Lifelong Learning
Spring Island is an ideal place for those who strive to enrich their lives with self-discovery and wonder. Through firsthand, natural experiences, the Trust and Club work closely together to engage individuals and cultivate knowledge of the region and Spring Island itself.
Trust Talks
Trust Talks are an integral part of the Spring Island Trust Nature and Arts program. These popular weekly lectures provide intellectually stimulating presentations by nationally recognized scholars, artists, naturalists, environmentalists, historians and Trust staff.
Trust Trips and Tours
A variety of off-island trips and tours are organized through the Spring Island Trust to provide members an opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of the history, nature, culture and art of the Lowcountry and beyond. Spring Island’s central location makes it an easy trip to Florida’s natural springs or the high mountains of the Smokies.
Nature Exploration
The region’s rich biological diversity provides a lifetime of learning opportunities. The subtropical climate and geographic location make it ideal for anyone who is seeking a single place to explore a great diversity of habitats along with the plants and animals that live there. The island is a haven for mammals, birds, butterflies, and marine invertebrates. The Nature Center staff lead nature walks, kayaking trips and other excursions providing residents the opportunity to see nature under the instruction of professional naturalists.
The habitats on and surrounding Spring Island are wonderfully diverse, always providing new learning experiences. The salt marsh is an excellent place to observe the incredible array of marine fish species found here and even to witness strand-feeding dolphins. The inlet sand flats have breeding horseshoe crabs and thousands of migrating shorebirds. The Nearby hammock islands have thousand year-old shell rings built by Native Americans. The region’s forests include cypress-tupelo swamps, maritime forests, old-growth pine savannahs, and expansive tidal salt marshes and freshwater deltas.
Master Naturalist
The Master Naturalist program is a nature education program of Clemson University’s Cooperative Extension and is taught by naturalists of the LowCountry Institute, a regional non-profit housed at the Nature Center. The 12-session course allows participants to become intimately acquainted with the region’s natural areas, learn to identify local plants and animals, and to become familiar with regional environmental issues.
Visit the LowCountry Institute’s website to find out more about the program -
http://lowcountryinstitute.org
