Highlands Biological Station

MAPS Bird Banding at HBS | August 6
2026-08-06 05:00 - 13:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join Highlands Biological Station and the Blue Ridge Bird Observatory for a morning of bird banding as part of the MAPS, or Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship, program.
Established at HBS in 2020, the MAPS bird banding station is part of a larger effort to assess trends in avian demographics across North America. During banding sessions, trained researchers safely capture birds, collect important biological data, and fit each bird with a USGS-issued aluminum band with a unique identification number before release. Data collected may include age, sex, feather condition, wing measurements, and signs of disease or injury.

Visitors strolling through the Highlands Botanical Garden during morning banding sessions are welcome to observe the process and learn more about the birds that call our campus home. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience real, ongoing research and see conservation science in action.
Location: Highlands Biological Station / Cook Pavilion

Cost: Free to observeWeather Note: Bird banding is weather-dependent and may be canceled or rescheduled due to rain, wind, or other conditions that could affect bird safety.

Plastic Pollution on the Plateau: An Overview of Microplastics Research in the Southern Appalachians
2026-08-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Zahner Conservation Lecture 8
Featured Speaker
Jason Love, Associate Director of Highlands Biological Station, Western Carolina University
Date: Thursday, August 6
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Cost: FREE | No registration required
Learn more: https://highlandsbiological.org/foundation/events/zahnerlectures/#plastic-pollution
Sponsored by Paul Manos & Diane Lennox
Organized by Highlands Biological Foundation

The Flower Hunter's Trail
2026-08-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
The Seminoles called him Puc Puggy — the Flower Hunter. He earned it.

In the spring of 1775, William Bartram rode into the Cherokee mountains of western North Carolina and stayed barely two months. He never stopped writing. Travels, the book he made of that journey, appeared in 1791 and has been keeping readers company ever since — a young Philadelphia Quaker, astonished at every turn, working himself into raptures over what he called “vegetable beauties.”

On Wednesday, August 12 at noon, University Program Associate Liam Stiefel leads a walk down the Bartram Trail in the Highlands Botanical Gardens — a short interpretive path planted with some thirty species tied to William, or to his father John, the self-taught Quaker farmer whom King George III named Botanist for the Colonies.

Among them is Franklinia alatamaha. William Bartram found it on the banks of the Altamaha River in Georgia, and never found it anywhere else — nor has anyone since. It has been gone from the wild for two centuries. Nearly every Franklin tree alive on earth today, ours included, grew from seed the Bartrams stopped to collect. It flowers in late summer.

Come see what a sharp eye and a full notebook can save.

Meet at the Highlands Nature Center Wednesday, August 12 · 12:00 p.m.Free and open to the public

Science on the Rocks: Darwin, Wallace, and the Making of The Descent of Man
2026-08-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Weyman Building, 265 N 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Science on the Rocks: Darwin, Wallace, and the Making of The Descent of Man📅 Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 4:00 PM📍 Weyman, Highlands Biological StationFree and open to the public
Join Highlands Biological Station as we close out the 2026 Science on the Rocks series with a special conversation featuring Dr. Jim Costa and his new book.
In this engaging final talk of the season, Dr. Costa will explore the scientific, historical, and personal forces that helped shape Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man. The talk will trace the intellectual world of Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, examining how their ideas on evolution, natural selection, and humanity developed, overlapped, and diverged.
Drawing from his new book, Dr. Costa will share insights into the history of evolutionary thought, the correspondence and debates that shaped the era, and the “mountain of facts” Darwin worked to organize into one of his most significant works.
Come curious, bring your questions, and settle in for an informal evening of science, history, and conversation at HBS. Attendees are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice.
Presenter: Dr. Jim CostaTopic: Darwin, Wallace, and the making of The Descent of ManLocation: Weyman, Highlands Biological Station

