Pigpen Dam Plant Rescue and Debris Removal

Volunteers needed (especially if you have a pickup truck) on Saturday October 16, beginning at 9 a.m. until noon to assist the Native Plant Society to rescue plants and clean up debris on a tributary of the Chattooga River above Oconee State Park.  This is the site of an old fish pond which impounds a tributary of Pig Pen Creek, which flows into the Chattooga River.  Pig Pen Creek has a native population of southern Appalachian brook trout original to the stream, but the fish have been impacted by the decreased flow of water below the dam, the heated water in the pond, and the pond fish that are not native to brook trout streams.  Naturaland Trust has purchased the property, and the US Forest Service, SC DNR, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Trout Unlimited are removing the dam and restoring the upper reaches of the stream that have been impounded, increasing trout habitat and improving water quality.

 We will rescue plants that would be destroyed when the dam is removed and move them elsewhere on site or take them to the Society’s greenhouse.  Volunteers can also take some plants for their own yards.  We will also be removing debris from the site and out of the stream.  The plants include ferns, yellowroot; galax; mountain laurel; rhododendron; and wetland shrubs.

 We expect volunteers from the Native Plant Society, Naturaland Trust, Trout Unlimited, Master Naturalists, and the agencies.

 We will start at 9 a.m., and we will finish by noon.  You can come late and leave whenever you want.

 DIRECTIONS TO GET THERE:  Take Highway 123 to Seneca; turn right on Highway 28 to go to and through Walhalla and up the mountain; at Mountain Rest, turn right onto Highway 107 (State Park Road); go past Oconee State Park for several miles; the site is on your left.  This is where the Burrell saloon used to be.  Most of the buildings have now been removed.

 Wear long pants and long sleeves; bring gloves and shovels.  There may be some mud.