Trail Treks: The Great Backyard Bird Count

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Jeff Breazeale

Although most of the fall color is gone from the trees, there is still a lot to discover out on the nature trails this time of year. In fact, this time of year is great for bird watching! Since most of the leaves are gone, you will be able to spot our feathered friends much more easily. Don’t know what to look for? Read the latest Trail Journal for photos and information about birds like the Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and others you will likely see in the Lake Keowee and Upstate, South Carolina areas.

This year, The Reserve’s Community Foundation is making its bird sightings count by participating in “The Great Backyard Bird Count,” led by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event, February 17-20, which encourages bird watchers of all ages to help survey the birds in their area by identifying and counting them. Bird enthusiasts all across North America will submit their sightings to help create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds!

» Learn more about The Great Backyard Bird Count.
» Post photos of your bird sightings on our Facebook page.

Going Green on Keowee: Volunteers take part in the FOLKS Fall Lake Sweep

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Kathryn Coleman-Gravely

Fall 2010 Lake Sweep Volunteers

As part of The Reserve’s continued commitment to “going green,” the Community Foundation participates in the the bi-annual “Lake Sweep,” a lake-wide clean-up effort spearheaded by F.O.L.K.S, Friends Of Lake Keowee Society. The Reserve has also recently adopted five islands in Lake Keowee— Islands 17, 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D are now monitored and maintained by The Reserve and its members. The property owners and staff from The Reserve are proud to be part of the effort to preserve Lake Keowee’s natural beauty.

Get involved: Join us for a Lake Sweep in 2011!
Watch our online calendar for details, or contact me at kgravely@reservekeowee.com to sign up.

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Lake Keowee News: Reflections Newsletter, Autumn 2010

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Lauren Harper

News from The Reserve at Lake Keowee

A collection of stories, photos, and upcoming events
that guarantee another exciting season of Life on Lake Keowee!

The Autumn 2010 issue of Reflections is now available online,
download it here.

The first EarthCraft certified home plan is now available in The Reserve Builder Showcase program

Posted on September 3, 2010 by rutledgelivingston

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SUNSET, SC — The 3,452 sq. ft. Oconee Bell, one of two new plans in The Reserve Builder Showcase program from The Berry Group, is EarthCraft^TM certified and features energy-efficient architecture, geothermal HVAC, solar hot-water heaters, materials that improve indoor air quality, and authentic exterior materials like cypress siding, douglas fir timbers and fieldstone veneer.

The 2,900 sq. ft. Highland Cottage, also new from The Berry Group, features welcoming porches, cypress siding, douglas fir timbers, and NC fieldstone veneer. Natural materials are also featured inside including wood walls and ceilings, hardwood floors, timbers, and custom cabinets.

More info:
Oconee Bell brochure (EarthCraft^TM certified)
Highland Cottage brochure
View all Builder Showcase home plans

The Reserve to Set the Bar for Environmental Stewardship on the Golf Course with Audubon Lifestyles

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Greg Rushing

The lake and mountains are in play at The Reserve

The Reserve at Lake Keowee Jack Nicklaus Signature Course

PALM HARBOR, FL – Eric Dodson, CEO and Executive Director for Audubon Lifestyles said, “We are excited to welcome the Reserve at Lake Keowee into the Sustainable Golf Facility Program. By participating as a Pilot Member, The Reserve has set itself on a path to lead by example, and their commitment and efforts toward sustainable golf course management should be commended.” Read more here.

Clemson University pomology professor visits The Reserve apple orchard, shares expertise and best practices

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Chuck Pigg

The Reserve at Lake Keowee, just 20 minutes from Clemson University, has a history of working closely with Clemson faculty, staff and students to promote environmental stewardship. Dr. Desmond Layne, Professor of Pomology at Clemson University kicked off a new project last week, visiting The Reserve to offer “best practices” for The Reserve apple orchard.

Reserve orchard manager Eddie Brown from All Things Nature, local apple producer Dick Purdue, Reserve POA Manager Ken Tamsin and Dr. Layne walked The Reserve apple orchard and collaborated on the project. Dr. Layne stated that he was “pleased with the overall health of the apple trees and praised our disease management plan.” He recommended that we fertilize each tree this year and scale back on our winter pruning to expand the canopies and increase the fruit yield next season.

