Events
Calendar of Events
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Sunday
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3 events,Instructor: Dr. Howie Neufeld (Appalachian State University) A short course on basic plant ecophysiology instrumentation and techniques, designed for beginners and advanced students alike. Students will learn the operating principles behind plant gas exchange (photosynthesis and transpiration), pigment extraction, and plant-water relations. This will include measuring plant water stress and hydraulics, which is how plants move liquid water in their stems. Students will become proficient in the use of portable gas exchange systems, pressure chambers for measuring water stress, hydraulic conductance systems, and fluorescence systems for measuring leaf stress. Much of the course will be field-based and measurements will be done on native plants in the lab and field; weather permitting, students will take field trips to different plant habitats in the Southern Appalachians and learn about the environmental factors governing growth and survival in these unique areas. After mastering the instrumentation and theory during the first week, students will work in groups to plan and conduct a field experiment during the second week, the results of which will be presented at a mini symposium at the conclusion of the course. Pre-requisites: Students must have completed the introductory biology sequence at their institution
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May 29 | June 12 | June 19 | June 26 10:30 AM Highlands Nature Center FREE | No registration necessary Join local storyteller Ms. KK at the Highlands Nature Center as she reads fun books and sings silly songs all about the great outdoors. After the StoryTime fun, Ms. KK will take you on an interactive adventure walk! This program is geared towards elementary-aged children, but all nature explorers are welcome. New Nature Themes each week (such as): Cute Critters, Buggin’ Out, Frogs & Reptiles Oh My!, Going Camping, and More! About Ms. KK: A beloved storyteller, Ms. KK always puts her heart, energy, and infectious personality into every performance. Her enthusiasm and overall love of books is contagious. Ms. KK believes that when you open a book it opens up a world with endless possibilities. Whether she is performing virtually or in person, Ms. KK will make sure everyone has fun! Honestly, if I can make a child smile it makes my whole heart shine. Ms. KK taps into her former acting, improv, and voice-over skills as well as my years as a storyteller on YouTube and in Public libraries, to make every performance full of fun and joy!
Free
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Highlands Nature Center is Open for Memorial Day Weekend! Extended Holiday Hours: Sunday, May 28, 12 – 4 PM FREE admission
Free
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2 events,
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Limited spaces | Registration required Tuesday, May 30 | 9 – 10 PM | Register HERE FREE admission, donation appreciated Search for salamanders in the Botanical Garden! Discover strange and fascinating facts about our slimy amphibian friends, then join our Education Specialists on a walk through the gardens to find local species. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! We will meet in the amphitheater behind the Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road). This program is weather-dependent. This program is open to the public.
Free
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2 events,
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Limited spaces | Registration required Wednesday, May 31 | 9 – 10 PM | Register HERE FREE admission, donation appreciated Search for salamanders in the Botanical Garden! Discover strange and fascinating facts about our slimy amphibian friends, then join our Education Specialists on a walk through the gardens to find local species. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! We will meet in the amphitheater behind the Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road). This program is weather-dependent. This program is open to the public.
Free
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1 event,Instructors: Dr. Rada Petric (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Dr. Ed Pivorun (Clemson University) This course will emphasize the mammalian fauna of the Southern Appalachians. We will have traditional lectures on mammalian anatomy, evolution, orders, physiology and ecology for about 1 ½ hours every morning. Field work will emphasize live trapping techniques. Mammals tend to be nocturnal. Thus, all traps will be set out in the late afternoon and will be checked early the next morning. These efforts will allow the student to become familiar with as many living local species of mammals as possible. The field work will examine the importance of specific habitats for the distribution and density of specific species. After a short break, we will move into the lecture setting until noon. In the early afternoon, after lunch, we will spend another 1 ½- 2 hours to do some more of the traditional mammalogy labs on anatomy, identification and keying. An interactive DVD/flash drive provided to each student contains high resolution images of the skulls of each species native to the Appalachian forests. This is an excellent study aid that is used in conjunction with the actual skulls and study skins of each species. Pre-requisites: Introductory biology, zoology, or permission of the instructor. |
2 events,
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June 6th (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.
Free
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2 events,
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June 7th (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.
Free
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1 event, |
1 event, |
1 event, |
1 event, |
3 events,Instructor: Dr. Rob Bierregaard (Drexel University & Academy of Natural Sciences) Bird diversity is extremely high in the southern Appalachian mountain and Blue Ridge Escarpment region, an area that includes a wide range of plant community types over a nearly 4000-foot range in elevation. This basic course in ornithology covers morphology, systematics, ecology, conservation, and behavior of birds. Daily field trips in the local area will acquaint students with the rich bird fauna of the region. Pre-requisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or permission of instructor. For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/
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May 29 | June 12 | June 19 | June 26 10:30 AM Highlands Nature Center FREE | No registration necessary Join local storyteller Ms. KK at the Highlands Nature Center as she reads fun books and sings silly songs all about the great outdoors. After the StoryTime fun, Ms. KK will take you on an interactive adventure walk! This program is geared towards elementary-aged children, but all nature explorers are welcome. New Nature Themes each week (such as): Cute Critters, Buggin’ Out, Frogs & Reptiles Oh My!, Going Camping, and More! About Ms. KK: A beloved storyteller, Ms. KK always puts her heart, energy, and infectious personality into every performance. Her enthusiasm and overall love of books is contagious. Ms. KK believes that when you open a book it opens up a world with endless possibilities. Whether she is performing virtually or in person, Ms. KK will make sure everyone has fun! Honestly, if I can make a child smile it makes my whole heart shine. Ms. KK taps into her former acting, improv, and voice-over skills as well as my years as a storyteller on YouTube and in Public libraries, to make every performance full of fun and joy!
Free
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3 events,
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June 13th (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.
Free
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3 events,
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June 14th (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.
Free
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3 events,
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Lecture 1 - Birds, Big Data, and Citizen Science: Understanding the Impacts of Global Change Featured Speaker: Allen Hurlbert, Ph.D.; Professor of Biology; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Date: Thursday, June 15th Time: 6pm – 7pm Cost: FREE Sponsored by Kim & Rich Daugherty and Kathy & Bestor Ward. As the world undergoes various facets of environmental change – from warming to habitat loss to shifts in seasonality – everyday people can help scientists understand the impacts on natural ecosystems through citizen science. In this talk, Dr. Allen Hurlbert will provide examples of how citizen science has enhanced our understanding of how global change is impacting birds, as well as insect bird food, across North America, and how you can help these efforts.
Free
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1 event, |
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3 events,Instructor: Dr. Joey Shaw (UT-Chattanooga) Students will obtain a comprehensive understanding of the seedless vascular plants, or cryptogams, or pteridophytes, including ferns and fern allies like lycopodium, and obscure taxa like the Appalachian gametophyte. Within the framework of classification, taxonomy, and evolution, we will dive deeply into studies of life cycles, morphology, basic anatomy, ecology, taxonomy, and nomenclature. We will take daily field trips within the Southern Appalachians and within a couple hours drive to collect specimens, bring them back to the laboratory, and identify them to species. The majority of our time will be spent either collecting in the field or keying species in the laboratory; that is, we will use the exercise of keying species to learn the important characters for identifying Southern Appalachian pteridophytes. Students will be encouraged to assemble reference collections and the last hours of the course will be spent assembling these collections. We will use various sources for species identification, but the Guide to Tennessee Vascular Plants of Tennessee will be the main key for species identification. Pre-requisites: This course is designed for professional biologists, naturalists, and undergraduate/graduate students that who have an interest in ferns, plant taxonomy, or field botany and who have some experience with dichotomous keys. No previous experience with ferns is required, but if you have experience I can probably take you further in your knowledge. That is, I have often taught this class and others to a diverse crowd of student’s wide spectrum of knowledge bases. Depending on the different field trips, participants should be prepared to put in at least a couple of 12-hour days. For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/
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June 19 & June 26 10:30 AM Highlands Nature Center FREE | No registration necessary Join local storyteller Ms. KK at the Highlands Nature Center as she reads fun books and sings silly songs all about the great outdoors. After the StoryTime fun, Ms. KK will take you on an interactive adventure walk! This program is geared towards elementary-aged children, but all nature explorers are welcome. New Nature Themes each week (such as): Cute Critters, Buggin’ Out, Frogs & Reptiles Oh My!, Going Camping, and More! About Ms. KK: A beloved storyteller, Ms. KK always puts her heart, energy, and infectious personality into every performance. Her enthusiasm and overall love of books is contagious. Ms. KK believes that when you open a book it opens up a world with endless possibilities. Whether she is performing virtually or in person, Ms. KK will make sure everyone has fun! Honestly, if I can make a child smile it makes my whole heart shine. Ms. KK taps into her former acting, improv, and voice-over skills as well as my years as a storyteller on YouTube and in Public libraries, to make every performance full of fun and joy!
Free
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3 events,
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June 20th (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.
Free
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3 events,
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June 21st (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.
