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Re: Question about Orangeburg Sod Farms



Hi C-Birders,

When the gate to the Orangeburg sod farms (i.e. the Supersod turf farm on US
301 near I-26, Orangeburg County, SC) is closed, and the office is closed as
well, all is not lost. You can still see a lot from public roads. From US
301 turn in to the industrial park that is just before the sod farm. Drive
through the industrial park, birding as you go. At the end of the industrial
park turn right on Big Buck Boulevard (paved) and go a half mile or so to
Bethel Forest Road (unpaved). Bethel Forest Road is a public road through
the sod farm. Follow Bethel Forest Road past the small pig farm, past the
sod dump. Look for another public road to the right after a couple of miles.
(I forget its name.) There is a small sign that says "TO US 301". Here turn
right and you will return to US 301 along the west side of the sod farm.

At the small pig farm on Bethel Forest Road is another right turn. This used
to be a public road, but it no longer goes through to US 301. It is usually
possible to drive in to the sod farm along this road, but you will quickly
reach private roads.

The best thing to do (especially for a field trip) is to contact the
Supersod folks ahead of time. If you do this they will probably be glad to
leave a gate open for you. They don't want folks driving in
indiscriminately. Too many birders have gotten stuck on poor roads in the
sod farm. So contact the Supersod folks and be prepared to walk. But you can
still see a lot from the public roads. And there are other sod farms in the
neighorhood (e.g. on the east side of I-26) that are more or less accessible
from the public road.

If it turns out that you can't see much from the public roads around the sod
farms do not leave out the possibility of visiting other birding spots
nearby (Santee NWR, Santee State Park, Edisto Gardens in Orangeburg, the
Orangeburg fish hatchery, etc.) Birds have wings and they do fly.

Robin Carter
Columbia, SC
rcarter@sc.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Judy Walker" <birdwalker@mac.com>
To: "Carolinabirds" <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2003 9:47 PM
Subject: Question about Orangeburg Sod Farms


> I received a message from a friend indicating there is now a gate
> across the main entrance to the Sod Farms. I have been off the list for
> a while and may have missed postings about this. Do we have to walk in
> now or is there another way in? Or is it off limits completely? We have
> a field trip scheduled for next Sunday to the Sod Farms and I want to
> know if I need to cancel it.
>
>
> Judy Walker
> Charlotte, NC
>