Dr Layne will perform routine orchard inspections so watch for more updates this fall on The Reserve apple orchard.

Hill House Art Gallery Features “Reflections of the Upstate” by Oil Painting Artist, Jim Creel

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Kathryn Coleman-Gravely

: “Keowee Tranquility” Oil Painting by Jim Creel

“Reflections of the Upstate” by Oil Painting Artist, Jim Creel is on display in the Hill House Gallery through May 27th. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 am - 5 pm.

Reflections of the Upstate is a unique sampling of landscapes and scenes of everyday life that typify the beauty and majesty of the Upstate region of South Carolina, Lake Keowee and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Artist Jim Creel primarily works with oil paints on canvas and his painting style is representational and somewhat impressionistic. He wants his paintings to have a ‘painterly’ feel, rather than a look of photo-realism.

Learn more about Jim Creel and other Featured Artists
See a full calendar of Foundation Events
Experience Upstate, South Carolina and learn more about Lake Keowee and the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Reserve at Lake Keowee celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day with its own 10th Anniversary Environmental Stewardship Initiatives

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Chuck Pigg

One of the Lake Keowee islands adopted by The Reserve.

One of the Five Lake Keowee islands adopted by The Reserve.

In honor of the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day and in line with the 10^th Anniversary of The Reserve at Lake Keowee, The Reserve and its members have outlined a series of environmental stewardship efforts and activities in and around Lake Keowee. These include various small acts of care, kindness and protection of the land, water and wildlife.

Adopting five islands in Lake Keowee through the “Adopt-an-Island” program created by Friends of Lake Keowee Society (FOLKS) and Duke Energy Island Keeper. Islands 17, 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D have been adopted by The Reserve and its members. The property owners and staff from The Reserve have been cleaning the lake and islands this week, in conjunction with the bi-annual “Lake Sweep,” a lake-wide clean-up effort organized by FOLKS. The Adopt-an-Island will culminate this Saturday, as Boy Scouts and leaders from Pickens Troop 51 join The Reserve in helping clean islands 17 and 17A and hear from FOLKS volunteer, Jack Lewis, about their impact on the lake.

A crew of "Lake Sweepers and Island Keepers" from The Reserve at Lake Keowee.

Adopting a four-mile stretch of Highway 133, just off the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (Highway 11) in Sunset, S.C. Four “Adopt-A-Highway” clean-up weekends are planned for 2010: February, May, July and October. At the clean-up event in February, members of The Reserve picked up 93 bags of litter, including a car bumper and old tires.

…Read the Full Story

Going Green on Keowee: 31 volunteers band together to clean up Hwy. 133

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Kathryn Coleman-Gravely

Reserve at Lake Keowee Residents clean a 4-mile stretch of Hwy. 133 in Pickens County, SC.

As part of The Reserve’s commitment to “going green,” the Community Foundation has adopted a four mile portion of Highway 133, which borders The Reserve. Part of this commitment is to clean the section four times a year. The first sweep of the highway took place in February — thanks to the 31 volunteers who made our first Adopt-A-Highway sweep a success! The number of people committing an hour and a half of their time and the amount of litter removed from outside our community was extraordinary. Volunteers scoured our four miles of roadway collecting 80 full bags of litter and 13 bags of aluminum cans which were sorted separately for recycling.

31 Reserve at Lake Keowee Volunteers gather at the Hill House to help with the Adopt-a-Highway project.

31 Reserve at Lake Keowee Volunteers gather at the Hill House before setting out to help with the Adopt-a-Highway project.

“We can all be proud of the part we played. Our stretch of roadway looks wonderful and, best I can tell, we all had fun making it that way. Experiences shared by some of the teams were side-splitting and memorable,” says Reserve Member, Janet Greiner.Three more cleanups are scheduled in 2010 and the next date is May 17^th. Contact me at kgravely@reservekeowee.com to sign up.