Highlands Biological Station

Zahner Lecture 3
2023-06-29 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 3 – Microplastic Pollution in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

Featured Speaker: Austin D. Gray, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech
Date: Thursday, June 29th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Jennifer & Forrest McConnell and Jennie Stowers.
Plastic pollution poses one of the greatest global risks to freshwater and marine ecosystems. The formation of microplastics from plastic debris has been shown to alter aquatic ecosystems by disrupting biota populations. In this talk, topics surrounding plastic pollution, microplastic occurrence and distribution, toxicological impacts of microplastics, toxicokinetic aspects of microplastic uptake and depuration, and microplastic formation rates in marine and freshwater habitats will be discussed.

A Buggy Evening
2023-07-05 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 5th (Register HERE)
9 – 10 PM
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Experience the world of our smallest nocturnal creatures—insects! Learn to identify unique and beautiful insects then join naturalists to look for fireflies and nocturnal creepy crawlies in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Zahner Lecture 4
2023-07-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 4 – The Geology That Has Shaped the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau

Featured Speaker: Bill Jacobs, Geology Enthusiast and Author of Whence These Special Places – The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley
Date: Thursday, July 6th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Anne & Dick Goodsell: The Claude Sullivan Geology Initiative
The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau is a unique landscape, with high valleys, an extraordinary array of waterfalls and mountains, and rich biodiversity. In this lecture, we will explore the geologic processes, stretching back over 500 million years, that have created the Plateau and shaped today’s special landscape. Our speaker will use concepts and language comfortable for the non-scientist and will discuss how geology, some of it ancient and some much more recent, has determined the character and appearance of both the broader Plateau and many of its specific mountains and waterfalls.

Introduction to Brightfield and Fluorescence Microscopies
2023-07-10 - 2023-07-14 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Bob Youker (Western Carolina University)
In this lecture/lab course, students will learn how to prepare their field samples for brightfield and fluorescence microscopic examination. Students will also learn how microscopes generate images, the experimental conditions needed for optimal imaging of their specimens, and learn basic image processing techniques for analysis. The course will be a combination of lecture and hands on specimen preparation and imaging (lab). Students can either provide specimens from their field research, or work with the instructor to collect rotifers and other aquatic micro-invertebrates from the field to use in the lab portion.
Lab time will be centered on learning the parts and functions of modern brightfield and fluorescence (widefield & confocal) microscopes, preparing specimens (e.g., staining with fluorescent dyes), and acquiring images of their specimens for analysis. Students will learn to acquire images using a widefield fluorescence microscope and take a “field trip” to WCU to use the state-of-the-art Leica Stellaris 5 confocal microscope. We will also discuss some other modern approaches to fluorescence microscopy, such as electron and super-resolution microscopies.
Each student will prepare a final report that compares brightfield to fluorescence images taken of their samples. The student will explain in detail the features observed using both methodologies and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The student will also give a short oral presentation on one microscopic technique not covered in the course and this topic will be selected from a list provided by the instructor.
Pre-requisites: Introductory biology sequence

For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/.

Owl Prowl
2023-07-11 19:00 - 19:45 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 11th (Register HERE)
Time: 7pm – 7:45pm
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Who-oo goes there? Join Balsam Mountain Trust for a special meeting with their live owl ambassadors and learn more about these amazing nocturnal raptors. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Going Batty
2023-07-12 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 12th (Register HERE)
Time: 9pm-10pm
FREE, all ages welcome
Discover the nocturnal mammals who take to the skies! Learn about the fascinating world of bats, then join naturalists in the Botanical Garden to seek them out. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Zahner Lecture 5
2023-07-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 5 – History of National Forest Management in the Chattooga River Watershed, and the Compelling Case for a New Mission for the Forest Service

Featured Speaker: Buzz Williams; Emeritus Executive Director & Program Specialist, Chattooga Conservancy
Date: Thursday, July 13th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Bryding Adams & Bob Rathburn, Lynda Anderson & Ken Conover, Margie Bauer & Jim Parker, Janet & Scott Clarke, Leslie & Jim Costa, Diane Lennox & Paul Manos, Helen & Russ Regnery, and Dollie Swanson.
National forest lands in the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau encompass a very sensitive and ecologically rich landscape. These forests are critical for recreation, preserving biological diversity, protecting drinking water supplies, producing clean air—and now, for fighting climate change. These forests are managed by the Forest Service under the US Department of Agriculture and are subjected to intensive logging and cultivation as tree crops. Recently, the Forest Service decided to cut down rare old-growth trees and increase the amount of logging on public lands in western NC. Scientific research indicates that logging on federal forests is a substantial source of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Recent studies also found that one of the best ways to mitigate the effects of climate change is by restoring and protecting mature and old-growth forest ecosystems, which store large amounts of carbon. This talk will provide an overview of national forest management in the Chattooga River watershed, and why mitigating the effects of climate change requires a new mission for the Forest Service—one that prioritizes protecting and restoring a network of mature and old-growth forest ecosystems, to ensure biological diversity and management aimed at fighting climate change.

