In addition to planning and leading educational programs, Environmental Education Coordinators Matt Schnabel and Leslie Wilson build and maintain educational exhibits, gardens and trails at Harbison State Forest.
In early spring, the team replaced rotten planks on bridges and on a sitting bench on the Crooked Pine Trail near the wildlife opening and observation deck. They also cleaned out and repaired all the existing Eastern Bluebird boxes and installed 4 new ones to bring the total to 16 boxes on the forest. In the past, bluebird populations declined seriously in many areas because of habitat and nesting site loss but, populations are now rebounding with the help birdhouses in many areas.
Leslie and Matt also maintain and develop the SC Wildlife Federation-certified Palmetto Wildlife Habit garden behind the Environmental Education Center. It is an exhibit garden where the public can learn what they can do to provide food, water, shelter/cover, and places to rear young for wildlife and attract pollinators. They recently received a donation of mulch from ReSoil Compost in Elgin. The mulch will keep down competing weeds from the pollinator plants in the Carolina Fence Garden section until a native groundcover is planted and established.
The next time you visit Harbison State Forest, please check out the garden and the educational trails!
