Foundation
The Highlands Biological Foundation, Inc., is a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that represents the continuation of the original private corporation that founded the Highlands Biological Station and supported it for its first 50 years of operation (1927-1977). Its mission is to raise funds, invest these, and use the income to support the research and educational programs of the Station. Traditionally, this has been done in the form of an annual grant to HBS, representing roughly 10% of the annual budget for the Station and being spent primarily for scholarships and grants-in-aid of research. Some of the endowment funds of the Foundation are restricted in their use, such as the six named scholarship funds (Olive, Sargent, Bruce, Howell, Ash, and Coker). The Foundation also has separate funds to help support the outreach mission through the Highlands Nature Center and the Highlands Botanical Garden.
The Highlands Biological Foundation is controlled by a Board of Trustees with 30 members, elected in four cohorts of eight to four-year terms. The annual meeting is held the last weekend in June. Between meetings, decisions are made by an Executive Committee that consists of the officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and two at-large members elected by the trustees. In addition, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Executive Director of the Station serve in an ex officio capacity. Thus, although there is some overlap between the Station’s and Foundation’s Boards, which facilitates communication and coordination of activities, HBS and HBF are effectively independent.
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Zahner Conservation Lectures
Zahner Conservation Lectures are held on Thursdays at 7pm in the Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road) for the academically curious. Topics range from the natural history of the southern Appalachians to more specific subjects including hemlock restoration and eastern cougars.
All lectures are held at 7pm in the Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Rd.)
Think About Thursdays
This summer activities series is sure to have something to suit all interests.
Native Plant Symposium
Save the date: September 13 & 14, 2013
Since 1999, The Highlands Biological Foundation has held it’s annual Symposium to promote the use of native plants in gardening and landscaping. The objective of the Symposium is for participants to incorporate concepts of ecology and conservation into their gardening practices. Proceeds from the Symposium benefit the Botanical Garden at the Highlands Biological Station, which was established in 1962 by the Highlands Biological Foundation as a refuge and collection of demonstration gardens for over 450 species of southern Appalachian plants.
Backyard Naturalists
The mission of Backyard Naturalists is to inspire a lifelong appreciation of the natural world in children through educational programming that integrates science, art, and technology. The program will draw from the considerable educational resources of the Highlands Nature Center, where staff has provided hands-on science-learning opportunities to help educate the community and promote conservation for over 60 years. Backyard Naturalists has been developed in partnership with Meet Your Neighbours, an international photography project designed to help connect people with the wildlife in their own communities. Backyard Naturalists will utilize the images produced by MYN to capture the attention of a generation of children fully integrated in technology.
Grants in Aid of Research
A number of grants-in-aid are available to pre-doctoral graduate students and postdoctoral investigators for the support of research on the habitats and organisms of the Southern Appalachians. Grant recipients are expected to spend time in residence at HBS, as both they and other researchers and students benefit from such interaction. Support may be awarded for one to twelve weeks. Applications for grants are reviewed by the Board of Scientific Advisors in March of the year for which support is requested. Application cover sheets and text must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. EST on 1 March. Applicants are notified in early April, following final approval by the Board of Directors.
