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