Brosnan Forest hosts LOLT Annual Picnic

Brosnan Forest is the 12,000-acre corporate hunting and lodging facility of Norfolk-Southern Railroad Company. Norfolk Southern donated a conservation easement on their entire property in 2008 working with Lewis Hay and the staff at the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. Governor Sanford has called Norfolk Southern's voluntary act the single largest corporate gift to the South Carolina in state history. The grounds at Brosnan Forest are manicured to suit the outdoorsman's eye and LOLT Picnic activities allowed members to visit the property and experience some of the sporting pursuits it has to offer. Guided one-hour tours of the woodland landscape were a hit with members who rode of tractor-drawn wagons to different areas of the forest. Stops included an area recently treated with prescribed fire and a discussion by Mike Maggard why this practice is beneficial both to the trees and the wildlife, and a location where red-cockaded woodpeckers were inhabiting 100-year old longleaf pine trees. For those guests wanting to shoot firearms both the skeet range and the sporting clays course at Brosnan Forest were open for business. Children's activities included face painting, and a hay ride, but fishing for mountain trout in the pond next to the lodge looked to be the biggest hit! Nature walks for bird watchers were popular with two nesting pairs of bald eagles present on the fishing lakes. Youth activities included Pitch-n-Putt golf, shuffleboard and basketball. Many families attended the LOLT picnic and everyone attending was able to enjoy some form of outdoor activity. Brosnan Forest is a working lodge 365 days a year, and was gracious in extending this invitation to LOLT, their partner in conservation. Some numbers to note: Brosnan Forest has 200 miles of maintained roads (good for logging and hunting access), with 1000 acres of food plots scattered in 300 locations, and 80 colonies of red-cockaded woodpeckers, and a full-time staff to welcome NS employees when they come to vacation at Brosnan Forest. Norfolk Southern's leadership in the realm of conservation is sure to have ramifications that helps to protect quality of life for the future of the Lowcountry.

To view my blog entry from the 2009 LOLT Annual Meeting click here.

My photos show some beautiful camelias blooming on the Brosnan Forest grounds, a youth angler very excited about catching his first rainbow trout, women receiving shooting sports instruction on the skeet range, and LOLT's Will Haynie, Brosnan Forest's Josh Raglin and friend to nature Tom Blagden enjoying some fellowship.