it gives the people of this region a sense of pride in their history and natural resources.”
Moore said the good news is the center is just the beginning.
“With the development of the Francis Marion Trail and the showcasing of the Pee Dee’s rural and small town lifestyles with the Lake City Bean Market and museum as the centerpiece, we have an excellent opportunity to grow our economy,” she said. “It’s going to take a huge effort from both the public and private sectors. We now are seeking funding from the state through a competitive grant for these type projects.”
Moore was introduced by Florence County Council Chairman Rusty Smith, who said, “Today as we traipse upon this treetop canopy, I am aware of no one who has ever ascended to greater heights than our esteemed speaker, my friend Darla Moore.”
The center includes a map table with information about what’s going on at the park, as well as a computer where visitors can leave digital pictures of animals they see in the park.
And a “nature exchange” at the center will feature such items as fallen fruit, leaves and dead wasps’ nests found and contributed by visitors, who can collect points by bringing items, then take items home once they have enough points.
Lynches River County Park
Address: 1110 Ben Gause Road, Coward, SC 29530
Toll free: (877) 319-7799
Telephone: (843) 389-2785
Fax: (843) 389-9096
Park hours: 9 a.m. to sunset (year round)
Closed Thanksgiving Day,Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
How to get there from Florence: Take U.S. 52 south for 12 miles, take the first right past the Lynches River Bridge onto Old Number 4. Go 2 miles and turn right onto County Park Road.
WBTW News 13
Feb 22, 2008
By Dwight Dana
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