EVENTS ARCHIVE

October 26th, 2023
4:00PM-7:00PM
110 Southern Street Rock Hill, SC 29730

Come on out and raise a pint for preservation! Nation Ford Land Trust has partnered with Hoppin’ in Rock Hill to host a fundraiser for conservation efforts in York County, SC. All friends and members of NFLT are invited to come have a drink and hang out with us!

**POSTPONED**

November 4th
10:00AM-12:00PM
3271 Neely Store Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730

More and more kids are growing up with little outdoor experience joining a whole generation of adults who also haven’t had much opportunity to learn basic outdoor skills. Does this describe you or your children? Love the outdoors but would enjoy being out there more if you were confidant in your skills? Come to Nation Ford Land Trust’s first Great Outdoors Skills Day! Join Outdoor Experts, Ornithologist (AKA Bird Guy) Dr. Bill Rogers, Hope Matthews and James Smith with MyOutdoorJoy for three round-robin skills sessions, “How to Bird”, “How to Navigate by (real not GPS) Compass”, and “How to Safely Start a Campfire”.

Additional Program Information:

• Please purchase tickets before arriving ($10 Per Adult, $1 Per Child)
• This is an outdoor program, so check the hourly forecast and dress for the weather
• Close-toed shoes are required
• This event is appropriate for adults and children ages 7 and above. Children younger than 7 will not be permitted to take part in the activities. Children ages 7-15 must be supervised by a registered adult (no drop offs)
• There are limited bathroom facilities on site, so plan accordingly
• Bring water and a snack if you will need it during the program

Get your tickets HERE!

Dr. William “Bill” Rogers, a Winthrop University biology professor emeritus, will be directing a small group of eighteen (18) people along trails at Catawba Bend Preserve to spot any local species of birds from 9:00-11:00AM on April 29th. Birdwatchers are encouraged to bring their own equipment (binoculars are recommended). Participants are also recommended to wear comfortable shoes and to use sunscreen and/or a hat for protection against the sun.

Members of NFLT can join this event for free. Non-members must pay $25 to participate and can opt to be NFLT members for future member events within 2023. To sign up, please email us at events@nationfordlandtrust.org where you will also receive more information and updates leading up to the event.

This is a great opportunity to not only enjoy the outdoors with Nation Ford Land Trust, but to also see the newest trails at Catawba Bend Preserve during its development towards a public park for York County residents. Join us today before space runs out!

Help us clean up a unique and beautiful natural feature! One of Nation Ford Land Trust’s conservation easements, Clover Rock Outcrop, is in need of a cleanup and we are seeking volunteers to help out! The site is not open to the public, so this is your opportunity to see a beautiful place in York County and help keep it beautiful.

The cleanup will begin at 9:00 AM and will last until noon on Saturday, October 8th. Dr. Steve Fields, Curator of Natural History with the Culture & Heritage Museums, will give a brief presentation about the interesting geology and natural history of this property before the cleanup. NFLT staff and board members will accompany volunteers as we clean up different areas of the property. We will take care of hauling away the trash. We just need your help to collect it, bag it, and get it into the truck! We will have clean-up supplies, hand sanitizer, water, and snacks but participants are welcome to bring their own.

Please read our Logistics and Safety Guidelines below carefully. If you have any questions, contact us at our main office at (803)-547-8140.

Logistics:

• Parking is available in the lot of the Haven Ministries, Church of God of Prophecy church at 106 Hill Top Lane, Clover, SC, 29710.
• Join us for the entire time or just for an hour. All help is appreciated!
• No bathrooms are available on site.

Safety Guidelines:

• At the beginning of the cleanup, volunteers will be assigned a zone leader. Please stay with your zone leader for proper instructions and as your guide while at the property.
• Closed-toed shoes are required and gloves (especially thick ones) are strongly recommended.
• As with any litter clean-up, please exercise caution when handling trash.
• There is little to no shade on site, so please bring sun protection if you need it.
• Water will be provided, but please bring your own water if you can.

Andrew Lazenby, the landowner and potential conservation easement owner of the Fishing Creek Tract, will be leading a walk through the 101-acre property along established trails and moderate terrain on May 21st at 10:00 AM. Andrew graduated from Winthrop University with a degree in biology and is a board member for Katawba Valley Land Trust in Lancaster County. He is uniquely versed in plant life and intimately knows the local history of the Fishing Creek Tract. This walk is perfect for any botany or nature photography enthusiasts! It includes the newly discovered “enslaved peoples” graveyard that is being studied and investigated.

To RSVP, please email us at events@nationfordlandtrust.org or register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-21st-nature-walk-with-andrew-lazenby-registration-336538093497

The NFLT 2020 annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Murray White Dedication ceremony. Bernie Ackerman began with opening comments and a review of the previous year’s accomplishments. At the time of the meeting, NFLT had added 4,424 acres in conservation easements. These included the county’s Riverbend project (1,700-acres), the Stuck Family 2020 project (2,700-acres), and the Patrick Property near Nanny’s Mtn. (24 – acres). The meeting continued with the dedication ceremony and the passing of the resolution naming the property in honor of Murray White. Board members are in the photo.

On Wednesday December 2nd, 2020, a dedication ceremony took place honoring Former York County Chairman Murray White by naming a large tract of land the Murray White Preserve, located on Vernsdale Road in Rock Hill, SC.

In Dec. 2018, Nation Ford Land Trust received the 158-acre property as a gift from Greenway Waste Solutions (Griffin Brothers, Cornelius, NC) with the intent to place the property into a conservation easement with Catawba Lands Conservancy (CLC).

The Nation Ford Land Trust board decided to name the property the Murray White Preserve after the founding member and long-time chairman of the land trust. Bernie Ackerman, Chairman of NFLT, said, “Murray was the catalyst that brought the original board members together to form the Nation Ford Land Trust.” Anne Springs Close, referring to his conservation efforts, said, “Murray has been at this a long time.”

The intent of the preserve is to make it an income-producing property for the land trust that entails a forestry plan with timber harvesting, a hunt club lease, and a compost facility of 10-20 acres to be used for the City of Rock Hill’s yard waste and operated by Greenway Waste Solutions with NFLT leasing the land to Greenway.

Steve Hamilton, Executive Director of NFLT, said, ”This way, future NFLT boards will have a consistent income stream and occasionally a large bonus of funds from the timber harvesting operation.”