Mushrooms of the Carolinas and the Southern Appalachian Region
2023-07-17 - 2023-07-21 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructors: Alan and Arleen Bessette
Due to this workshop’s popularity, priority will be given to those who haven’t taken the workshop before.
This workshop will focus on the mycological diversity of North & South Carolina, and the Southern Appalachian Region.
Activities will consist of lectures/presentations on topics such as (but not limited to): Identification Techniques, Major Groups of Fungi, Ecology, Edibility & Toxicity; daily field work (forays); and laboratory/class activities where participants will be introduced to the use of field keys, microscopy, documentary photographic techniques, and more.
Designed for beginners wanting a solid introduction to mycology, and for more advanced individuals wishing to pursue their personal mycological interests, this workshop facilitates learning in a relaxed group setting in a unique and mycologically rich area.
Cost: $500 workshop fee + $300 housing fee (strongly encouraged)
For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-workshops/.

Forest Ecosystems of the Southern Appalachians
2023-07-17 - 2023-07-28 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructors: Dr. Steph Jeffries (NC State Univesity), Dr. Alan Weakley (UNC-Chapel Hill), and Dr. Julie Tuttle (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Check back later for a description and pre-requisites.

For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/.

Folklore & Explore
2023-07-18 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 18th (Register HERE)
9 – 10 PM
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Curious about old wives’ tales, superstitions, & Sasquatch? Explore the natural, night-time beauty of the Botanical Garden while unearthing fascinating tales of Appalachian lore. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Folklore & Explore
2023-07-19 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 19th (Register HERE)
9 – 10 PM
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Curious about old wives’ tales, superstitions, & Sasquatch? Explore the natural, night-time beauty of the Botanical Garden while unearthing fascinating tales of Appalachian lore. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Zahner Lecture 6
2023-07-20 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 6 – Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication

Featured Speaker: Barbara Ballentine, Ph.D.; Associate Professor; Western Carolina University
Date: Thursday, July 20th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Miriam & Vernon Skiles and Mary Todd & Jimmy Davis.
Birds use acoustic, visual, and even olfactory signals in social contexts that are important for successful reproduction and survival. Signaling works because it offers advantages to both the sender and receiver. Understanding how signals are used by birds to communicate provides insight into the amazing lives of birds.

Amazing Moths
2023-07-25 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 25th (Register HERE)
9-10 PM
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Celebrate National Moth Week with us! Learn about the many kinds of moths that call our area home, then join naturalists to see which ones we can find in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Amazing Moths
2023-07-26 21:00 - 22:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
July 26th (Register HERE)
9-10 PM
FREE, all ages welcome
Registration required
Celebrate National Moth Week with us! Learn about the many kinds of moths that call our area home, then join naturalists to see which ones we can find in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Zahner Lecture 7
2023-07-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 7 – Sounds Wild and Broken

Featured Speaker: David George Haskell, Ph.D.; Author and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor; University of the South
Date: Thursday, July 27th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Rosemary & Bill Stiefel.
Sonic communication was a late-comer to the evolution of life on Earth. But once song got started, the links that it forged became powerful generative forces. Today, the diverse sounds around us – from chirping crickets, to birdsong, to the human music in our earbuds – reveal the many layers of this evolutionary and cultural creativity. Yet sonic diversity is also threatened worldwide. Using examples from his own explorations of sound, Haskell will show how attention to the sensory richness of the world, especially its sonic dimensions, can root and guide exploration, ethics, and action.

Fleshy Fungi of the Southern Blue Ridge
2023-07-31 - 2023-08-11 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Andy Methven (Eastern Illinois University, Emeritus)

Students will be introduced to the fleshy fungi (Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes) that occur on the Highlands Plateau. Emphasis will be placed on the analysis of macro- and micro-morphological features in the identification of genera and species as well as the ecological role of fungi in the ecosystem. Additional topics may be added depending on student interest. The daily routine will consist of a morning lecture followed by a field trip until early afternoon. Collections will be examined and identified after returning from the field and an opportunity provided to assemble a collection of dried fleshy fungi. Microscopes and chemical reagents necessary for accurate species determinations will be available for use. The laboratory will be open in the evenings for additional study of collections.
Pre-requisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or permission of instructor

For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/.

