By Sam Walters, The Journal
Photo by Sean Smith, The Journal
UpstateToday.com
SIX MILE — A little bit of rain didn’t stop dozens of Six Mile residents from celebrating the opening of a decade-long project.
The Bryson Children’s Nature Walk, located at 565 N. Main Street in Six Mile, officially opened its gates Thursday morning as state politicians, local neighbors and town officials came together to cut the ribbon on the nature education complex.
“What a day,” Mayor James Atkinson said. “We got here. It’s been a 10-year time period to get here.”
Touching ceremony
Former Mayor Roy Stoddard opened the ceremony with an invocation, followed by singing by Shirley Kirby, cousin of late project supporter Dennis Chastain, who was memorialized on the site earlier this year.
“It’s an honor to be here and to see some dear friends here,” Stoddard said. “Remember, I didn’t say old. I said ‘dear friends.’”
Atkinson then shared information about what the Bryson Children’s Nature Walk has become since it was merely a concept in 2016 and how much it meant to him.
“I spent 15 years of my life as a council member and mayor of this town, and in 15 years, for me personally, this is the proudest day that I have ever experienced in this town,” Atkinson said. “I am so proud of the people that came through and this group that came out here today.”
Atkinson presented a certificate to Alesha Cushman, grant coordinator for the South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, for her service to the town and the projects over many years. Atkinson continued by reading names of organizations and people who have helped bring the project to where it is today, including the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce, which helped host the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the Pickens County Historical Society.
People gathered around Atkinson as he officially cut the ribbon.
“I have been truly blessed to be a part of this project,” Atkinson said.
From donation to conservation
The Nature Walk began from a 63-acre conservation easement site donated from the estate of late Conrad Ardell Bryson with a goal to promote “outdoor agricultural and conservation education for youth and adults” and to “preserve, defend, protect and observe the natural habitat of birds, reptiles, animals and plants,” according to a plaque at the site.
Following a gravel road into the estate, 20 trees donated by a local organization line the path to a lot where trails and education centers intersect. Inside the fences are more than a dozen garden plots with an education pavilion for outdoor teaching and learning.
“The objective of this whole property is to be educational,” Atkinson said.
A new agricultural museum on the site allows for a walkable tour of equipment and photographs of the town, showcasing its farming and agricultural background. Near this area is a wooden statue with a map of the estate project and information about its history, design and purpose.
“Humans have promised to never build houses, stores or roads on this land,” Atkinson said. “A permanently protected home for nature.”
Multiple trails stretch out from the main hub, complete with signage and information about the environment, animals, plants and the site’s history. Down the main trail, visitors can find a boardwalk overlooking a pond.
“Those green signs point out native plants that were growing along the trail,” Atkinson said. “The late Dennis Chastain and his wife spent time here, and they defined those plants.”
A reason to celebrate
S.C. State House District Three Rep. Phillip Bowers told The Journal it was a “really great day” for Six Mile.
“I brought my granddaughter up here. We’ve walked the trails already,” he said. “I’ve been out here in the summertime and seen children out here planting and digging in the dirt. I’m kind of a farmer at heart myself, so it’s just a fantastic opportunity.”
Jane Chastain, wife of the late Dennis Chastain whose name and contribution to the project is etched into signage across the property, said her husband would be “so proud of this.”
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