1. Charleston Technical Tour: This full-day tour focuses on the preservation of the coastal ecosystem and the right heritage in the presence of development and specialized intensive agricultural production systems. On the tour to the Charleston vicinity, participants will view several variations of the Coastal Ecosystem, including remnant rice fields dating to pre-colonial times; the home-base of the Revolutionary War hero, Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox); and one of the homes of Thomas Pinckney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Your first stop is the Sewee Visitors Center, which includes coffee and pastries. The center, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service, provides participants an overview of the Coastal Ecosystem and will include features on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest.

A visit to the historic and lovely Boone Hall Plantation, renowned for its famous one-half mile avenue of massive Spanish moss-draped live oaks, will give participants a glimpse into the plantation era. During a luncheon on the grounds, representatives of ARS/South Carolina Experiment Station Charleston Research Facilities and the NOAA Research Laboratory will discuss past accomplishments and current research at their respective facilities. Afternoon activities include a stop at the Charleston Tea Plantation, the home of the only commercially grown tea in the United States, and a visit to Sunny Side Farms where tomatoes and cucumbers are grown under a state-of-the-art drip irrigation system. The return route features a riding tour of points of interest in Charleston including The Battery and Harbor area, the Four Corners of Law, and the Market.

Departure from Kingston Plantation is at 7:00 a. m. and return is at 5:00 p. m.

Cost per person is $40.00 and includes tickets for Boone Hall, coffee and pastries, lunch and refreshments.

Min: 40

Max: 120

2. Pee Dee Agricultural Tour: This full-day tour to the Pee Dee Research and Education Center and the ARS Coastal Plain Soil and Water Conservation Research Center in Florence features studies encompassing agro-ecology, conservation tillage, precision farming, genetic engineering, irrigation, production techniques, animal by-product utilization, and water quality. During your ride to the experiment stations, the tour passes through some of the most productive farmland in South Carolina and reveals some of the complexities encountered as development and agricultural use mesh in the landscape.

After lunch on the grounds of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center, you will visit a nearby farm to observe the on-farm application of many of the innovations studied at the experiment stations and agricultural production practices including mechanized tobacco harvesting. As the tour continues, a stop at a tobacco auction market/contract buying tobacco warehouse in Mullins contrasts the past and the future in tobacco marketing practices. While returning to the Myrtle Beach, the tour will pass many of the more than 100 golf courses in the immediate vicinity of Myrtle Beach.

Departure from the Kingston Plantation will be 7:45 a. m. and return is 5:00 p. m.

Cost per person is $25.00 and includes lunch and refreshments.

Min: 40

Max: 120

3. Hobcaw Barony Tour: This tour features a visit to Bernard Baruch’s palatial estate, Hobcaw Barony, near Georgetown. A native of Camden, S. C., the park bench statesman became a stockbroker, millionaire, and advisor to many presidents and was a profound influence in American history. Because of his influence as a presidential advisor in the twentieth century, Mr. Baruch was sometimes referred to as "The Advisor to Presidents". There will be a walking tour through the mansion. Other points of interest include a drive by the home of Belle Baruch’s Bellefield Plantation, its stables and the slave homes of the Barony.

After lunch the tour visits the Clemson University Forest Ecology Research Center and the University of South Carolina Marine Resources Laboratory, both located on the grounds of Hobcaw Barony. These stops focus on the coastal forest and marine ecosystems; the abundant species of plants and animals native to these ecosystems; and research being undertaken at the respective facilities to protect and enhance these sensitive habitats.

Departure from the Kingston Plantation will be 8:30 a. m. and return is 5:00 p. m.

Cost per person is $35.00 and includes lunch and refreshments. Limited to thirty (30) participants.

Min: 15

Max: 30

4. Yawkey Wildlife Center Tour: This afternoon tour features a visit to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center near Georgetown. The Yawkey Wildlife Center, which encompasses South Island and parts of Cat Island and North Island, showcases coastal marine and freshwater ecosystems and maritime forest. These ecosystems provide an abundance of wildlife and plant species. The uplands feature whitetail deer, turkey, fox squirrel, and black bear. The marsh areas have an abundance of waterfowl including several species of ducks and geese. In addition, several species of raptors, including the osprey, peregrine falcon, and the golden and bald eagles are found in this habitat. Further, several endangered species including the red cockaded woodpecker are found at Yawkey Center. Mr. Bob Joyner, Project Leader at the Yawkey Center, will provide a three hour guided tour. Access to the islands across the Intracoastal Waterway is via ferry. Upon arrival on South Island via ferry, the tour will proceed via van.

The land included in Yawkey Center has had several noteworthy owners and was frequented by President Grover Cleveland during his Presidency. In the early part of this century, Bill Yawkey, the owner of the Detroit Tigers, purchased this land. Mr. Bill Yawkey developed the plantation as a hunting haven and frequently hosted famous guest on hunting expeditions at the Plantation. In addition, at times, Mr. Yawkey used the plantation as a training facility for the Detroit Tigers. Later, Bill Yawkey passed on Yawkey Plantation to his nephew Tom Yawkey, the owner of the Boston Red Sox. Mr. Tom Yawkey later left the plantation to the state of South Carolina for establishment of a Heritage Preserve.

Departure from Kingston Plantation will be 1:30 p. m. and return is 7:00 p. m.

Cost per person is $10.00 and includes refreshments.

Min: 6

Max: 14

5. Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Tour: This full-day tour focuses on the coastal marine ecosystem and maritime forest. Along the route to Cape Romain, the tour will expose participants to several variations of the Coastal Ecosystem, including remnant rice fields dating to pre-colonial times, the home base of the Revolutionary War hero, Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox); and view the homes of Thomas Pinckney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. At stop at the Sewee Visitors Center, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA Forest Service, provides participants an overview of the Coastal Ecosystem and will include features on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest. Transport to Bull Island in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, 64,000 acres of pristine wilderness, is via ferry. The leisurely 30-minute ride takes participants through rich salt-water march creeks, home to dolphins, egrets, pelicans, and herons. The six mile long Bull Island is managed for endangered and threatened species such as the red wolf, American bald eagle and the loggerhead sea turtle. A naturalist will lead the half-day stroll through protected maritime forest along portions of the sixteen miles of footpaths.

Departure from the Kingston is 8:30 a. m. and return is 3:30 p. m.

Cost per person is $40.00 and includes lunch and refreshments.

Min: 15

Max: 35 (Limited to 35)

**Note: If interest is sufficient, this tour (Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge) will be offered on Thursday, August 9, 2001.