TV naturalist coming to Awendaw

If you grew up in South Carolina and ever watched TV on the weekends, there's no doubt you recognize the face of naturalist Rudy Mancke. Best known as the host of South Carolina ETV's "NatureScene," Mancke has been synonymous with nature in the Palmetto State for 30-plus years.

He will lead a walking tour at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Center for Birds of Prey, 4872 Seewee Road in Awendaw. The former high school biology teacher who became curator of natural history at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia and founded the South Carolina Association of Naturalists, will share his knowledge of and enthusiasm for Lowcountry nature.

Two of the Spartanburg native's common themes are "little things in nature are important" and "you don't have to go far to see powerful stuff right here in South Carolina." Even though his TV show took him all over the United States, Mancke still loves to brag about his home state and says he's pleased so many fellow Carolinians are developing "pride in place" and "love of local country and its natural heritage."

"Curiosity is innate and is always tied to survival," Mancke says. "Today, we shield ourselves from our surroundings, and our survival skills aren't as necessary as they were in our evolutionary history. I'm lucky because I've been able to help so many people look and understand."

The tour is open to the public. Member cost is $30 per person, and nonmembers pay $45. For information, call 971-7474 or visit www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org.