Highlands Biological Station
Volunteer Stories
At Highlands Biological Station, our volunteers are the heart and soul of everything we do. They bring boundless enthusiasm, a love for nature, and a shared passion for conservation and education. Each volunteer has a unique story to tell—whether it’s a favorite garden spot in our Botanical Garden, the joy of guiding visitors through our trails, or the fulfillment of contributing to vital ecological research.
In this section, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on the incredible individuals who dedicate their time and energy to making the Station a thriving community. Through their stories, you’ll discover what inspires them, the memories they cherish most, and how their efforts are helping us connect people with the natural world.
We invite you to explore their journeys and perhaps be inspired to join our growing family of volunteers!
Dr. Paul Manos
“I started teaching Blue Ridge Flora in 2003 but most of my time in the region was spent off-campus, teaching students in the field. My sense of the HBS garden was spotty back then. It wasn’t until we spent a sabbatical at HBS in the spring of 2020 while staying at the Sargent House that I really got to know the flora within the HBS gardens and grounds.
That spring was the gateway for me, working with enthusiastic, plant-loving volunteers — Ken and Lynda — who showed me their favorite gardens and plants. Other projects, like helping Jason treat the hemlocks, introduced me to methods of native plant management, as did mapping out the HBS tree flora for tours and improving our data on the living collections.
I like doing grunt work with fellow volunteers, as well as thinking about how to maintain our existing plants and introduce new and interesting species. I also enjoy leading educational tours of the HBS gardens. My favorite “garden” is along the Coker Old Growth Trail – our acid cove community stands out as a one-of-a-kind testimony to the way things used to be in the region.”
Lynda Anderson
“The Station and its Botanical Gardens have been an important part of my life for several decades. I have enjoyed numerous workshops, symposium, lectures, and tours and learned so much about our native plants that has helped me in creating my own native plant gardens.
I feel fortunate to be able to help maintain and enhance the Botanical Gardens. I have particularly enjoyed working in the Moss Garden. It is a small gem of a garden showcasing mosses and their companion plants, such as Shortia galacifolia and a variety of ferns and herbs. Many volunteers and Friends of the Station have contributed various mosses to this wonderful habitat. This garden is a beautiful and serene spot for visitors.
Volunteering is a wonderful way to make new friends and gain a connection to a larger community of native plant enthusiasts and experts. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the garden soon.”
Diane Lennox
Why do you volunteer at the Station?
“It was the Station that brought me to Highlands in the first place, following Paul for his summer teaching gigs in the mid-2000’s. With a place as beautiful and inspiring as HBS at the center of my Highlands world, that draws together such a remarkable and dedicated community, I just want to play my part in sharing it with others and helping it thrive.”
What is your favorite aspect of volunteering at the Station?
“I am no expert in gardening or sciences. So, I look for different and unexpected ways to dive in, whether it’s digging in the dirt, slinging sandwiches at the Symposium or fiddling with files in the archives. The latter has been a particular pleasure, because I love history and finding unexpected connections and personal stories behind the Station’s remarkable resilience. And because I’m nosy and I love reading other people’s letters.”
The Botanical Garden is a “Garden of Gardens” – do you have a favorite garden? Why?
“I try to walk the Woodland Way any time I’m in the garden, to see what’s in bloom there and likely along some of my favorite Highlands hikes. I also have some particular plants I visit – the pitcher plants on the boardwalk and their neighbors, the Grass of Parnassus, the skunk cabbage in early spring, the yellow lady slippers (when I can find them), and the moss garden. And of course, the flame azaleas always “blaze” the way to a new blooming season.”
Meg Seydel
“My favorite part(s) of volunteering at the Station are learning about gardening in this area, learning from all of the knowledgeable (and patient) participants at the Garden and most unexpectedly making wonderful new friends.”
Ken Conover
“I am grateful to the Station’s founders and early supporters who had the vision to create an academic research station and a naturalistic botanical garden here in the southern Appalachians.
I have learned so much about the natural world by taking classes and workshops and attending symposia and lectures at the Station over the past 25 years.
It pleases me to be part of the Station’s long history of community involvement and volunteerism by helping to maintain the Botanical Gardens and by leading the Station’s Botanical Gardens and Grounds Planning and Advisory Committee to enhance the gardens.
And last but not least, the friendships forged with other volunteers have enriched my life. “
Bryding Adams
“I volunteer because I enjoy learning about our diversity on the plateau and spending time with others who have similar interests.
My favorite aspect is learning new things about native plants and sharing information with other volunteers.
Favorite garden – hmm hard to say, but love the bog garden and the huge old growth trees.
I got interested in the archives and history of HBS because the more you work there you understand the almost 100 years of research that has been happening there and how exciting that is and how it has grown and fostered a love of the plateau environment by many students as well as young and old visitors.
I volunteer in the archives because I love getting the materials organized and finding out more and more about the evolution of the station.”