Hitchcock Woods Foundation Community Science - Great SE Pollinator Census

Please note that registration is required and carpooling is highly encouraged.

Join HWF and the Aiken Master Gardener Association to count pollinators! This region-wide community science survey created by the University of Georgia is designed for anyone to participate and make a difference for pollinator conservation! We will meet at the Tea Cottage entrance (1770 Dibble Rd, Aiken SC 29801) to go over the census instructions and hike to Ridge Mile Track where we will disperse to locate flowers and conduct our counts. Participants are also welcome and encouraged to travel to other entrances or locations within the Woods to conduct their counts to give us a wide coverage - you can scout your plants beforehand! Datasheets and clipboards will be provided. 

About the count: Each participant locates a pollinating plant and counts the number of different pollinators landing on it during a 15 minute period. Pollinators do not need to be identified to species and are categorized broadly into groups. Learn more about the census here.

Recommended things to bring:

• Comfortable hiking shoes
• Water
• Snacks
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Binoculars
• Camera   
• Phone or watch for recording time

About Hitchcock Woods: Hitchcock Woods, nestled in the heart of Aiken, South Carolina, is the largest urban forest in the United States at 2,100 acres. Open daily from sunrise to sunset, its 70 miles of trails offer a haven to the public on foot and horseback. Owned and managed by the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Woods comprise a mosaic of mature pine forests and bottomland hardwood forests, supporting a diversity of plants and wildlife. The Woods is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement held by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and is a designated South Carolina Heritage Preserve Trust site. You can learn more about the Woods at www.hitchcockwoods.org.