Zahner Lecture 8
2023-08-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 8 – Archaeoastronomy in Southwestern North Carolina

Featured Speakers: Jane M. Eastman, Ph.D.; Associate Professor; Anthropology and Sociology Department; Western Carolina University
& Brett Riggs, Ph.D.; Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies; Western Carolina University
Date: Thursday, August 3rd
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Suzanne & Don Duggan, Julie Farrow, Florence & Tom Holmes, Ruthie & Franko Oliver, Adele & Nick Scielzo, and Margaret Waters.
In ancient Cherokee perspective, the matters of this world, the Above World and the Beneath World intertwine, and Cherokee peoples constructed ritual landscapes to engage the beings and forces of these realms. Recent investigations in the Little Tennessee River Valley have revealed one such landscape that marks astronomical phenomena and bespeaks sophisticated systems for measuring calendrical time and the cycles central to Cherokee life. These patterns indicate complex observational sciences that guided functions of indigenous societies long before European contact.

Writing the Appalachians
2023-08-07 - 2023-08-11 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Sylvia Torti, University of Utah
In this 5-day workshop we will explore the ways that notions of “nature” and “the self” intersect through writing, and we’ll do so embedded in the fabulous Appalachian Mountains.
Using the text Mountains Piled upon Mountains: Appalachian Nature Writing in the Anthropocene edited by Jessica Cory, we’ll learn the basic elements of good storytelling through reading and discussion. And then we’ll embark on our own generative storytelling from our personal lives, history and experiences at Highlands Biological Station.
Each day will consist of an invigorating combination of: walks, plant and animal identification, discussion of texts, workshopping of your work (previously submitted) and time to write. We’ll finish the week with a reading open to the HBS community.
No later than August 1: Email instructor with 10 pages of double-spaced writing (sylvia.torti@utah.edu). I cannot guarantee that I can review and comment on your work if I don’t receive it by August 1st.
You will be assigned one reading from the Cory book to read per instructions prior to August 7.
Cost: $500 course fee + $300 housing fee (strongly encouraged)
For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-workshops/.

Zahner Lecture 9
2023-08-10 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Lecture 9 – South Carolina’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

Featured Speaker: Tim Lee; Interpretive Ranger/Naturalist; Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area
Date: Thursday, August 10th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Martha & Michael Dupuis, Monte & Palmer Gaillard, and Melanie & Tom Mauldin.
Located in an area along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area provides a habitat for a diversity of biological communities adapted for life along the Blue Ridge Escarpment. With high average rainfall, diverse topography, and miles of streams and rivers many species found there are rare within the state and some are found in few other places in the world.

Botany & Art Garden Tour
2025-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

MAPS Bird Banding
2025-08-05 05:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Behind the Scenes at HBS
2025-08-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Garden Tour
2025-08-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-08-27 12:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

"Not From Around Here" Tour
2025-08-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Fall Migration (All Day Drop-In)
2025-09-06 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Saturdays in September! Drop-in station at the Nature Center.
Fall is a time when hawks, birds & Monarchs migrate! Stop into the Nature Center to learn more about these travelers.
Program funded by:

2025 Carpenter Lecture with Zoë Schlanger
2025-09-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Highlands Performing Arts Center, 507 Chestnut St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join the Highlands Biological Foundation for a thought-provoking journey into the hidden lives of plants at this year’s Carpenter Lecture, a biennial community event established in honor of former HBF director Sonya Carpenter. Presented in partnership with Highlands Performing Arts Center, HBF is proud to welcome acclaimed science writer Zoë Schlanger for an illuminating presentation that will change the way you see the natural world.
Learn more: https://highlandsbiological.org/foundation/events/carpenter-lecture-2025/
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: https://highlandsbiological.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/highlandsbiological/event.jsp?event=2444&

Bartram's "Rare and Elegant Flowering Shrub"
2025-09-10 13:00 - 17:00 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Fall Fungi Walk
2025-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us as we explore the Botanical Garden to see what mushrooms we can find during fall on the Plateau.
Weather dependent.
All ages welcome
FREE | No registration required
Meet at the Nature Center | 930 Horse Cove Rd.
Program funded by:
