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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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. […]
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