What's Blooming: Bog & Pollinator Gardens
2026-08-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Highlands Biological Station Amphitheater, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
What’s Blooming: Bog & Pollinator Gardens
A guided gardens tour with Dr. Paul Manos, Duke University
Wednesday, August 19 | 12:00 noon | Meet at the Nature Center
Free and open to the public
Late summer is one of the most rewarding moments in the Highlands Botanical Garden. Join Dr. Paul Manos of Duke University for an unhurried, guided walk through two of the Garden’s most distinctive habitats: the Bog Garden, where saturated soils support a specialized community of plants found almost nowhere else nearby, and the Pollinator Garden, planted to draw in the bees, butterflies, moths, and flies that keep these systems running.
Along the way, Paul will point out what’s in flower that week, explain what makes each species suited to its particular patch of ground, and introduce the insect visitors at work among the blooms. Expect close looks, good questions, and a new appreciation for how much is happening in a few hundred square feet of mountain garden.
The tour moves at a relaxed pace over garden paths and some uneven, occasionally damp ground. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, along with sun protection and water. All experience levels are welcome — from lifelong native plant enthusiasts to first-time visitors.
Please note: the Nature Center building will be closed that day for updates. We’ll gather outside the Nature Center, and no indoor facilities will be available — please plan accordingly.
Cost: Free and open to the public. No registration required.
The Highlands Botanical Garden is part of the Highlands Biological Station, a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University.

Hemlocks & Other Old Growth Trees: Educational Walk
2026-09-19 10:00 - 13:00 | HBS North Campus, 111 Lower Lake Road, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Highlands Biological Station · Coker Trail · Highlands, NC
Free — RSVP required
Join the Hemlock Restoration Initiative and Highlands Biological Station for an Old Growth Forest edition of our educational hemlock walk.
You’ll walk the Coker Trail beneath healthy hemlocks in an HRI Hemlock Conservation Area — and stand among some of the largest and oldest trees in the Eastern United States. Spanning roughly 3.7 acres, this rare forest remnant holds eastern hemlocks exceeding 3.3 feet in diameter, with the largest reaching 4.2 feet. The oldest hemlock in the stand is at least 467 years old — the oldest known in the Southern Appalachians — and many others exceed 250 years.
A relic of the primeval forest that once blanketed the Highlands Plateau, the Coker Forest also features Northern Red Oak, Tulip Poplar, Yellow Birch, and Mountain Laurel, with Rosebay Rhododendron carpeting the understory. Now part of the Old Growth Forest Network, it helps protect regional biodiversity and offers a glimpse into the area’s ecological past.
What you’ll learn
Your hike leaders will cover the ecological importance of hemlocks, what’s causing their decline, and what’s being done about it. A representative from Highlands Biological Station will teach tree species identification and share the history of the forest.
Know before you go
The walk is a short 0.5-mile out-and-back. However, the trail receives minimal maintenance and includes steep inclines. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water. We plan to be back at our vehicles by 1:00 PM.
In case of poor weather, the hike will be rescheduled to Saturday, September 26.
Registration
The hike is free to attend, but your RSVP is required. Please sign up by Monday, September 14: https://savehemlocksnc.org/saturday-september-19th-2026-hemlocks-and-other-old-growth-trees-educational-walk-at-highlands-biological-station/
Questions? Contact Olivia Hall at education@savehemlocksnc.org or 828-252-4783.

Highlands on the Half-Shell
2026-10-04 16:00 - 19:00 | The Meadow at Highlands Biological Foundation, 888 Horse Cove Rd, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Join us Sunday, October 4 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM for an outdoor Cajun-inspired celebration in the heart of Highlands. Set in the cozy Valentine Meadow at the Highlands Biological Station, this festive evening features a feast of Southern coastal flavors served up with community spirit and mountain charm.
Highlands on the Half-Shell is one of Highlands Biological Foundation’s largest annual fundraisers. Proceeds support our mission to provide exceptional nature education, support scientific research, and foster community connection to the natural world in the Southern Appalachians. Your ticket directly supports our work and helps protect the incredible biodiversity of our region.
This beloved event is made possible by generous volunteers and community members who lend their time, talent, and tastebuds to create something truly special.
Purchase tickets: https://highlandsbiological.org/foundation/events/highlands-on-the-half-shell/
