Parking and transportation provided from James Island Charter High School.

Events

• Cast netting & shrimp baiting
• Fly fishing
• Knot tying
• Fish casting
• Fishing simulator
• Touch tank
• Fish printing
• Fish tattoos
• Seafood cooking
• Fish tagging
• Bait types
• Seminars

Educational cruises aboard DNR's E/V Discovery will be offered during the course of the day. Three trips will be offered, and participants will be led through an estuarine ecology lesson aboard the marine educational vessel out into the Charleston Harbor. Pre-registration is required for this event and thirty spaces are available per trip.

Times for the trips are:

• 9:30 am - 11:00 am
• 11:00 am -12:30 pm
• 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm.

Participants must be 10 years of age or older.

Space fills up quickly, so contact Kattie McMillan with DNR's Marine Education Program today to pre-register! McMillanK@dnr.sc.gov, or (843) 953-0762.

Seminars

At 10:00 a.m. Sea Turtle Conservation Program Coordinator, DuBose Griffin will talk about the efforts to protect sea turtles in the state. Participants will learn about sea turtles in S.C., which includes our state reptile the Loggerhead sea turtle, as well as what can be done to ensure that these turtles continue to nest on our beaches and inhabit our coastal waters.

Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Bob Martore will provide a lecture at 11:00 a.m., on the thriving program that now includes management of 45 offshore and inshore marine reefs. Participants will have the opportunity to view underwater footage taken by DNR biologists at local offshore artificial reef sites. Martore will discuss the variety of designed and recycled materials used in creating a functioning artificial reef and the types of marine life and habitats that they house. Importantly to note, a recent survey compiled from data collected during 2006 from the primary users of artificial reefs, private boat anglers and charter divers, determined that these user groups had an impact of $83 million in total sales (including trip expenditures) during the course of the study year, a significant component of the coastal economy.

At 1:00 p.m., local historian Russell Horres will provide a lecture on the "History of Ft.Johnson; Roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars." This presentation will highlight significant historical events that have occurred at the Ft. Johnson location. Noteworthy events included the firing of the first shots of the Civil War from a location overlooking the Charleston Harbor and visits from George Washington, as well as many others. Following the lecture, participants will have the option to take a walking tour of the campus to view remaining historical sites.

For more information, call (843) 953-9300.

Reserve May 3rd to come and check out how the SCDNR is protecting our state’s natural resources!