Highlands Biological Station

Drawing Leaves in the Studio and Field (Part 2 of 3)
2022-07-07 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Margie Bauer (Natural science illustrator and artist)
This 3-part course is to improve your drawing skills when drawing leaves. While each session may be taken by itself, the skills from the previous class(es) will be used in subsequent classes. Before students apply the botanical drawing skills in each session, students will be lead through a meditation process that will help our creative side flow.
Click here for the syllabus.
Prerequisites: Basic drawing skills
Cost: $50/session
Click here to register.

Drawing Leaves in the Studio and Field (Part 1 of 3)
2022-06-30 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States

Landscape Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians
2022-06-27 - 2022-07-08 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructors: Dr. Bill Peterman (Ohio State University)
Amphibians are among the most imperiled taxa globally, with habitat loss and degradation posing the greatest threats. Landscape ecology and conservation biology provide an appropriate lens to address these threats. This course will provide an overview of landscape ecology and conservation biology principles as they pertain to amphibian ecology and life history. Students will gain an understanding of course topics through lecture, discussion of primary literature, as well as hands-on exercises and field excursions. Students will also obtain a foundational understanding of GIS technologies through lab exercises. There will be an emphasis on the salamander diversity of the Southern Appalachians and their habitats throughout the course.
Prerequisites: Zoology, Herpetology or Vertebrate Biology; Ecology or Population Biology; or permission from instructor
Cost: $1000 course fee + $600 housing fee (if staying on-site)
Click here for the syllabus.

Geology of the Highlands Plateau
2022-06-23 09:00 - 18:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Bill Jacobs, Author of Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley
This workshop has grown out of Bill Jacobs’ book, Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley. As reflected in both the book and his talks, Bill is particularly fascinated with how geologic processes, some dating back more than 500 million years, have produced today’s mountains and waterfalls. He will discuss such questions as:
– How did the rocks in our mountains form and get to where they now are, and how has that history determined the appearance of today’s landscape?
– What created the high-elevation area we call the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau?
– Little Sliding Rock and Glen Falls are both much-loved cascades on the Plateau, but one is so smooth you can slide on it and the other is a series of jagged precipices – why the difference?
– What in the world is Shining Rock, and is there anything else like it in the world?
– Why is Rock Mountain gently rounded while nearby Chimneytop has a chimney? What gives Whiteside Mountain its unique character, with precipitous cliffs standing high above a more gently rounded base?
The workshop format will provide time for a richer discussion than is possible in shorter talks, as well as for questions and examination of rock samples and geologic maps. To close out the classroom activities, Bill will provide a “virtual field trip” to numerous nearby sites, such as Sunset Rock, Glen Falls, Little Sliding Rock, Whiteside Mountain and Devil’s Courthouse, and the Cullasaja waterfalls, to help participants better appreciate the geology on display during their future visits to these special places.
After lunch (on your own) Bill will lead an optional excursion to High Falls, below Lake Glenville Dam. At this extraordinary site, participants can examine up close how different rock groups have been complexly mixed together, and how their different characteristics are reflected in both the exposed rocks and the overall shape of the falls. (Note – this excursion requires over 600’ of elevation gain on uneven surfaces, as well as rock-hopping around the base of the falls. It should be undertaken only by experienced, confident hikers).
As in the book, Bill will use language and concepts easily understood by non-scientists, with numerous photographs and illustrations. He will also provide several handouts, and will be delighted to respond to questions, whether about the book or the geology. Signed copies of Whence These Special Places? will be available for purchase through Highlands Biological Station’s Nature Center. Additional information about both the book and its author may be found at www.GreatRockPress.com.
Cost: $60 for morning session (9am – 12pm); $100 for morning session and hike to High Falls (strenuous) in afternoon (1pm – 6pm).
Click here to register.

Diversity and Identification of Southern Appalachian Leaf Litter Arthropods
2022-06-20 - 2022-06-24 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructors: Dr. Mike Caterino (Clemson University) and Dr. Paul Marek (Virginia Tech)

A hands-on introduction to field and lab methods for the sampling and identification of arthropods living in leaf litter. Litter sifting will be practiced in multiple habitats. Following Berlese extraction of specimens, students will learn to identify the major groups and conduct preliminary comparisons of diversity among samples and habitat types.

Prerequisites: General biology required. A course in general entomology would be useful but not critical.
Cost: $500 course fee + $300 housing fee (if staying on-site).
Click here for the syllabus.

