Your Monthly News & Updates | |
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Our Mission
To ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world.
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AFTERNOON EXPLORATIONS
Afternoon Explorations reopens Thursday October 10th and is open every Thursday and Friday from 1:30PM-5:00PM (last entry at 4:00PM). During each visit you’ll have the opportunity to explore some of your favorite parts of Roper Mountain including Environmental Science Building, Harrison Hall, the Living History Farm, Pirate Playground, and so much more!
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SPOOKY SCIENCE
Our first Afternoon Explorations Special Event has arrived! Join us on October 25th for Spooky Science! Visitors can see a pumpkin ooze, creepy crawlies, and more!
Get a jump start and mark these Afternoon Explorations Special Event Days in your calendar:
- Spooky Science: October 25th
- Fall on the Farm: November 15th
- Holly Jolly Science: December 13th
- Scales and Tails : January 17th
- For the Love of STEM: February 14th
- Earth Day Celebration: April 17th
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Members: If you are unable to attend your scheduled showtime, please contact us at 864-355-0805 by 2:00pm Friday so your reserved seats can be made available to other patrons. | |
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HALLOWEEN LASER SHOWS
They’re a little bit spooky, but a lot of fun! Join us for Halloween Laser Shows on 18th and 25th!
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Friday, October 18
4:30pm - Halloween
6:00pm - Halloween Spooktacular
7:30pm - Stranger Things
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Friday, October 25
4:30pm - Halloween Spooktacular
6:00pm - Halloween
7:30pm - Stranger Things
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Did you know that Roper Mountain has over 150 active volunteers!? We accept volunteers that are 14 years old and older, to help with a variety of roles and tasks. Most of our volunteers work with the public, during Afternoon Explorations and Summer Adventure. A lot of our young volunteers have been visiting Roper Mountain with their families since they were little and jump on the opportunity to "work" here once they turn 14. Robyn Hammond was no exception to this. Robyn immediately took a liking to our observational bee hive in the Ecology Lab. You can catch her, in her black and white striped shirt, creating quite the "buzz" around the thousands of bees that guests can view through the glass on the outside of the hive. | |
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During her time volunteering here, Robyn has been learning from one of our other beloved volunteers and beekeeper extraordinaire Muff, who regularly helps us maintain and care for the bees. Under the guidance of Muff, Robyn learned valuable skills and was even able to contain a swarm that we had and relocate it to to an offsite farm. Recently, Robyn was the State Senior Winner for the 4-H Honey Bee Project! This is a huge accomplishment for her and we are so proud! Next time you are visiting Roper Mountain, look for Robyn in the Ecology Lab and let her inspire you to learn more about and care for these amazing pollinators.
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Thank you for your thoughts and offers to help with post-Hurricane Helene clean-up. We were fortunate not to receive any major damage. We had one dinosaur destroyed as well as some of the outdoor seating and tables near the Hall of Environmental Science. We lost more than 100 trees however, with the support of staff and Greenville County Schools we've been able to clear the roadways and other public areas. The Nature Trails and some of the outdoor areas will be closed until further clearing is done. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Mountain for Afternoon Explorations on October 10th between 1:30PM-5:00PM.
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It's time to tag and release Monarch Butterflies! Visit our social media to listen to Ms. Anne explain how we tag our monarchs and release them on their journey to Mexico.
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Did you catch our Environmental Science Specialist, Ashley Zalabak, presenting all about Afternoon Explorations on Fox Carolina? If you didn’t, you can catch her segment and more here.
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Do you know that the coyote is not a native animal to our area? Coyotes first appeared in South Carolina around 1978 and now are found in all counties in S.C. from the mountains to the coast. Expansion of the coyote range from the northwest has been the main source for coyotes in South Carolina. Some coyotes were also introduced by houndsmen in the late 1970’s and 1980’s for use in fox running. Besides being one of the fastest canids, coyotes have a keen sense of smell and good eyesight. Combined with its intelligence, the coyote is very elusive and rarely seen on the mountain. Using some game and building cameras though around the mountain, we have “captured” them at night. | |
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In appearance, the coyote looks like a medium-size shepherd dog. It is gray or usually reddish gray in color with a nose more pointed and the tail bushier than a dog. When running, the coyote’s tail is held down between the hind legs. Coyote tracks differ from other dog tracks by usually being longer than they are wide. Often, only the middle two claws will be present in the tracks. Coyote scat varies depending on the diet. Like other canids, scats often are cigar shaped, tapering at the ends. In the summer, more than 80% of the coyote’s diet includes insects, fruits, and berries. In the winter, the majority of the coyote’s diet is small animals like rodents, rabbits and birds. Coyotes also prey upon fawns. In suburban areas, coyotes also prey upon domestic pets.
During our Afternoon Explorations on Thursdays and Fridays, find out more about the coyote at our forest mural display in the Ecology Lab.
By Tim Taylor, Roper Mountain Natural Science Specialist
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Special thanks to the BOSCH Community Fund for their support in providing an awesome new home for our Axolotls, Luigi and Peach! The new habitat in the Rainforest Classroom makes it so much easier for our students to gather round and see them up close!
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ScanSource has supported Roper Mountain for many years, providing funding for a number of projects around our campus, including one of our new 4th grade labs, Light Heist. In this lab, students use properties of light to discover which suspect stole a precious sculpture. The evidence shines light on the guilty party!
Thank you, BOSCH and ScanSource, for helping us fulfill our mission to ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world!
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Members: If you are unable to attend your scheduled Starry Nights showtime, please contact us at 864-355-0805 by 2:00pm Friday so your reserved seats can be made available to other patrons.
Members receive 10% off all t-shirt and hat purchases. Mention that you are a member to receive your discount.
PLUS earn an additional 25 points each time you wear your t-shirt to Nature Exchange!
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Spark Good
Walmart recently launched Walmart Spark Good Round Up where customers can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the change to their favorite charity. We would love for you to choose Roper Mountain Science Center as your charity to receive these donations every time you shop on Walmart.com. Just select us from the drop down menu when you checkout!
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Give Back to Roper Mountain
We appreciate your consideration in making a donation to support our mission to help lay the foundation for future successes for school and public programming.
Make a gift to Roper Mountain today.
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THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS | | |
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Visionary:
BOSCH Community Fund
The Daniel-Mickel Foundation
Dodge Industrial, Inc.
Fluor Foundation
Fluor Golf for Greenville
Greenville Water
Lockheed Martin Corporation
ReWa
South Carolina Farm Bureau
Explorer:
BMW Manufacturing
GE
SEW-EURODRIVE
Voyager:
Audacy Communications
Greenville Federal Credit Union
Rose Ball Committee
Milliken & Company
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Adventurer:
AFL Global
Bank of Travelers Rest
Bannon Foundation
Brian Cauthen
Contec, Inc.
HDR
Ryobi Power Tools
South Carolina Charities
TD Charitable Foundation
Upcountry Fiber Foundation
Innovator:
Broad River Electric Charities
Greenville Master Gardeners
Kay and Les Knight
Koops, Inc.
Carla and Brian Olson
Piedmont Natural Gas
Publix Super Market Charities
ScanSource Charitable Foundation
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We welcome your feedback. Email Roper Mountain to share your thoughts. | | | | |