Free
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3 events,
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Lecture 2 - Native Plants for the Vegetable Garden Featured Speaker: Adam Bigelow; Plant Nerd and Guide; Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions Date: Thursday, June 22nd Time: 6pm – 7pm Cost: FREE Sponsored by Vicki & Donny Ferguson. Native plants benefit us, our gardens, and the landscapes and ecosystems we depend on. Learn about the benefits of native plants and the harm caused by invasive plants. We will discuss how native plants can attract beneficial insects, beautify vegetable and flower gardens, and provide nutrition to the dinner plate, and help fill all of the roles that plants provide to our vegetable gardens and landscapes.
Free
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1 event,
Saturday, June 24th at the Highlands Nature Center FREE | Registration required for adult reading/walk Join Highlands Nature Center & Spriggly’s Beescaping for a day all about our native bees! Program Schedule: 10:30 – 11 AM: A reading of ‘Finding Home’ + a short presentation about native pollinators | Family-friendly | No registration required 12:30 – 1:30 PM: Join author Brannen Basham as he takes you on an in-depth experience featuring some of the fascinating North American plants and animals found at the Nature Center, along with a reading from his book ‘A Guide to the Wonderful World Around Us’ | Adult-oriented | Registration required for this program HERE (registration opens June 3) 2:30 – 3 PM: A reading of ‘Finding Home’ + a short presentation about native pollinators | Family-friendly | No registration required Bee tube rolling and coloring activities will be available in between the reading events!
Free
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1 event,Instructor: Dr. Joey Shaw (UT-Chattanooga) *Note course runs Sunday-Thursday* During this course, students will obtain a comprehensive understanding of how biological collections are made in the field and eventually uploaded to national and international data portals, like iDigBio or GBIF. We will help you to download and install important helpful apps and teach you how to use them in series to go from field to data portal. Students will leave the course having collected Plantae specimens, made labels, mounted specimens, and uploaded digital data to global portals. In addition to teaching and focusing on these skills, I can also help you key out and identify plant species that you might encounter and want to collect in the field, although you should have some cursory skills. Pre-requisites: This course is designed for young professionals who will be making biological collections of plants or fungi (professors, conservation workers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and naturalists), although it is open to others with an interest in this subject. No previous experience is required. Depending on the different field trips, participants should be prepared to put in at least a couple of 12-hour days. It would be great if you have had at least a class in Field Botany, Plant Taxonomy, Local Flora, or similar, but that is not necessary either. Course Outcome: Leave having collected and digitized Plantae specimens, including labels, transcribed text data & images. For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/. |
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3 events,Instructor: Dr. JJ Apodaca (Tangled Bank Conservation) The field of conservation genetics is rapidly emerging as an exceedingly vital component of conservation biology. This course focuses on salamanders to explore the fundamentals, cutting edge techniques, theories, and issues surrounding conservation genetics. Salamanders are one of the most endangered vertebrate groups in the world and are extremely diverse in the southern Appalachians, making them an ideal focal group for an introduction to the world of conservation genetics. In this short course, participants will become familiar with how to design, carry out, and interpret a conservation genetic study. We will also focus on learning to identify, work with, and appreciate the local salamander diversity. Participants will become acquainted with commonly used laboratory techniques and current literature pertaining to the conservation genetics of salamanders. This course is designed for students and others interested in working in the field of wildlife management that want to learn more about conservation genetics. Pre-requisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or permission of instructor. For more information, visit https://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2023-academic-courses/.
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June 26 at 10:30 AM Highlands Nature Center FREE | No registration necessary Join local storyteller Ms. KK at the Highlands Nature Center as she reads fun books and sings silly songs all about the great outdoors. After the StoryTime fun, Ms. KK will take you on an interactive adventure walk! This program is geared towards elementary-aged children, but all nature explorers are welcome. New Nature Themes each week (such as): Cute Critters, Buggin’ Out, Frogs & Reptiles Oh My!, Going Camping, and More! About Ms. KK: A beloved storyteller, Ms. KK always puts her heart, energy, and infectious personality into every performance. Her enthusiasm and overall love of books is contagious. Ms. KK believes that when you open a book it opens up a world with endless possibilities. Whether she is performing virtually or in person, Ms. KK will make sure everyone has fun! Honestly, if I can make a child smile it makes my whole heart shine. Ms. KK taps into her former acting, improv, and voice-over skills as well as my years as a storyteller on YouTube and in Public libraries, to make every performance full of fun and joy!
Free
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3 events,
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June 27th (Register HERE) 9 - 10 PM FREE, all ages welcome Registration required 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.
Free
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3 events,
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June 28th (Register HERE) 9 - 10 PM FREE, all ages welcome Registration required 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.
Free
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3 events,
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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.
Free
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