Vascular Flora of the Blue Ridge
2022-06-13 - 2022-06-24 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Paul Manos (Duke University)
The course is designed for students of all sorts, professional biologists, and amateur enthusiasts. The goals are to introduce plant diversity with a community-based approach through field observations of the flora of the Blue Ridge: to emphasize basic distinguishing features among lycophytes, ferns and seed plants; to focus on field characteristics of common and rare species and their habitats; to use keys to identify species; and to better understand the ecology of the major plant communities of the region and the biogeography of the species.
Prerequisites: One course in Introductory biology or ecology, training in natural history or permission of instructor
Cost: $1000 course fee + $600 housing fee (if staying on-site)
Click here for the syllabus.

Fireflies 101
2022-06-02 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Dr. Luiz Silveira (WCU)
Did you know…

That fireflies are beetles?
That our planet is home to over 2,200 firefly species?
That all firefly species make light as larvae (immature stage), but many don’t do it in the adult stage?
That many fireflies can be identified by their species-specific flash pattern?
That over a dozen firefly species can be found on the Highlands Plateau?

Come join Western Carolina University entomologist Dr. Luiz Da Silveira for our first “Fireflies 101” workshop, where participants will learn about the natural history of fireflies, ways of observing and telling them apart, and what we can do to make our gardens more “glowing.” The workshop will conclude with a night walk around the Highlands Biological Station grounds and Botanical Garden, where we will learn to identify the fireflies we encounter and decipher their light-flash conversations.
Dr. Luiz Da Silveira is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Western Carolina University. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Afterwards he worked one year as a post-doc at the University of Georgia. Luiz specializes on the taxonomy of South American fireflies and on global biogeography of the Lampyridae.
Cost: $150
Click here to register.

Fish of the Southern Appalachians
2022-05-30 - 2022-06-10 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Mollie Cashner (Austin Peay University)
Stay tuned for course description and syllabus. Visit https://highlandsbiological.org/2022-academic-course-schedule/ for more information.

Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders
2022-05-23 08:00 - 2022-06-03 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructors: Dr. Joe Pechmann (Western Carolina University) and Dr. Ken Kozak (University of Minnesota)
Stay tuned for course description and syllabus. Visit https://highlandsbiological.org/2022-academic-course-schedule/ for more information.

Conservation Biology
2022-05-16 08:00 - 2022-05-27 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Peter White (UNC – Chapel Hill)
The goal of this class is to review all the biological knowledge that is essential to conservation, ranging from genetics to populations to ecosystems and from small scales to broad ones, while focusing on the diverse and complex landscape of the Southern Appalachians. Some of the material may be review from general biology or ecology classes, albeit with new conservation-themed examples, and some will be new to you because the work in question is only carried out in a conservation context. Examples of competencies gained are the following: ability to evaluate the relative contributions of niche-environment relations and spatial-temporal constraints to biodiversity patterns and the consequence of these patterns for conservation design; understanding how genetic diversity is affected by effective population size; understanding how extinction risk is affected by the size, number, and distribution of populations; ability to construct, in a conceptual sense, population and metapopulation models; understanding concepts of ecosystem dynamics, resistance, resilience, and adaptability; ability to critically analyze modern conservation issues like invasive species, climate change and change in other ecological processes, habitat loss and fragmentation, trophic cascades, ecological restoration, and ex situ conservation. The key competency to gain is to think critically about scientific findings, to see where uncertainties and opportunities for new research lie, and to use the findings of biological science as a conservation tool box.
Prerequisites: General biology and ecology courses or permission of instructor
Click here for the syllabus.

Identification of Southern Appalachian Grasses
2022-05-16 - 2022-05-21 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Instructor: Dr. Paul McKenzie (US Fish and Wildlife Service Emeritus)
The purpose of this class is for participants to know the differences between grasses, sedges and rushes; obtain a thorough knowledge of the grass flower and variations among different grass Tribes in the SE Appalachians; have extensive practice using dichotomous keys in lab; and examine and identify grasses observed in the field using principles and concepts learned in class.
Prerequisites: None but participants who have experience using dichotomous keys in a plant identification class will be able to grasp the material sooner than those who don’t.
Cost: $500 course fee + $300 housing fee (if staying on-site)
Click here for the syllabus.

Highlands Field Site Students' End-of-Semester Project Presentations
2021-12-09 18:00 - 21:00 UTC | NC
Bats and hemlocks and salamanders, oh my! Join us as we celebrate the four months of hard work our 12 Highlands Field Site students have accomplished. These talented and determined students have been working hard to contribute to the understanding of the incredible biodiversity of our region. You can join them for their end-of-semester celebration where they will present their individual and group research project findings for our community. The presentations and reception will be held on Thursday, December 9th. Location and time to be determined. Stay tuned for more info.
For a sneak peek at the students’ research projects, see HBF’s fall newsletter HERE.

