Hikers, and their dogs, are invited to join the Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) and the Foothills Humane Society (FHS) for a hike in a celebration of Earth Day on Saturday, April 19. The 5.5-mile hike will take place at Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve in Gowensville, S.C.

PAC Director of Stewardship and Land Protection, Pam Torlina, will lead the hike from the trailhead off of Oak Grove Road to the South Pacolet River.
The hike is 2.75-miles out and 2.75-miles back, and starts out as relatively easy, winding through a new growth forest and along several streams, gradually becoming moderately strenuous as the trail ascends Squirrel Mountain through a rich hardwood forest with beautiful rock outcroppings.
After reaching the ridge top, the trail descends Squirrel Mountain through a lush cove forest to the South Pacolet River, at the base of Chestnut Ridge.
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve is a 1,881-acre Preserve in northern Greenville County, named for the mountain within its boundaries that protects White Irisette (Sisyrinchium dichotomum), a federally endangered plant. White Irisette is found on only a few scattered mountain slopes in western N.C. and northern S.C. and flourishes on several of PAC’s protected properties.
Difficult to distinguish in the best of circumstances, the tiny irisette will not be blooming this time of year, but many spring ephemerals will be open for hikers to enjoy.
The forest at Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve varies from early successional to mature upland and cove hardwoods, and hikers may see and hear songbirds just arriving from their wintering grounds in South America.
The property is part of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area program, allowing hiking, nature viewing, fishing, and some types of hunting.
If anyone is interested in giving a shelter dog a break and taking it for a walk on the day of the hike, please contact Dana Mayer, of Foothills Humane Society, several days before the hike for an interview and pairing with the appropriate dog. Dana can be reached at 828-243-1852.
Those interested in attending the PAC/FHS hike at the Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve, free of charge, contact the PAC office to sign up by phone at 828-859-5060 or e-mail landprotection@pacolet.org.
Hikers should wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and dogs must be on a leash and accustomed to being around many other dogs. Bring a bag lunch and/or snack and plenty of water (don’t forget snacks for your pooch!).
Please be sure to bring any personal medication that you may require. Hikers will be meeting at the Gowensville Spinx (at the intersection of Hwy 14 & Hwy 11) at 9  a.m. to start the approximately 15-minute drive to Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve.
In case of inclement weather, please visit PAC’s website, www.pacolet.org, or PAC’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pacoletarea.conservancy, on the day of the hike to see if the hike will take place.
PAC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) qualified conservation organization (land trust) that works with landowners to ensure the long-term protection of their land through voluntary conservation easements.
Conservation easements enable landowners to maintain ownership and management of their property, preserving precious natural resources (open lands, forests, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, farmland, stream banks, etc.), and potentially obtain significant federal, state, and local tax benefits.
PAC’s mission is to protect and conserve our area’s natural resources with a vision of a community living and growing in harmony with our natural heritage and a goal to provide a legacy that will endure and be valued by generations to come.
Foothills Humane Society (FHS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) open-admission, adoption-guarantee animal welfare organization serving the rural foothills of Polk County, North Carolina and Landrum, Campobello and Gowensville in the northern Greenville and Spartanburg counties of South Carolina, serving an overall service area of approximately 25,000 people and approximately 2,300 animals per year through our various programs.
FHS began in 1957 as the volunteer-operated, Polk County Animal Protection Society.
In addition to our successful adoptions and rescue programs, we offer many volunteer opportunities, public training classes, training and behavior assistance for our shelter dogs and boast an average 98% live-release rate, meaning that 98% of our animals are adopted into loving homes or transferred to reputable rescue organizations.
FHS’s mission is to shelter and care for stray and surrendered companion animals within the community; prevent cruelty to animals; reunite lost animals with their owners, adopt animals to qualified homes or place them with reputable rescue organizations; and educate the public about responsible animal ownership and population control.

– article submitted
by Pam Torlina