Science Slam
2021-12-08 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Halifax) | Hudson Library, 554 Main Street, Highlands, North Carolina, 28741
Highlands Biological Station and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment students invite you to enjoy a selection of poetry and creative writing created during their semester studying the diverse environments of southern Appalachia while in residence at HBS. This COVID-safe event will take place at Hudson Library in Highlands on Wednesday, December 8th at 1:00 PM.

Holiday Creations
2021-12-04 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | NC
Kick of your holidays by making decorations from natural materials! Drop by the Highlands Nature Center after the Higlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade to create twig stars, pine cone ornaments, and more! This event is free and great for all ages!

Highlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade
2021-12-04 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | NC
The Highlands Nature Center will be a part of this year’s Christmas parade! Join us this holiday season for the annual parade down Main Street in Highlands to see what festive float we’ll have this year.

Nature Center Hours
2021-11-27 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York), 2021-11-20 10:00 - 16:00 UTC, 2021-11-13 10:00 - 16:00 UTC, 2021-11-06 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | NC
The Nature Center will be open from 10 AM – 4 PM. Advanced reservations suggested for groups of 6 or more. Admission is free.

Thanksgiving
2021-11-25 - 2021-11-26 | NC
Station and Foundation offices will be closed for Thanksgiving. The Botanical Garden will be open dawn-dusk but no staff will be on-site.

Nature 101 - Rock 'N Roll
2021-11-16 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | NC
What makes a rock, a rock? To find out, join the Highlands Nature Center for their November Nature 101 program “Rock ‘n Roll”! Beginning at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16th, you will learn how to identify rocks on campus, then put your knowledge to the test during a half-mile hike. Your rock-filled adventure will end at Sunset Rock, which is owned and protected by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. This event is weather dependent. Reservations and masks are required. To reserve your spot, visit https://highlandsbiological.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/highlandsbiological/eventRegistration.jsp?event=728&

Salamander Meander
2021-07-27 21:00 - 22:00 UTC | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Salamander Meander
Dates: June 1st, June 29th, & July 27th
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Join Highlands Nature Center as we search for salamanders in the Botanical Garden! Discover strange and fascinating facts about our slimy amphibian friends, then join naturalists on a walk through the gardens to find local species. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Research Applications of Drones in Landscape Ecology
2021-07-26 - 2021-07-30 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
RESEARCH APPLICATIONS OF DRONES IN LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY with Dr. Susan Cohen and Mr. Fleming Talton, UNC at Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment

Conservation Genetics of Salamanders
2021-07-26 - 2021-07-30 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
CONSERVATION GENETICS OF SALAMANDERS with Dr. J. J. Apodaca, Tangled Bank Conservation

A Buggy Evening
2021-07-20 21:00 - 22:00 UTC | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
A Buggy Evening
Dates: June 22nd & July 20th
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Experience the world of our smallest nocturnal creatures—insects! Learn to identify unique and beautiful insects then join naturalists to sample for fireflies, moths, and more in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Going Batty
2021-07-13 21:00 - 22:00 UTC | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Going Batty
Dates: June 15th & July 13th
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
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.

Fleshy Fungi of the Highlands Plateau
2021-07-12 - 2021-07-23 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
FLESHY FUNGI OF THE HIGHLANDS PLATEAU with Dr. Andy Methven, Eastern Illinois University (Emeritus)

Field to Database: Collecting Biodiversity Data in the Age of Global Databases
2021-07-12 - 2021-07-16 | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
FIELD TO DATABASE: COLLECTING BIODIVERSITY DATA IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL DATABASES with Dr. Joey Shaw, UT-Chattanooga

Starlight Stroll
2021-07-06 21:00 - 22:00 UTC | Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
Starlight Stroll
Dates: June 8th & July 6th
Time: 9pm-10pm Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: FREE
Unlock the history and mystery of the night sky as we study the stars! Hear stories from different cultures and learn to identify summer constellations. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Biology and Identification of Ferns
2021-07-05 08:00 - 2021-07-09 17:00 UTC | Highlands Biological Station, 265 North 6th St, Highlands, NC, 28741, United States
BIOLOGY AND IDENTIFICATION OF FERNS with Dr. Joey Shaw, UT-Chattanooga
